Last legislative session, the General Assembly changed state law to increase the age to knowingly possess, purchase, or sell a firearm from the age of 18 to 21 years old. SB23-169 was created with the goal of lowering gun violence that has been increasingly present among our youth. The bill did take into consideration (exempting) those who are active members of the United States armed forces and those who are peace officers or hold a certification from the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) board.

As a preliminary count, there have been 470 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. An act that is defined by four or more individuals injured or killed in that single circumstance, a number that has continued to increase annually and does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In addition to this, the general gun deaths amongst children in the United States have risen by almost half from 2019 to 2021 with 2,590 children having firearms listed on their death certificates as the underlying cause of death. What’s more disturbing is the breakdown of those numbers: “Homicide was the largest single category of gun deaths among children and teens in 2021, accounting for 60% of the total that year. It was followed by suicide at 32% and accidents at 5%.”

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Mental and behavioral health have been reoccurring topics between my good friend Sage and myself and is a dominant conversation in all areas of government. The COVID pandemic exacerbated this number with studies showing an increase in anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, and tension being the most observed amongst youth. We know the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. With the additional stressors of the pandemic and the absolute ease in which a child can obtain a firearm, wouldn’t we want to increase the age in which one can purchase a weapon to 21? Wouldn’t we benefit from allowing for more time for cognitive and emotional development, which can help individuals better understand the responsibilities and potential consequences associated with owning a firearm? This additional time could also contribute to making more informed decisions about gun ownership. As we age so does our impulse control and emotional maturity, wouldn’t we like to offer a deterrent for the impulsive decisions that lead to acts of violence?

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Wherever may you land on this debate can we at least start to understand that this is not an all or nothing solution? That it is incumbent upon us to do all that we can to address this crisis? Age restrictions exist in every facet of life and while we continue to leave things at status quo and not find solutions, our children are going to continue to be victim to our politics.

Lisa LaBriola is a principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies and was a Senate Democrat staffer for close to a decade. She served as chief of staff to former Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect the opinions of any other organizations.