The League of Women Voters of Boulder County (LWVBC), the League of Women Voters of Colorado (LWVCO), and the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) grieve the senseless tragedy in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, when a man armed with an assault rifle shot and killed ten people at a King Soopers grocery store. 

LWVCO and LWVUS stand in solidarity with the LWV of Boulder County members and their partners   in mourning those who were killed and grieving with their families and the entire Boulder community. We wish LWVBC and all Boulder community members the compassion, strength, and resilience necessary to heal from this horrific event.

LWV not only supports healing, but also decisive action. Together, we support Boulder County, state, and federal law enforcement officials in their work to seek justice for those murdered on Monday afternoon. And together, we reassert our demand for common sense gun safety legislation at the local, state, and federal levels to allow all people to live safely and with confidence in their personal and community security.This includes people living in communities where systemic racism and disenfranchisement contributes to a near constant threat of gun violence, and those who are suffering from mass shootings.

The Colorado League calls on the Colorado state legislature to pass common-sense safety laws, including:

• Mandating a waiting period before the purchase of any firearm;
• Raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 years of age;
• Requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms;
• Banning assault rifles.

Federally, it is time for Congress to adopt legislation that will mandate universal background checks, ban assault weapons, place limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines, and fund research and reporting on gun violence in America. Curbing gun violence is a critical matter of public safety, public health, and public confidence.