DENVER, Colorado — A set of bills proposed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colorado) hopes to address gun violence across the U.S. The package of bills is being co-sponsored by a list of Democrats in the House.
On Tuesday, Neguse presented the bills at the Boulder Strong Resource Center, a facility designed to help survivors and other community members impacted by the shooting in 2021 at the King Soopers store on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.
The bills specifically address worker safety in high-traffic facilities such as grocery stores, as well as increasing mental health and trauma support for communities impacted by gun violence. It would also allow potential facilities likely to be targeted by a mass shooter to apply for funding to create additional security measures.
"The legislation that we are announcing today is born from the deep anguish that we feel at each of these tragedies and the deep desire that we have to ensure that these tragedies don’t happen again," said Neguse.
> Watch the full news conference in the video below:
The district attorneys from the 17th and 20th judicial districts are supporting Neguse in his efforts.
"We have to find ways in this country to address gun violence, and we have to find ways for our friends on both sides of the aisle to come together to address gun violence so we can prevent more death," said Brian Mason (D), District Attorney for the 17th Judicial District. "When I go into a King Soopers now or when I go into a grocery store, I look for the exits and so does my wife and so do so many people. When I go to the airport or a plane or go to a soccer stadium, I keep my eyes open. I look around. When my children are with me, I make sure that I know where we are going to go in case somebody starts shooting. That’s not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."
All of the bills are structured differently, but one would create a grant program in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide funding survivors.
Others would provide federal funding through current programs in place, such as the U.S. Department of Justice's anti-terrorism and emergency funding program so that facilities could receive after a crime or terrorism or mass violence has occurred.
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