Moms Demand Action

The battle over guns comes to Lakewood.

At the Nov 28, 2022 Lakewood City Council meeting, proponents for and against new gun control measures made their arguments in public comment. This is now an issue for all local governments due to a new law in Colorado, https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb21-256. This law makes it possible for cities to pass their own laws, as long as they are more restrictive than state laws.

Moms Demand Action has suggested the following new ordinances:

1. Creating a 10-day waiting period for the sale of firearms
2. Raising the minimum age to purchase and possess a firearm to 21 years old
3. Requiring firearm dealers to post signage about the dangers of weapons in the home
4. Prohibiting guns in certain public places (open and concealed carry)
5. Prohibiting the possession of unserialized ghost guns

City Council has not added these items to the agenda in any formal action but public comment on the issue lasted around 2 hours just considering the possibility.

There were an estimated 11 comments in favor of new restrictions, and 20 comments against them (some comments were ambiguous)

A VERY brief summary of comments in favor of the proposed regulations:

• These are research-backed solutions
• More regulations slow gun violence
• The 2nd Amendment requires a well-regulated militia and that is currently not the case
• These are sensible solutions
• Our laws are out of date
• Proposal is not overly burdensome, it’s respectful
• The proposal is not an unreasonable ask
• Several stories of personal loss, violence impacting family and friends, and examples from around the nation
• Stories of not feeling safe

A VERY brief summary of comments against the proposed restrictions:

• We have 2nd Amendment rights
• Cannot convert rights to a crime
• Criminals don’t care about laws
• Mature enough to vote, mature enough to own a gun
• Government must uphold constitution
• Culture is the problem
• Moms Demand Action are only expressing pain
• New SCOTUS decision says any infraction on rights is too much
• The real problem is mental health cases are on the rise
• There are local gun businesses which are a benefit to the community and tax base
• Gun control has been tried and doesn’t result in less violence
• We already have enough regulation