PUEBLO–The Pueblo City Council on Monday easily passed (5-2) what is known as an “opt-out” ordinance to the new Colorado state law banning the carrying of any firearms in areas that advocates of gun rights restrictions refer to as “sensitive spaces.”
The ordinance amends the city’s code to allow for the carrying of a firearm by concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders inside the municipal building (city hall) of Pueblo, a home-rule municipality of around 111,000 residents in southern Colorado.
The Pueblo County Sheriff issued over 790 new such permits in 2023, and renewed more than 800 existing. The Crime Prevention Research Center in 2023 estimated that just over 16 percent of the Colorado population 21 or older holds a carry permit.
Senate Bill 24-131, “Prohibiting carrying firearms in sensitive spaces,” was approved by Gov. Jared Polis on May 31, 2024, and has been in effect statewide as of July 1. The law bans the carrying of guns, either open or concealed, in numerous places such as government buildings, colleges and universities, courthouses, and schools.
The bill also includes a section that allows local Colorado governments to opt-out of the ban if they choose.
As previously reported by Complete Colorado, numerous local government have, or are are working towards opting-out of the law, including Douglas, Logan, Routt, and Weld counties, as well as municipalities such as Palmer Lake and Monument in El Paso County, and Castle Rock in Douglas County.
Complete Colorado will continue to report on the local government opt-out movement.
