Office of Gun Violence Prevention

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention coordinates and promotes effective strategies to reduce gun violence in our state. 

Created by HB21- 1299, the office will:

1. Conduct public awareness campaigns to educate about state and federal laws and existing resources relating to gun violence prevention.
2. Administer a grant program (subject to available money) for organizations to conduct community-based gun violence intervention initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of gun violence, trauma, and retaliation that are evidence-informed and have demonstrated promise at reducing gun violence without contributing to mass incarceration.
3. Create and maintain a resource bank as a repository for data, research, and statistical information regarding gun violence in Colorado. 

Sign up for CDPHE's Office of Gun Violence Prevention Newsletter

When you sign up for our mailing list, you'll receive a quarterly email containing gun violence prevention updates, upcoming events, resources, and more.

Statewide Public Awareness Campaign

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention has launched a statewide education and awareness campaign to help reduce gun violence and promote firearm safety across the state. 

The new “Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado” campaign is intended to increase awareness and understanding among Coloradans about state and federal laws and existing resources relating to gun violence prevention. Campaign topics include a range of gun safety laws and best practices related to the safe storage of firearms, how to report a lost or stolen firearm, and how to request an extreme risk protection order. The campaign will also include information on how people can access mental health and substance use treatment and support, including suicide prevention services.

For more information about the “Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado” campaign visit www.LetsTalkGunsColorado.com (English) or www.ColoradoHablemosdeArmas.com (En Español).

Collaboration

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention will collaborate closely with multiple CDPHE programs, including the Office of Suicide Prevention, the Office of Health Equity, and the Center for Health and Environmental Data (CHED). The office will also collaborate with the Departments of Education, Human Services (including the Office of Behavioral Health and the Behavioral Health Administration), Public Safety, and the Office of the Attorney General. There will also be coordination with the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, and the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative at the University of Colorado.

Data

Access Colorado-specific data on firearm injuries and deaths:

Colorado Vital Statistics Program

The Colorado Vital Statistics Program analyzes and disseminates the official vital statistics data for Colorado from the official records of vital events (live births, deaths, fetal deaths, induced terminations of pregnancy/abortions, marriages, and divorces). These records are collected through the Office of the State Registrar of Vital Records. Colorado’s vital statistics include data for all vital events that occur in Colorado, as well as those occurring in other states among Colorado residents.

Colorado Health Information Dataset

The Colorado Health Information Dataset (CoHID) provides access to state and local-level data and resources compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to help understand health and related issues affecting people in Colorado.  This includes Colorado’s official mortality/death statistics.

Colorado Violent Death Reporting System

The Colorado Violent Death Reporting System (CoVDRS) collects information on violent deaths that have occurred in Colorado from a variety of data sources, including death certificates, coroner and medical examiner reports, and law enforcement investigations. The purpose of the data is to provide a more complete understanding of when, where, and how violent deaths occur. CoVDRS captures enhanced information on the following manners of death:

• Suicide.
• Homicide.
• Unintentional firearm.
• Legal Intervention.
• Undetermined deaths that may be violent in nature.
• CoVDRS is part of the larger National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which is funded through the CDC. There are 52 states and territories funded to collect data for the NVDRS. More information is available on the CDC website.
• Factsheet: Firearm Deaths in Colorado 2016-2021: Data from the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a federally funded random telephone survey of Colorado residents ages 18 and older. Information is gathered on a variety of health behaviors, conditions, and preventative health practices. The questions collect data related to the leading causes of:
  • Chronic disease.
  • Infectious disease.
  • Drug Use.
  • Disability.
  • Injury.
  • Mortality.

Public and private health authorities at the federal, state and local levels use BRFSS data to identify public health problems, design policies and interventions, set goals, and measure progress toward these goals. In 2020, Colorado began asking questions around firearm storage practices. 

Healthy Kids Colorado Survey

The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) is the state’s most comprehensive survey on the health and well-being of young people. The HKCS results help state and local organizations better understand the youth they serve and support youth in making healthy choices.

Youth Access to Firearms

In 2019, Colorado began asking about youth access to firearms. Results published:

• Brooks-Russell A, Ma M, Brummett S, et al. Perceived Access to Handguns Among Colorado High School Students. Pediatrics. 2021;147(4):e2020015834 
• McCarthy, V., Wright-Kelly, E., Steinhart, B., Haasz, M., Ma, M., & Brooks-Russell, A. (2023). Assessment of Reported Time to Access a Loaded Gun Among Colorado Adolescents. JAMA pediatrics, 177(5), 543–545. 
• Brooks-Russell, A., Ma, M., Brummett, S., Wright-Kelly, E., & Betz, M. (2021). Perceived Access to Handguns Among Colorado High School Students. Pediatrics, 147(4), e2020015834. 

For additional information about these resources, or data requests, please contact cdphe.healthstatistics@state.co.us.

• Child Fatality Prevention System 2021 Legislative Report is available on the Maternal health data webpage.
• The Maternal Mortality Prevention Report 2014-2016 is available on the Maternal health data webpage.

Contact Us