April 27, 2018

Action Alert:
Tell Boulder Police Rule of Law Applies to Open Carriers


On the afternoon of April 21, 2018, pro-gun activists took to the streets in Boulder, Colorado during a “Rally for Our Rights” to protest a recent effort in the city to ban assault weapons and bump stocks. “I think it is a knee-jerk reaction to Parkland,” said rally co-organizer Jason Boros.

Many arrived at the rally openly carrying semiautomatic rifles, a violation of Boulder law. The city has made it illegal to carry long guns in public unless they are held in a “carrying case.”

Rather than enforcing the law, the Boulder Police sat there and watched, and let them get away with it. City Attorney Tom Carr explained the decision as follows: “To avoid conflict during protests, the police sometimes make a tactical decision not to enforce a particular law, if enforcement would create more conflict. Their primary job is to protect public safety.”

Please contact the Boulder Police through one of the channels below with the following message (personalized to your liking):

I was outraged to learn that the Boulder Police Department allowed men to openly carry semiautomatic AR-15 rifles during the “Rally for Our Rights” on April 21, thereby putting the people of Boulder at unnecessary risk. The City Attorney’s comparison of unarmed Black Lives Matters protesters with men bearing semiautomatic battlefield rifles is offensive and ridiculous. The people of Boulder made a decision that they did not want to see this type of dangerous behavior on their streets. It was your responsibility to tell rally participants to either put their longs guns in a case as required  by law or take them home. You failed in that responsibility, supposedly because you didn’t want to put your officers at risk. That’s what law enforcement officers are supposed to do to keep our communities safe. Don’t transfer that risk to the Boulder people again through inaction. Be prepared for this threat and enforce open carry laws.

Boulder Police Public Spokesperson Shannon Aulabaugh
Phone: (303) 441-3370
Email: aulabaughs@bouldercolorado.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bouldercolorado.gov/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boulderpolice

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