U.S. Rep. Jason Crow has reintroduced legislation to close the federal firearms loophole exploited by the out-of-state woman who prompted school closures in spring 2019 throughout Colorado after law enforcement considered her “extremely dangerous."
The Closing the Loophole on Interstate Firearm Sales Act, which Crow has termed the Colorado Loophole Act, would prohibit a federally-licensed firearms dealer from transferring a long gun to a recipient who does not live — or whom the seller believes does not live — in the state where the business is located.
“Almost two years ago, children and families across our state were terrorized by the threat of yet another mass shooting, a tragedy that is all too familiar in Colorado,” Crow said. "This threat could have been prevented by treating shotguns and rifles the same way we treat handguns.”
In that instance, an 18-year-old woman who was reportedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School mass murder was deemed a credible threat, according to law enforcement, based on her comments and behavior. Around the time of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, she flew to Colorado and immediately purchased a shotgun.
While her home state of Florida restricted such purchases to persons age 21 and older, Colorado had no similar bar. Law enforcement found her dead of an apparent suicide near Mount Evans after several school districts took the extraordinary step of closing amid the threat.
Crow first introduced the proposal in the previous Congress. His office noted that out-of-state travelers can still purchase long guns and shotguns under the bill, but the weapons must first be shipped to an arms dealer in the purchaser’s state for a background check.