Last week, the House of Representatives voted to pass two bills that would require background checks for every gun purchase and increase the number of days a seller has to wait for results before completing the sale. It’s the first series of gun control measures out of Congress in over two decades.
With Republicans in control of the Senate, it’s unlikely the bills will become law. President Trump has already said he won’t sign them.
For years, Colorado has been living with the kind of background check regulations that one of the bills would create. Home to two of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings — Columbine and Aurora — it’s viewed by some as a potential model for gun control policy nationwide.
This week, the Colorado House of Representatives approved a measure called the Extreme Risk Protection Order, which supporters say will help prevent gun violence and protect first responders and families. Rep. Tom Sullivan, a Democrat, was one of the sponsors of the bill. His son, Alex, was murdered in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012.
“One of the reasons I ran for office was so I could tell all of you about Alex and about other victims and families of gun violence,” Rep. Sullivan said after the bill passed. “Today, the House stood up and did the right thing. This bill will give law enforcement and families the tools that they need to stop tragedies from constantly happening and save lives.”
We’ll look at Colorado’s existing gun laws, new proposals and how the battle for the Second Amendment is playing out at the state level around the country.
This show was produced by one of our *Across America producers, James Morrison. Find out more about him and our project here. Text by Kathryn Fink.*
GUESTS
Leigh Paterson, Reporter, KUNC; fellow, Guns & America @leighspaterson
Patrick Neville, Republican State Representative, Colorado’s 45th District outside Denver; Columbine Survivor @patrickforco
Tom Sullivan, Democratic State Representative, Colorado’s 37th House District outside Denver; Son was killed in Aurora theater shooting @sully_720
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
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Copyright 2019 WAMU 88.5
