City Council Agenda and Packet 2022 06 07

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SUBJECT: GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ORDINANCES, SECOND READING DATE: JUNE 7, 2022 PAGE 3 OF 4 Assault weapons are deadly because they allow a shooter to fire a high number of rounds quickly, under control. The features that create this lethality are the ability to accept magazines holding as many as 100 rounds. These magazines are designed to be replaced quickly, which increases the number of rounds that can be fired. In addition, assault weapons are designed to maintain stability while firing. A rifle fired from the shoulder recoils and must be brought down and onto a target before another round can be fired. Assault weapons have features such as pistol grips or thumb -hole grips, a forward grip or a barrel shroud, which allow for greater control of the weapon allowing it to be kept pointed at a target while being fired. The pistol grip or thumb -hole grip allows for greater control with the trigger hand. The forward grip or barrel shroud, which is a fitting on the barrel that protects the shooter's hand from the heated barrel allowing the shooter to grip the barrel, both allow for better control with the non -trigger hand. The combination of high - capacity magazines and better control can make semi -automatic assault weapons as lethal as the military counterparts. Large capacity ammunition magazines are feeding devices that may hold as many as 100 rounds of ammunition. In 2013, the State of Colorado banned magazines capable of holding 15 or more rounds of ammunition. That law has since been repealed and replaced with the new § 29-11.7-103, C.R.S., which authorizes municipalities to enact and enforce firearms laws stricter than state law. Multi -burst trigger activators increase a weapon's rate of fire. One such device, a bump stock, replaces a rifle's standard stock, which is the part of the rifle held against the shoulder. It allows the weapon to slide back and forth, harnessing the energy from the recoil. The rifle's recoil tube slides inside the bump stock rearward as recoil is induced by cartridge detonation. As the rifle slides forward in recovery from recoil the trigger contacts the trigger finger. On March 26, 2019, a regulation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives clarified that bump stock -type devices are banned under the federal law that bans civilian possession of fully automatic machine guns. Federal law requires that all firearms manufactured after October 22, 1968 bear a serial number. In recent years, the practice of assembling firearms without serial numbers from parts or using 3-D printer technology has become widespread. These firearms without serial numbers are colloquially referred to as "ghost guns." In addition to being untraceable, ghost guns can be assembled by persons who cannot legally obtain a firearm. On April 11, 2022, the Department of Justice announced that it is enacting a regulatory change to require serial numbers on parts in gun assembly kits and on 3-D printed firearms. The six proposed ordinances address assault weapons, large capacity magazines, trigger activators, and ghost guns, and otherwise regulate the purchase and sale of firearms in CITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATION 0