BOULDER, Colo. — The mayor of Boulder is advocating for more cities across the state to pass stricter gun laws to help prevent mass shootings.
Boulder and three other cities and towns in Boulder County passed a series of new ordinances this week. Mayor Aaron Brockett said laws that could have prevented the King Soopers shooting are more effective if more cities pass them.
"I think if other cities took this up as well, it would improve the safety of all of us," Brockett said.
It’s been 14 months since 10 people were killed at the grocery store in Boulder. Brockett and the rest of the Boulder City Council voted unanimously this week to pass a series of stricter gun laws. So-called assault weapons will now be banned, the age to buy a gun will be raised to 21 and people will have to wait 10 days from the time a background check is initiated to when they get their weapon.
It was a coordinated effort with city leaders from four neighboring towns: Boulder, Superior, Louisville and Lafayette. All four passed similar ordinances on Tuesday.
"The more places that have similar regulations, the bigger the impact," Brockett said. "Somebody tries to buy one in Boulder and they can’t. They go to Louisville and they try again. They can’t. Maybe that’s when they give up. Maybe that’s when they reconsider the terrible path that they’re on."
The man who is accused of killing 10 people at the Table Mesa King Soopers bought his gun in Arvada before traveling to Boulder. Brockett acknowledges the laws his city passed on Tuesday would not have prevented the shooting unless Arvada also had similar ordinances.
"If that other city had had that regulation in place, it would have prevented him from purchasing that weapon," Brockett said. "Who knows, that might have been enough. If he had gone in, been denied, he might have given up. We do what we can."
These new laws are possible thanks to a bill the state passed following the King Soopers shooting. It gave cities in Colorado the power to pass stricter gun laws individually.
Brockett said he’d like to see so-called assault weapons banned across the state.
"I think some of these would be really effective at the state level as well," Brockett said. "For example, raising the age to purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21. I think that would be a great policy for the state to pass. Or an assault weapons ban entirely."
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