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Denver City Councils Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee on Wednesday postponed its vote on a bill restricting concealed carry in buildings owned, leased by or leased to the city, as well as Denver parks, to April 27 to give city staff more time to answer council members' questions.

The proposal is part of Mayor Michael Hancocks 2022 Public Safety Action Plan. Assistant City Attorney Reggie Nubine said this proposed legislation is part of the national conversation to reduce gun violence and came about after the state legislature passed SB21-256, allowing local governments to prohibit firearms in certain parts of a governments jurisdiction.

Exemptions would apply to law enforcement officers, military personnel in performance of duties and licensed security guards with firearms endorsements in performance of duties. People carrying for use in a legitimate sporting event would also be exempt, as well as individuals with a valid authorization at Denver shooting ranges, and those lawfully traveling with a firearm.

Proposed penalties would be no more than a $50 fine on first offense and up to a $999 fine and/or up to 300 days in jail for a second offense depending on circumstances.

Several council members wondered if this could be considered a violation of the Second Amendment, but Nubine said jurisdictions are allowed to reasonably limit constitutional rights and that this legislation could be seen as parallel to firearm bans in public schools.

You still have to follow reasonable regulations that might be enacted by the state or the local government, Nubine said. This is why we have a concealed carry permit just generally we can limit a person's ability to carry in a certain manner, in certain places as long as theres a necessity for it or theres a reasonable basis for why we are enacting that legislation.

In terms of enforcement, Assistant City Attorney Erica Rogers said people working in city buildings and parks are not responsible and are encouraged to call law enforcement if they suspect someone is carrying an unauthorized firearm. She also said signage must be displayed in prohibited areas to notify the public for the bill to be enforced, per state statute.

Nubine also clarified for council members that this doesnt apply to entities like the Denver Water building or Denver Health hospitals if the city doesnt own them despite their close association to the city. It does apply to city-owned property in other counties, though.

One of the key items many council members were curious about is data on crimes committed by concealed weapon carriers, also in city parks and facilities. Officials with the city attorneys office didnt have this information on hand, and they said theyd provide what they could before it comes back to the committee at the end of the month.

While several council members wanted to see this data to answer what problem the bill is trying to solve, Councilwoman Robin Kniech said she thinks it's important to pass legislation to set expectations based on values. She also emphasized that no one piece of legislation will completely solve a problem.

Fundamentally, do we think our community is safer with more guns walking around or less safe? Kniech said. The data is actually quite clear on this fact. Countries with fewer guns walking around are safer than our country with more guns walking around. Thats a fact that is very well researched.

After learning that this doesnt apply to parking lots weapons are allowed to be properly stored in a permitted carriers vehicle Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca, while not a voting member of the committee, said she wants data on crimes committed with guns stolen from cars, which she said the council has been repeatedly told is one of the primary ways guns are obtained.

CdeBaca also said she wants more info on other constitutional rights that are allowed to be limited or banned on public property. Additionally, she said she wants to see demographic data on who is applying for and obtaining permits for concealed carry and fully outlined protocol on how law enforcement will respond to a report of a concealed weapon.

I want to see that data as well to make sure that we are not creating more opportunities for pretextual types of interactions with police while were simultaneously trying to reduce unnecessary contact with police in historically marginalized communities, CdeBaca said. ... What were saying with this is that anyone can say theyre afraid of someone in the park, call the cops and have them checked for a concealed carry weapon whether they have proof of it.

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Denver committee postpones vote on concealed weapon ban in city-owned facilities - The Denver Gazette