Wear orange for Gun Violence Awareness Month

In this issue of the digest:

• Legislative Wrap up for the 2023 Colorado Legislative Session

• Longmont UCC Hosting Hand Gun Safe Giveaway

• Update on the Pilot Grant Program of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention

• Two Grandsons Craft New Tools at RAWTOOLS

• What is Secure Firearm Storage is Now Available for Download

• Guns to Gardens June 10 Event

• First Public Health Roundtable on Firearm-Related Violence Prevention to be Held June 5 and 6

• Featured Congregation: First Congregational UCC, Boulder

LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP FOR THE 2023 SESSION OF THE COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Advocacy Team would like to thank everyone who participated in the legislative process throughout the 2023 session – from almost the first day to nearly the 120th day! Whether you were part of a Rapid Response Network or acting on your own, whether you contacted members of legislative committees or your own representatives, your efforts in calling, emailing, and even visiting legislators to share your opinions was crucial in helping almost all of the good gun-related bills to pass and all of the bad ones to be defeated. Below is a summary of outcomes among those bills. 

Bills CFCU Supported:

SB23-279, Unserialized Firearms and Firearm components/ghost gun ban: Susan Hahn and Julie Meyers testified; passed both House and Senate; awaiting signature by Governor.

SB23-249, False Report of Active Shooter or Mass Shooting/making swatting a criminal offense: passed both House and Senate; awaiting signature by Governor.

SB23-168, Gun Violence Access to Judicial System/repeal of gun industry immunity: Susan Hahn and Stephanie Greenberg testified; passed both House and Senate; Governor signed.

SB23-169, Increasing the Minimum Age to Purchase a Firearm/from 18 to 21: Stephanie Greenberg and Julie Meyers testified; passed both House and Senate; Governor signed.

SB23-170, Extreme Risk Protection Order Petitions/expands who may petition the Court for an ERPO: Julie Myers testified; passed both House and Senate; Governor signed.

HB23-1219, Waiting Period to Deliver a Firearm/3 days from initiation of background check: Beth Smith testified; passed both House and Senate; Governor signed.

HB23-1165, County Authority to Prohibit Firearms Discharge/for unincorporated areas: passed House; assigned to Senate Committee on Local Government and Housing; did not pass Committee; postponed indefinitely.

HB23-1230, Prohibit Assault Weapons in Colorado; assigned to House Committee on Judiciary; Beth Smith testified; did not pass Committee; postponed indefinitely.

We hope that HB23-1165 and HB23-1230 will be back in the 2024 session.

Bills CFCU Opposed:

HB23-1044, Second Amendment Preservation Act/prohibits enforcement of Federal laws that infringe on the right to bear arms: assigned to House Committee on State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs; Susan Hahn and Stephanie Greenberg testified; did not pass Committee; postponed indefinitely.

HCR23-1003, Permitless Concealed Carry: assigned to House Committee on State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs; Stephanie Greenberg testified; did not pass Committee; postponed indefinitely.

HB23-1050, Protection of Business from Unlawful Entry; assigned to House Committee on State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs; Susan Hahn and Stephanie Greenberg testified; did not pass Committee; postponed indefinitely.ox 4

Article contributed by Stephanie Greenberg, Congregation Bonai Shalom

Longmont UCC Hosting Handgun Safe Giveaway

CFCU worked hard for the passage of a safe storage law in Colorado, especially to protect children from accidental shootings and prevent youth suicides. Longmont UCC will be hosting a Handgun Safe giveaway on June 24 along with other community partners.

Update on the Pilot Grant Program of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP)

  CFCU Member Congregation and Ally Receive Funding

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention recently awarded grants totaling $450,000 in funding for community-based gun violence prevention initiatives proven to work.  Funding will be used for education, training, and community programs that promote responsible gun ownership practices, safe storage, awareness of existing laws, and mental health and substance use resources.  St. Thomas Episcopal and Colorado Ceasefire received grants.  Learn more about grantees.  

 To stay informed and receive OGVP’s quarterly newsletter, SUBSCRIBE here

Article contributed by Alana Smart, B’nai Havurah

Two Grandsons Craft New Tools at RAWTOOLS

Christie Burton is a member of Living Light of Peace Mennonite Church in Arvada and along with Susan Tourjee, is a CFCU representative for her congregation. When she discovered that her grandsons Adrian (11) and Alexander (6), who live in Eugene, Oregon, were afraid and concerned about all the lock down drills and news about shootings in schools, she decided she had to do something.

