Governor Polis signs Red Flag law expansion into law
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- Four new controversial gun laws were signed into law on Friday.
Governor Jared Polis said the bills will help combat gun violence and make Colorado one of the ten safest states. However, not everyone agrees with him, including the El Paso County Sheriff.
One of the new laws is the expansion of the Extreme Risk Protection Order or Red Flag Law. In March, El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal testified against it in Denver.
The expansion of the law comes after the Club Q mass shooting which claimed the lives of five people. Democratic lawmakers have since questioned why the red flag law wasn't utilized in a previous case with the mass shooting suspect when the accused killer was making similar threats.
Until Friday, only law enforcement officers and family members could petition a court to take guns away from someone who is deemed a threat to themselves and others, but this new law expands the list of people who can petition for an extreme risk protection order. The law will allow for licensed medical care provides, mental health care providers, educators, and district attorneys to file too.
Lawmakers in favor of the bill say the new law will strengthen Colorado's red flag laws and create more opportunities for community members to recognize when something is wrong and intervene.
"In Colorado, we lead with data, we lead with common sense, these bills are a reflection of that work and they will make Colorado safer," said Governor Jared Polis during a press conference Friday.
In March, Sheriff Roybal said in opposition, "This proposed bill is here to try to predict the future or rewrite the past. Both of which are flawed. Judges are hesitant to sign a search warrant or an arrest warrant based on stale information."
Colorado currently has one of the lowest use rates of its red flag law, only issuing 3.3 protection orders per 100,000 residents through 2021.
The other new gun laws include raising the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21, giving people impacted by gun violence the ability to sue gun manufacturers and gun stores, and establishing a minimum three-day waiting period prior to delivery of a purchased firearm.
