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City Council Tuesday night unanimously agreed to consider some local gun control measures while vowing to reach out to people on both sides of the gun issue to reach a consensus on controlling firearm violence.
The proposals will come back for a general discussion by the council before any formal vote on a gun ordinance. Councilors also said an ordinance could be put to a public vote in November.
Longmont Public Safety officials and the City Attorney will research the ideas to see which ones can be enforced consistently by police.
The proposed measures include:
- Banning the open carrying of weapons in the city.
- Enforcing a 10-day waiting period after the purchase of a firearm.
- Being 21-years-of-age before the purchase of any firearm.
- Prohibiting the sale of unserialized firearms or “ghost guns.”
- Signage on buildings reminding people about an open carry ban.
Councilor Tim Waters said new ordinances alone will not eliminate gun violence. “What will make a real difference is a change of culture,” said Waters, who spearheaded an attempt in 2019 to get people to talk about ridding Longmont of gun violence. “But that will require real leadership from people in this room.”
Councilor Marcia Martin said she also did not want to enact new laws that are nearly impossible to enforce. Other Boulder County communities have passed new gun restrictions without considering the problems faced by police in carrying out the ordinances.
“If we enforce open carry, how many officers would have to be diverted” for other incidents, Martin said. “We want policing to work,” Martin said. “If we give police a job they never had before, we want to make sure they are set for success.”
Mayor Joan Peck said she felt the city was obligated to do something to quell gun violence given recent mass shootings across the country that claimed grocery store customers and school children.
“I don’t want people to look back on this and say ‘What did you do for me?’” Peck told council members during a pre-session before the regular council meeting. “If this (a mass shooting) happened in one of our schools or at one of our events, I would be ashamed.”
Both council gatherings Tuesday night drew the attention of pro- and anti- gun advocates while most spoke out against any new gun laws during a lengthy public invited to be heard portion of the regular meeting.
“I don’t think we should have any more new gun laws that will affect everyone just because of a few bad actors,” Charles Frank told the council. Firearms possession keeps crime rates down, Frank told the council.
“Criminals fear armed citizens more than the police,” Frank said.
Rod Brandenburg — longtime owner of Grandpa’s Pawn and Gun in Longmont — told the council he works closely with state and local police to stop illegal gun sales and to prevent sales to people who are not emotionally stable. “I don’t want to be front page news” because of a bad gun sale, said Brandenburg who called the proposed measures “silly laws.”
He said Grandpa’s is among eight gun stores in and around Longmont. “We run one of the busiest gun shops in Colorado,” Bandenburg said.
Others supported the proposed measures including Christie Dillon, who told the council she would be devastated if one of her children were killed by guns.“Is this what we have become as Americans?” Dillon asked. “I am so ashamed.”
