GIFFORDS Praises Colorado Senate for Protecting Election Sites, Sensitive Locations
Washington DC —Today, GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, applauded the Colorado Senate for passing a bill that would protect polling locations from armed intimidation and prohibit guns in sensitive areas, like schools and government buildings. The updates follow the US Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which weakened the standards that states like Colorado use to decide who can carry guns in public.
The bill passed with a 21-14 vote, and now heads to the Colorado House chamber. Colorado would join 22 other states that have passed a law prohibiting guns at polling sites to avoid political violence.
Agustin Cabrera, State Legislative Manager
“Coloradans deserve to live free of the fear of being shot at a polling site, a school, a sporting event, or a house of worship. By protecting areas frequented by children and where the core of our democratic process takes place, this commonsense measure will have a meaningful impact on public safety. I’m grateful for the leaders in the Colorado Senate who have taken these steps to reinforce Coloradans’ safety and the democratic process from gun violence.”
SB24-131 is sponsored by State Senators Jaquez Lewis and Chris Kolker and State Representatives Kyle Brown and Mandy Lindsay.
GIFFORDS Law Center’s Annual Gun Law Scorecard identified the prohibition of guns at polling places, election sites, and other sensitive locations as a key policy Colorado could enact to better protect its citizens. In recent years, it’s become all too clear that the use of guns to intimidate voters, elected officials, or poll workers is a serious threat to the country’s democracy. GIFFORDS’s Guns & Democracy project points legislators to commonsense solutions like those in the bill passed today.
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