That’s why she decided to take the guns that were part of her family’s history to RAWTOOLS, and ask Mike Martin to dismantle them with her grandsons present, and turn them into garden tools. The guns belonged to her husband John, but some of them had been passed down from John’s own grandfather Jared Burton, and John’s father Wilson. “A gun is a tool that is made to kill. You only pick it up if your are practicing precision, or to kill an animal in a hunt or to protect the livestock on your farm. You would never point it at a person,” explained Christie. “But now guns are used for very different purposes. We’ve go to stop killing kids.”

“That’s why I hoped that I could take my Adrian and Alexander to see how Mike could transform these guns. Now they will have these tools, inherited from their great great grandfather. But they will have them in the form of garden tools.”

“My grandson’s call me, and say ‘we are helpless…what are we going to do?’ What I want to do is give them some new tools, to help them to live and survive in their current society, which is a mess. When they use and see these garden tools, they will see not just their family history, but social tools to help them to to be socially responsible as they can be.”

Article contributed by Rita Niblack, Most Precious Blood Catholic Church

What is Secure Firearm Storage Now Available for Download

Some of the most authoritative and respected voices in firearm injury prevention in our state are faculty members and researchers with CU’s School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus. CFCU is privileged to recommend “What is Secure Firearm Storage?,” a flyer from CU’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. This flyer provides comprehensive a detailing of storage best practices and the individual and family protection that can result from following the FIPI recommendations.

CFCU’s congregations have permission to reproduced and distribute “What is Secure Firearm Storage?” You can download the document at this link.

Article contributed by David Livingston, friend of CFCU

Guns to Gardens Event on June 10 at Cure D’Ars, Denver

Denver Health is a comprehensive health and hospital system proudly serving as the city’s safety-net hospital. For more than 160 years, Denver Health has been deeply rooted in the health and well-being of the community, providing high-quality clinical care, education and training for health care workers, and furthering critical research to benefit our patients.

The Office of Community Violence Solutions, housed under Denver’s Department of Public Safety (DOS), serves as a “think tank” for new, innovative strategies and provides coordination and financial support to multiple organizations and efforts around the city that align with Denver’s citywide initiatives to reduce violence in our communities through a public health approach.

Article contributed by Rita Niblack, Most Precious Blood Catholic Parish

First Public Health Roundtable on Firearm-Related Violence Prevention to be Held June 5 and 6 

This roundtable for public health professionals and community partners is sponsored by the newly formed Colorado Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Dr. Mike Earnest (St. Thomas Episcopal) and Alana Smart (B’nai Havurah) have been participating on a planning committee as representatives of CFCU’s Public Health Strategies Action Team. The main goals of the roundtable are: 

·         To develop shared language around what we mean by a public health approach to firearm violence prevention. 

·         To allow an opportunity for cross-sector partners to identify where they fit and can contribute to a public health approach. 

·         To develop an initial draft of risk and protective factors as well as community-based solutions. 

·         To initiate the development of tools needed by urban, rural, and suburban communities across the state that face an array of firearm-related violence. 

Alana will be attending the roundtable which will be held in Colorado Springs June 5-6.  Because CFCU strongly believes that a comprehensive public health approach is needed to impact gun violence in Colorado, we are very excited to see this happening and be part of it. Highlights will be shared in the July Digest.

Article contributed by Alana Smart, B’nai Havurah

Our Featured Congregation: First Congregational United Church of Christ, Boulder

Carol quickly became involved and was the person who connected her church with CFCU and membership. She is one of the CFCU representatives and co-chairs the Gun Violence Prevention Ministry there. “It is important for interfaith communities to get involved with the issue of gun violence and to use our voices together rather than separately.”

First Congregational sponsored “Gabby Gifford Won’t Back Down” at a local movie theater and had an overflow crowd for the event. This spring in honor of the 2nd anniversary of the King Sooper shootings, the McMane Arts Ministry of First Congregational sponsored a Soul Box Project. You can see a video of the project here. You can also visit the display in person until June 4. The church is open from 9 - 2 Monday through Friday. Information about and instructions for the Soul Box project, a national movement to honor victims of gun violence, can be found at The Soul Box Project

Most recently First Congregational sponsored “Risk of Suicide in Older Adults” and are handing our orange bandanas this weekend at service, and encouraging members to wear them this month for Gun Violence Awareness Month.

Article contributed by Rita Niblack, Most Precious Blood Catholic Church