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DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation to make gun violence prevention and public safety efforts more accessible to parents and legal guardians of students. HB25-1250 aims to keep Colorado youth and our communities safe.
“As a gun violence prevention advocate and a former teacher, I know our students are counting on us to boost access to the tools that help mitigate youth violence and senseless gun deaths,” said Rep. Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial. “Our student-supported bill works to increase community awareness and provides parents and guardians with the safe storage resources to communicate with their children about gun violence. Together, we’re taking a public health approach to connect our communities with resources to create a safer, more supportive space for our youth.”
“Between raising the minimum age to purchase firearms to improve safe storage, we’re taking a multi-prong approach to addressing gun violence in our communities and schools,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. “This bill boosts awareness for parents and guardians by providing them with resources, specifically prevention or intervention services, to help them better communicate with their children about gun violence. Building upon my safe storage legislation from 2021, this bill works to spread awareness, making sure firearms are properly stored to keep our communities safe.”
HB25-1250 passed the House by a vote of 43 to 21. The bill would increase education on gun violence prevention and public safety efforts by requiring the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to accessibly list gun violence prevention materials on their website.
Specifically, these materials would be posted or linked online so school districts, charter schools, facility schools, a board of cooperative services, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind could distribute these materials at the beginning of each school year to each parent, guardian, and legal custodian of an enrolled student. Under the bill, materials could be provided in written or electronic format, and local education providers would be required to also post the materials to their websites.
Denver has worked closely with CU Boulder and Denver Health to use evidence-based approaches to addressing youth violence in Colorado. A Public Health Institute report outlined helpful public health focused strategies to combat youth violence, including the importance of identifying risk factors, intervening before violence can occur, and increasing awareness of this topic as a deterrent of gun violence.
In 2023, Rep. Hamrick also sponsored a law to combat youth gun violence by raising the age limit to purchase any firearm to 21. That same year, a bipartisan group of legislators created the Office of School Safety which provides rapid response grants to support safety efforts in public schools, public charter schools, community-based organizations, and cities and counties.