Democratic Colorado Gov. Jaren Polis signs gun control measures on April 28. (Screenshot from CBS Colorado’s YouTube)
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jaren Polis signed four gun control measures April 28 aimed at quelling rising suicides and youth violence, preventing mass shootings and opening avenues for victims of gun violence victims to be able to sue the firearm industry.
For many in the state who have advocated for reform, the history of mass shootings in particular has been a focal point although lawmakers were unable to pass a measure that would have banned sales of assault-style weapons in Colorado.
Earlier this month House Bill 1230, that would have banned the sale or transfer of so-called assault weapons, was rejected in a dramatic, 6-7 vote in the House Judiciary Committee at about 1 a.m. following a 14-hour hearing that featured testimony from hundreds of people, The Colorado Sun reported.
House Bill 1230 was introduced in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ night club in Colorado Springs that killed five people and injured another 25.
A handful of states including California, Illinois, New York and Maryland have bans on assault weapons.
CBS Colorado noted Friday before the ink was even dry on Polis’ signature, gun rights groups sued to reverse two of the measures: Raising the buying age for any gun from 18 to 21, and establishing a 3-day waiting period between the purchase and receipt of a gun. The courts are already weighing lawsuits over such restrictions in other states.
The Gazette on March 15 published a list of the state’s mass shootings:
Chuck E. Cheese, 1993, four dead
On Dec. 14, 19-year-old gunman and former employee Nathan Dunlap opened fire on the staff of an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese, killing four and injuring one employee.
Columbine High School, 1999, 15 dead
Two armed teens went on a shooting rampage April 20, killing 12 students and one teacher, and wounding more than 20 others. After the attack, gunmen Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, killed themselves. At the time, this was the largest school shooting in U.S history.
Platte Canyon High School, 2006, two dead
On Sept. 27, armed 53-year-old Duane Roger Morrison entered Platte Canyon High School, taking six young girls hostage and sexually assaulted them. Following a three-hour standoff with police, Morrison killed one of the girls before turning the gun on himself.
Youth with a Mission Center and New Life Church, 2007, five dead
In the morning of Dec. 9, 24-year-old Matthew John Murray opened fire on the Youth With a Mission Center in Arvada. He killed two, and injured two before escaping. Later that day, he made a similar attack on New Life Church in Colorado Springs, killing two and wounding three before shooting himself.
Aurora Movie Theater, 2012, 12 dead
One armed gunman, later identified as 25-year-old James Holmes, opened fire at a midnight showing of “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 and leaving 70 wounded.
Arapahoe High School, 2013, two dead
Student and gunman Karl Pierson, 18, made an armed attack on Dec. 13 that killed one 17-year-old girl. Pierson died by suicide on the scene.
Halloween 2015, three killed, shooter killed by police
Noah Harpham armed himself Halloween morning with an AR-15 rifle and two handguns, and went on a bloody rampage near downtown Colorado Springs that ended when Colorado Springs police officers fired on him.
Planned Parenthood, 2015, three dead
An armed anti-abortion radical entered a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs on Nov. 27, killing three including one police officer. Following a standoff that lasted nearly five hours and left nine others injured, the shooter was identified as Robert Lewis Dear, Jr., 57.
Walmart, 2017, three dead
On Nov. 1, 47-year-old Scott Ostrem opened fire in a Thornton Walmart, killing three shoppers. Ostrem escaped the scene and was later found and arrested in Westminster.
STEM school, 2019, one dead
An 18-year-old student, Devon Erickson, opened fire in the Highlands Ranch school, killing one teen and leaving eight others injured. The 18-year-old victim and two other students charged Erickson, an effort that disarmed the shooter but resulted in the student being fatally shot to the chest.
King Soopers, 2021, 10 dead
On March 22, a gunman attacked a Boulder King Soopers grocery store. Among the 10 killed was a Boulder police officer. The suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, has so far been ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Birthday party massacre, 2021, seven dead
The last mass shooting in Colorado Springs, prior to the Club Q mass shooting, happened in May 2021, when a gunman killed six members of an extended family at a birthday party at a mobile home in Colorado Springs, before turning the gun on himself. It was the fourth deadliest mass shooting in state history, tied for the deadliest mass murder in the city’s history.
Polis signs for gun safety laws
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