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City Council members and Boulder County Commissioners Thursday night debated the effectiveness of local gun control ordinances at a wide-ranging meeting that touched on several issues shared by Longmont and the county.
Those included responses to homelessness and transportation needs. Ways to reduce gun violence in communities attracted the most attention and comments from the elected officials.
Boulder County this summer enacted five gun control measures, including one that bans possession of certain semi-automatic rifles and standard capacity magazines. That measure has drawn a lawsuit from the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.
Councilor Tim Waters told the commissioners gun ordinances will not bring about societal change needed to curtail gun violence. Waters said local governments, residents and faith leaders should start talking about changing the culture around guns.
“This is not a legal issue, it must be a cultural change,” Waters said. “So much more has to be done to change … the signal that it is ok to pick up a weapon and use it on one another.”
Councilor Marcia Martin said the state incorrectly put the burden on enacting gun laws on local governments. They now find themselves defendants in lawsuits brought by well-funded gun rights groups.
“Local jurisdictions … cannot possibly defend themselves against the gun lobby,” Martin said.
Mayor Joan Peck countered that communities like Longmont —which is mulling its own gun ordinance — should enact laws to make a statement that gun violence should not be tolerated.
“By not saying anything personally, it signals to residents that we either aren’t paying attention, or that we don’t care,” Peck said. “I think leaders need to make a statement on what we believe.”
Commissioner Matt Jones said he agreed with Waters's idea of pushing for a cultural shift about gun use in the country. Until then, local governments have to do what they can to stop the illegal use of weapons.
“To change the culture, Tim, I wish,” said Jones, a former state legislator who pushed for state-wide gun control measures. “It’s hard to do that at the state level, county ordinances are a lot easier to do. “
After voting for the county ordinances, Jones said, “I didn’t receive death threats and I didn’t have to be escorted to my car.”
Eileen McCarron, president and co-founder of Colorado Cease Fire, told the council and commissioners that although smaller than Denver, Longmont has seen its share of gun violence and lobbied for a local ordinance to prevent more deaths.
“Strong gun laws mean fewer gun deaths,” McCarron said.
