Boulder County Commissioners Proclaim June as Gun Violence Prevention and Awareness Month

(Pictured from left to right: Commissioner Claire Levy, Commissioner Marta Loachamin, and Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann)

• The Boulder County Commissioners support gun violence prevention laws.
• The commissioners encourage voters to pass the Firearms & Ammunition Excise Tax ballot measure in November.
• To receive this information in another language, contact Gloria Handyside by phone 303-441-1622 or email ghandyside@bouldercounty.gov

Boulder County, Colo. -- The Boulder County Commissioners have proclaimed June 2024 as Gun Violence Prevention and Awareness Month in Boulder County and invite residents to help raise awareness about gun violence, to vote yes on the Firearms & Ammunition Excise Tax ballot measure in November, and to honor the lives of victims and survivors of gun violence by wearing orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day (Friday, June 7) and Wear Orange Weekend (June 7-9).

During the 2024 legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly, the commissioners testified in support of legislation to keep firearms out of sensitive places, including daycare centers, college campuses, local government buildings, and polling places.

The commissioners also supported several other gun violence prevention bills, including successful legislation that:

• better tracks data on the sale of firearms in the state through credit card transactions
• requires gun dealers and employees to undertake more thorough training and safety measures
• requires firearms in vehicles to be out of sight and in a locked container
• establishes minimum standards and education for concealed carry permits

They also supported unsuccessful legislation to:

• enact an assault weapons ban
• crack down on the sale of illegal firearms on social media

2024 Boulder County Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention Month Proclamation

WHEREAS, firearm-related deaths continue to be the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States with Black and Latino children more likely to be harmed or die from gun violence than white children peers due to systemic racism; and

WHEREAS, the United States suffers from an epidemic of gun violence unparalleled in any other developed nation where over 43,000 people died as a result of gun violence last year, and our nation ranks highest of all wealthy nations for gun-related deaths; and

WHEREAS, suicides make up the highest proportion of deaths related to firearms, followed by homicides and accidental shootings; and

WHEREAS, 59 percent of adults report that they or someone they know or care about have experienced gun violence in their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, gun violence is disproportionately prevalent in historically underfunded neighborhoods and cities and gun violence prevention is an issue of racial justice with Black children more than four times more likely to experience gun violence than white children; and

WHEREAS, data from the Centers on Disease Control demonstrate that states with tighter gun control laws have fewer deaths; and

WHEREAS, 60 percent of Americans say that gun violence is a major problem in the U.S. today and nearly 60 percent of adults and young people believe gun laws should be stricter than they are today; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners supported and testified at the Colorado General Assembly in support of this year’s state legislation to keep firearms out of sensitive places, including daycare centers, college campuses, local government buildings, and polling places; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners supported several gun violence prevention bills this state legislative session, including successful legislation that better tracks data on the sale of firearms in the state through credit card transactions, requires gun dealers and employees to undertake more thorough training and safety measures, requires firearms in vehicles to be out of sight and in a locked container, and establishes minimum standards and education for concealed carry permits and unsuccessful legislation to crack down on the sale of illegal firearms on social media; and

WHEREAS, ten states, plus the District of Columbia, have enacted laws that generally ban the sale, manufacture, and transfer of assault weapons, but unfortunately, Colorado is not one of them; and

WHEREAS, banning assault weapons in Colorado will prevent and reduce mass shooting injuries and deaths and this essential action to protect our residents is long overdue; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners were disappointed that Colorado was unable to pass an assault weapons ban this legislative session, but heartened that the legislation successfully passed the Colorado House and was introduced in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners thank the legislators who introduced this year’s assault weapons ban bill – Representatives Tim Hernández and Elizabeth Epps and Senator Julie Gonzales – and look forward to working with legislators in 2025 to increase support for the measure in the Colorado Senate and to pass statewide legislation to prohibit a person from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of an assault weapon; and

WHEREAS, the Boulder County Commissioners support the Firearms & Ammunition Excise Tax ballot measure being put to voters in November, which would fund mental health services (including for military veterans and at-risk youth), school safety and gun violence prevention, and support services for victims of domestic violence and other violent crime through an 11% sales tax on firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners recognizes June 2024 as Boulder County Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and invites residents to help raise awareness about gun violence, vote yes on the Firearms & Ammunition Excise Tax ballot measure in November, and honor the lives of victims and survivors of gun violence by wearing orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 7) and Wear Orange Weekend (June 7-9).

Adopted this 4^th day of June 2024.

Commissioner Claire Levy

Commissioner Marta Loachamin

Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann

• Contact the Board of County Commissioners

• View Commissioners' Meeting Documents and Records

• Visit the County Commissioners' webpage