Be aware: lots of places will likely be talking safe storage. A bill that might fly under the radar but an exemplar of what policy should be in this state.
My crystal ball says that we'll likely see more discussion about safe firearms storage, and you'll hear it from multiple places.
I got the document linked below in the latest installment of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative newsletter.**
I wanted to share it.
The letter's pretty self-explanatory, but just in case, this is a form letter that school administrators could use as a template to send to parents and/or to use in a talk with same.
Clearly it's geared to try and convince parents of the need to do some sort of safe storage practices. I don't know that I agree with every contention in the letter, but, as I've written in the past, to the extent that it doesn't harm one's ability to defend one's home, I'm okay with efforts to increase safe firearm storage.
I posted this letter not to say that it was necessarily bad or wrong, I will leave that determination up to you and there are multiple correct viewpoints to have on this letter.
I wanted to post it so that you can see an example of something that I think you will see more of in the future. I've watched public health and guns long enough to make an educated guess that safe storage (along with offsite storage of firearms for those who feel they might harm themselves or have a family member who might) will be an increasing push by people who work in the gun violence/harm area of public health.
And it won't just be at schools. I have read about similar efforts coming from medical appointments too.
Be aware. Pay attention to who's saying what and when. Someone could ask things or seek information that you may not want to share or that you don't want your children sharing.
This is not in any way an accusation. I'm am no in any way saying it's a plan or a conspiracy. Things can be inadvertent, someone at a doc's office could unwittingly or intentionally overstep their bounds. Kids blab and say things they shouldn't when they shouldn't.
Just be aware and discuss as a family what you think is appropriate to share. If you do have concerns about someone saying something to your children or to you, be polite, but be assertive and clear about where you put your boundaries, and what your concerns are.
Others get a chance to advocate for the things they feel are important, but don't forget that you get to decide what you share and what you will listen to.
**FIPI is a group under the CU Medical/Public Health school umbrella. I have written about them in the past. They are associated with and also contracted by the Office of Gun Violence Prevention out of CDPHE. This letter was created by a group contracted by the Federal Department of Education to produce it (though interestingly the disclaimer at the end then says it, "...should not be presumed to reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education or to imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education"!)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k8o64E-Kj5y40weoVDaxVdO3sBffRQwH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105405937749106967542&rtpof=true&sd=true
Something you might not consider, but a good idea in my view.
The bill linked below is something that probably would fly under the radar for many, but I want to make a case for it. And for your support.
It doesn't deal with exciting material. It's not a culture-wars hot button. It's solid policy, the kinds of thing that, if our Assembly was more interested in creating policy to improve lives than appeasing the various extremes of their respective bases, I think we'd have more of.
The bill creates a study (which, if passed, as I've noted before is often the first step in creating new laws in the coming year) which would look into ways that we can use natural spaces (and perhaps other "green" technology) to process wastewater and treat drinking water.
Why on earth would we do that? Is there something wrong with what we're doing now?
Well, let me offer you a few thoughts.
I don't see any issues with what we are doing right now to treat waste or drinking water.**
I would point out to you, however, that the current methods we have now require both people and money. Perhaps more money than would be required if we could figure out ways to let nature do this for us. In the same way that I take garden scraps and food scraps and turn them into free fertilizer via composting, we might have a chance to work with nature to get plants and bugs to do our work for us.
I provide kind of a mini example in the picture at the top of this post. It's a screenshot of an above ground leach field from a septic system where the building's occupants took the outflow from the septic tank and percolate it into concrete tanks filled with rocks and plants. The plants (and the bacteria, etc.) use up anything that has nutrients in it and the water evaporates out. A novel and inventive approach to dealing with the outflow that didn't require exotic chemistry or hauling water out.
Perhaps it's because I'm ignorant, but I could also see this being a boon to Ag. I could see some sort of green/plant-based treatment for the outflows from feedlots quieting down some (not all) concerns about water releases from feedlots. I don't think there are issues there now mind you, I'm saying perhaps conflict/concern could be reduced.
At any rate, I think it's worth the expense of looking. We might find something worth trying and won't know until we look.
If you're interested in advocating, it's up in committee on the 29th.
**One notable thing here from someone who lives in Sterling. I see this not as a problem in the process used, but in state regulation, so tangentially related here. Due to a screwup by CDPHE officials, Sterling has had to dump tons of drinking water into the outflow of their waste treatment plant to dilute the sewage down to the level the state wants. That is, CDPHE didn't understand the river flows that are downstream of the sewage plant (I mean it's not like they could come up and check or something right?), and thus thought there was less water in the river than there is. Apparently the problem is either fixed or on its way, but this would definitely qualify as a problem in the current system. And a waste of resources frankly.
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-037