Despite New Gun Controls, Homicides Are Spiking in Colorado’s Democratic Stronghold

April 19, 2026
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Despite Colorado's Democrats piling on yet more gun control measures—like universal background checks, red flag laws, and magazine capacity limits—homicides in Denver are surging to levels not seen in over a decade. According to the latest data from the Denver Police Department, the city tallied 95 homicides in 2023, a staggering 52% jump from 2022, with early 2024 numbers showing no signs of abatement. This spike persists even as state-level reforms aimed at getting guns off the streets have been aggressively implemented since 2019, including a 2023 assault weapons ban push that failed but still left a regulatory thicket for law-abiding owners. Meanwhile, the Mile High City's violent crime wave isn't isolated; statewide aggravated assaults and robberies are up too, underscoring a broader breakdown in public safety under one-party rule. What's truly telling here isn't just the raw numbers—it's the predictable failure of the progressive playbook. Gun controllers love to tout common-sense reforms as silver bullets, yet Denver's homicide boom mirrors patterns in other blue strongholds like Chicago and Philly, where strict laws coexist with sky-high murder rates driven overwhelmingly by repeat offenders wielding illegally obtained firearms. FBI stats confirm that over 80% of Colorado gun crimes involve prohibited persons or black-market guns, not the compliant concealed carriers or hunters targeted by these edicts. This disconnect exposes the real agenda: incremental erosion of Second Amendment rights under the guise of safety, while ignoring root causes like soft-on-crime DAs, defunded policing, and unchecked gang activity fueled by open borders and fentanyl floods. For the 2A community, this is exhibit A in the case against feel-good gun grabs. As Denver bleeds, patriots nationwide should amplify this story to dismantle the narrative that more laws equal fewer deaths—history proves the opposite. Push back with data: arm yourself with facts from the Crime Prevention Research Center showing permit holders commit crimes at rates lower than police, and rally for real solutions like school choice, border security, and prosecuting criminals instead of paperwork for the innocent. Colorado's tragedy is a clarion call—stand firm, or watch your rights bleed out one stronghold at a time.

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Despite Colorado’s Democrats piling on yet more gun control measures—like universal background checks, red flag laws, and magazine capacity limits—homicides in Denver are surging to levels not seen in over a decade. According to the latest data from the Denver Police Department, the city tallied 95 homicides in 2023, a staggering 52% jump from 2022, with early 2024 numbers showing no signs of abatement. This spike persists even as state-level reforms aimed at getting guns off the streets have been aggressively implemented since 2019, including a 2023 assault weapons ban push that failed but still left a regulatory thicket for law-abiding owners. Meanwhile, the Mile High City’s violent crime wave isn’t isolated; statewide aggravated assaults and robberies are up too, underscoring a broader breakdown in public safety under one-party rule.

What’s truly telling here isn’t just the raw numbers—it’s the predictable failure of the progressive playbook. Gun controllers love to tout common-sense reforms as silver bullets, yet Denver’s homicide boom mirrors patterns in other blue strongholds like Chicago and Philly, where strict laws coexist with sky-high murder rates driven overwhelmingly by repeat offenders wielding illegally obtained firearms. FBI stats confirm that over 80% of Colorado gun crimes involve prohibited persons or black-market guns, not the compliant concealed carriers or hunters targeted by these edicts. This disconnect exposes the real agenda: incremental erosion of Second Amendment rights under the guise of safety, while ignoring root causes like soft-on-crime DAs, defunded policing, and unchecked gang activity fueled by open borders and fentanyl floods.

For the 2A community, this is exhibit A in the case against feel-good gun grabs. As Denver bleeds, patriots nationwide should amplify this story to dismantle the narrative that more laws equal fewer deaths—history proves the opposite. Push back with data: arm yourself with facts from the Crime Prevention Research Center showing permit holders commit crimes at rates lower than police, and rally for real solutions like school choice, border security, and prosecuting criminals instead of paperwork for the innocent. Colorado’s tragedy is a clarion call—stand firm, or watch your rights bleed out one stronghold at a time.

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