Paula Noonan
A GOP theme for its candidates in Colorado is crime. Check Republican aspirants’ websites and crime is one of their three issues, along with the economy and education. So what have Republicans done up to now to attack crime, especially violent crime?
Police statistics in Colorado show that violent crime has increased by 17% between 2019 and 2021. Homicides, aggravated assaults, sex assaults and robberies comprise this category. Murder is up 47%. Property crime is up 20% and auto theft is up 86%. Our rising crime rate is just below Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah. Who knew Utah could lead Colorado in crime rates?
Drugs play a role in the increase according to Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen. Seizure of fentanyl and methamphetamine went up four-fold in the state, and death by fentanyl overdose jumped above every other state except Alaska between 2015 and 2021 according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Felony drug charges declined due to a bipartisan 2019 state law change in amount of illegal drugs subject to felony charges. Misdemeanor drug charges increased. The legislation that caused the change, the Offense Level for Controlled Substance bill, had sponsorship from GOPers Rep. Shane Sandridge and Sen. Vicki Marble and Democrats Rep. Leslie Herod and Sen. Pete Lee.
The year 2019 also saw passage of five bills devoted to treating substance abuse, with more than $10 million in legislation for addiction treatment costs in and out of the judicial system. Most Republican legislators voted NO except on a bill to expand a medication-assisted pilot program.
Given the pressing seriousness of the problem, in the most recent 2022 General Assembly, legislators including GOPers jumped in to pass two bipartisan bills that pumped $100 million into drug treatment and administration of substance abuse programs. One bill created behavioral health treatment grants for health providers and nonprofits in that space. The other set up a behavioral health administration office.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado’s death by overdose rate exceeds our death by firearm injury rate at 24.9-per-100,000 people for overdose to 15.4-per-100,000 people for fatal firearm injury.
But gun violence is up across the metro area. Denver has seen 858 gun-related crimes as of early August, an increase over the 465 crime average of the previous three years. Suicide by firearm is also up between 2020 and 2021 from 649 to 740, with males at 643 and females at 97, and individuals between 25 to 34 are at highest risk with 145 deaths.
The legislature has put decidedly less money into gun violence legislation than substance abuse. The most recent bill occurred in 2021 with HB-1299. No Republicans supported the legislation that created an Office of Gun Violence Protection. Its mission is to conduct public awareness, administer gun violence protection grants and maintain a resource data base.
The $3 million-plus devoted to the office has produced one report with data up to 2020 and references to information linked to national Centers for Disease Control sources. If pro-firearms advocates worry the office will eviscerate their Second Amendment rights, they can sleep easy knowing that its work so far presents no threat.
Legislators acted this year on an opioid addiction rate of 25 individuals per 100,000 Coloradans because substance abuse hurts lives and increases violent crime. Despite Republican concern about crime, no action occurred during the 2022 session from either party over additional funding to reduce firearm injuries that produce 15-plus deaths per 100,000 Coloradans and many more victims who are injured accidentally or as a result of criminal acts.
Democrats did pass the Vote without Fear Act that prohibits firearms near voting places or ballot collection boxes. No Republicans supported the legislation.
The state hasn’t had significant firearms legislation since 2019 with the “red flag” bill. Guns traced to crimes in Colorado hit the 6,516 number in 2021, according to the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency. That’s 114 crimes with guns per 100,000 individuals. Based on this data, our gun crime rate far exceeds our opioid death rate.
Police and others concerned with violent crime assert a relationship between drugs and violent criminal activity. Isn’t there at least as strong if not stronger relationship between violent crime and firearms exacerbated by lack of research and funding to prevent firearms violence? So far this election season, Republicans haven’t put up reducing firearms crime as an advocacy goal, but Democrats haven’t either.
Paula Noonan owns Colorado Capitol Watch, the state’s premier legislature tracking platform.
