House passes bill requiring schools to distribute gun-violence-prevention materials to parents

The Colorado House of Representatives on March 17 passed House Bill 12-50, requiring local education providers to provide parents and legal custodians of K–12 students with gun-violence-prevention materials prepared by the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and to post the materials or a link on the district website.

Supporters said the bill creates a simple, statewide mechanism to put safe-storage information in front of families. "This bill creates a process in which school districts provide information about Colorado's safe storage law at the start of each year, as well as local resources that can aid in safe storage of firearms," Representative Briana Hamrick said during floor debate.

Opponents raised concerns that the requirement is an unfunded mandate, could inflame local tensions, and might have the effect of stigmatizing lawful…