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More than 100 students rallied at the Colorado Capitol on Thursday to show support for a bill that would ban the sale of semiautomatic firearms that can use detachable magazines.
The rally was only the second Students Demand Action event at a U.S. statehouse, according to organizers. The students planned the entire day, including meetings with lawmakers and Gov. Jared Polis’ administration.
The day was a way to have student voices heard on school shootings and measures to address that threat, which they said they live with on a constant basis. They said Senate Bill 3 would make it harder for someone to commit a mass shooting.
“We really do look for the exits in every classroom that we walk into,” said Cherry Creek High School senior Kimaya Kini, 17. She said she’d spent the week at the statehouse testifying on behalf of the legislation and meeting with lawmakers, because she and other students live in constant fear.
Supporters say Senate Bill 3, which cleared its first committee hearing on Tuesday, would help enforce the state’s 2013 ban on magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds.
The bill would ban the manufacture, sale, purchase, and transfer of guns that have detachable magazines, including shotguns and rifles. Requiring all guns to have an attached magazine would prevent gun owners from buying high-capacity detachable magazines in other states and using them on compatible guns in Colorado. The bill would only affect future sales. It would not forbid the possession of a firearm or require changes to guns residents currently own.
Opponents of the bill say the measure would outlaw a large share of guns available and have argued it would impact a resident’s ability to defend themself.
Previous versions of this type of legislation have failed in past years.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat, joined the rally and said he’s saddened and happy to see student activism at the Capitol. Sullivan’s son was one of the 12 people killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.
He told students that they have lawmakers’ attention in the building. “Be sure to use it,” he said.
Moms Demand Action Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala, who showed up to support the students, said she’s proud to see them taking a stance and that a record number are getting involved by telling their stories. The national Moms Demand Action group has sought to mobilize parents and families to advocate for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence.
Students were expected to meet with about 30 lawmakers throughout the day, a list that included mostly Democratic lawmakers. Students also were scheduled to speak with Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Senate President James Coleman.
Stella Kaye, a 17-year-old East High School senior, said she planned to tell lawmakers this is an issue they should care about even if they haven’t been impacted by gun violence. Kaye serves as East’s Students Demand Action vice president.
She said part of why she advocates for gun violence measures is because of several shootings that happened in her sophomore year at East High, including a 2023 shooting on school grounds where two administrators were wounded. She doesn’t want anyone else to face what her community has gone through, she said.
“You see it on the news and think it can’t be me,” she said. “And then one day it becomes you.”
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
