Legislation to Improve Public Safety, Reduce Youth Violence Passes Committee

DENVER, CO – The House Education Committee last evening 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 long-time educator and an advocate for gun violence prevention under the gold dome, I know that parents and legal guardians want access to tools that help mitigate youth violence and senseless gun deaths,” said Rep. Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial. “We know that increasing awareness within our communities makes parents and guardians better equipped to seek prevention or intervention services, and to communicate with their child about this topic. This bill takes a public health approach, coupled with our previous gun violence prevention efforts, to help connect our communities with the resources they need to create a safer, more supportive Colorado for all youth.”

HB25-1250 passed by a vote of 7-5. 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.