A Difficult Week in Colorado: Discussing Firearm Safety (S4:E26)

Charting Pediatrics

This has been a tragic week on top of an already difficult year for us in Colorado. On Tuesday, March 23, a gunman opened fire at a local grocery store in Boulder, killing 10 people; the suspect is a 21-year-old. Our community mourns another mass shooting.

As our Charting Pediatrics team grieves with our neighboring community, we are reminded of the critical role that we as pediatricians can play in promoting gun safety and safe storage of fire arms.

Locally, in Colorado Children’s Hospital Colorado is supporting HB21-1106, a firearm storage safety legislation which requires three main things:

1. Gun owners to securely store their guns
2. Federally licensed gun dealers to provide a locking device
3. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to publish information on safe storage

The bill passed the House on March 9 and has been introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing. We encourage our Colorado listeners to contact your local lawmakers to support the bill. If you have questions about how you can be further involved in advocacy efforts please email us, [email protected]

This is a rebroadcast from Season 2 that covers practical tips for talking with your patient families about firearm safety.

Do you have thoughts about today's episode or suggestions for a future topic? Write to us, [email protected]