‹‹ Colorado Matters

The Denver Accord Calls For Evidence-Based Solutions To Guns & Violence

Listen Now
17min 08sec
istock_000017092337small
iStockphoto
Leaders in law enforcement and elected officials in the Pikes Peak region recently raised the alarm about increasing rates of violent crime both locally and statewide. Their concern stems from a report by the Denver-based Common Sense Institute – that puts the blame for the increase on changes in legislation.

Congress remains at odds over what to do about guns and violence. Tuesday, Democrats sent three measures to the full House for debate, to limit high-capacity magazines, to keep guns away from people convicted of hate crimes, and to encourage states to pass Red Flag laws. But Republican leadership is deferring to President Trump, waiting to see what he'll support before they take any action.

This comes after three high profile mass shootings in August. Most recently, a man in Texas went on a rampage, murdering 7 people seemingly at random, and injuring more than 20 others before police killed him. After every incident, the same question comes up: what would prevent this?

That's where the Denver Accord comes in. Its authors call it "an evidence-based road map to reduce gun violence in the United States." Devin Hughes is the founder of GVPedia, short for "Gun Violence Pedia." It's behind the accord. He spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner about this issue.