DENVER — The Denver City Council passed an ordinance Monday to ban concealed carry in city buildings and parks, with some exceptions.
The ordinance covers any building or portion of a building owned by the city, leased by the city, or leased to the city, as well as city parks, including mountain parks.
Council was split in its approval with a 9-3 vote after most of the half-hour dedicated to public comment was filled with people speaking either for or against the bill, the Denver Gazette reports.
The city said people exempt from the ordinance include:
- Law enforcement officers and military personnel.
- Security guards with a valid Denver license containing a firearm endorsement.
- People carrying the gun for use in a legitimate sporting activity, such as events during the National Western Stock Show within National Western Center buildings.
- People with valid authorization while at DPD and DSD shooting ranges.
- People carrying a gun while traveling within a private automobile or other private means of conveyance for the purposes of hunting or lawful protection of the person or their property, or another person or that person’s property. (Weapons other than pistols or revolvers must be unloaded during the transport.)
The Gazette reports Councilmember Candi CdeBaca proposed an amendment that would have removed parks from the ordinance, because she said it creates more opportunities for excessive use of force from law enforcement. She said she has concerns over the ability to enforce this in open space without profiling and noted that when she asked for an enforcement plan, she was not provided one.
Council Pro Tem Jamie Torres and Councilmember Kevin Flynn also supported CdeBaca’s amendment and ultimately were the three no-votes on the bill, with Councilmember Amanda Sandoval not being present at the meeting to vote.
The city said they will not enforce the ordinance until signage is posted at the public entrances of buildings and parks to notify people that the carrying of firearms is prohibited.
Violators could face a civil penalty of up to $50 for a first offense and up to $999 for subsequent offenses.
Denver previously had a policy prohibiting concealed carry in certain places, but a previous state law mandated that cities require metal detectors if they wanted to prohibit concealed carry within a building. In 2021, a law was passed allowing local governments to prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns even without metal detectors.
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