Colorado governor says he will ‘take a hard look’ at why red flag law failed to stop Club Q shooting
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Sunday said he will “take a hard look” at why Colorado’s red flag law did not stop the shooting at Club Q earlier this month, adding that an expansion of the legislation may be examined.
“We’re certainly going to take a hard look at why [the] red flag law wasn’t used in this case and the case of the King Soopers shooter, what can be used to better publicize, make available, add different parties to make sure that it’s used when it should be used,” Polis told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” referencing a mass shooting at a Boulder, Colo., supermarket last year.
Authorities say the suspect earlier this month entered Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., with an assault-style rifle and proceeded to shoot and kill five people and injure more than a dozen others before clubgoers confronted him.
Police reports indicate the suspect was known to authorities previously, with officers responding to a bomb threat incident last June reported by the suspect’s mother. But prior to this month’s massacre, no one appeared to have utilized the red flag law, which allows family members or a police officer to petition a judge to temporarily take away an individual’s firearms if they are deemed a threat, against the suspect.
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Speaking with CBS’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” later on Sunday, Polis reiterated that he may seek an expansion of the law.
“What I think we’re going to look at in Colorado is potentially expanding that, for instance, so [district attorneys] can also seek extreme risk protection orders,” Polis said.
The Colorado Democrat went on to say there may be other ways to stymie gun violence, including laws surrounding ghost guns, semiautomatic weapons and mental health.
“I would say, look, we learn from each instance,” Polis said on CBS. “But you also have to look at all the causes.”
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