Denver, Colo., May 8, 2023—Supported by a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), a team of volunteers from Colorado Ceasefire is offering free in-person and live virtual presentations for professionals and community groups throughout Colorado with updates and best practices on two key gun violence prevention tools: Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) and Safe Storage (of firearms). Presentations can be scheduled for professionals on the expanded list of petitioners or for community groups interested in learning more by visiting https://coloradoceasefire.org/request-a-speaker/. Presenters request a seven-day advance notice. Requests can also be submitted via email to ESS Campaign Manager LaneySheffel@coloradoceasefire.org (website requests are preferred).
“Our team is ready to share how to walk the talk of gun violence prevention using two critical tools to save lives in our Colorado rural, suburban, and urban communities. Some of our presenters are gun violence survivors. They are eager to share how these tools could have changed the course of their lives and those of their loved ones,” said Adam Shore, executive director of Colorado Ceasefire, the stateʼs longest running gun violence prevention organization.
“Colorado Ceasefire presenters have briefed dozens of professional and community groups on the existing ERPO law since it went into effect January 1, 2020. We are quickly mobilizing our team with updated facts after Governor Polis signed SB23-170 ERPO Expansion law April 28, 2023. It is now in effect. In addition to updating Coloradoans about ERPO, we cover Safe Storage of Firearms. Our briefings can include community partners who are providing free trigger locks while underscoring best practices of firearm safe storage. This helps responsible owners comply with Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-114—and most importantly—prevents tragic situations,” Shore added.
SB23-170, the Deputy Zackari Parrish III Violence Prevention Act): Expanding the Extreme Risk Protection Orders Law (ERPO/Red Flag Law) petitions. (Click here to view the SB23-170 ERPO Fact Sheet; ERPO expansion law went into effect at the April 28, 2023 signature by Governor Jared Polis.) In addition to family members and law enforcement, those on the front lines of public health, safety and education may recognize the warning signs before gun violence occurs and will now be able to petition for an ERPO. Each side of the political divide cites mental health as a key factor in gun violence prevention. ERPOs are one of the best options for protecting people in behavioral crises and their communities from preventable harm.
Important facts to know about Coloradoʼs ERPO Expansion:
- ERPO petitions are civil orders (These do not create a criminal record.)
- ERPO petitioners do not bear criminal or civil liability for filing or failing to file an
- ERPO petitions are different from 72-hour (M1) mental health holds (Issue Brief 17-38).
- ERPOs are different from domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs)
When available at a presentation (either in-person or virtually), another OGVP grantee collaborating with Colorado Ceasefire may be available to provide legal aid and answer specific ERPO petition questions.
The list of expanded petitioners can be viewed on https://www.coloradoceasefire.org/erpo/
Colorado Ceasefire has been working for freedom from gun violence since 2000. Ceasefire initiated and was instrumental in the enactment of the 2013 Colorado firearms laws and began advocating for an Extreme Risk law in 2016, which became effective January 1, 2020. Ceasefire worked closely with members of Coloradoʼs General Assembly to enact six gun reform measures in 2021 and four gun violence prevention measures in 2023. ###
