Yes on Prop KK | Proposal

“Shall state taxes be increased by $39,000,000 annually to fund mental health services, including for military veterans and at-risk youth, school safety and gun violence prevention, and support services for victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes by authorizing a tax on gun dealers, gun manufacturers, and ammunition vendors at the rate of 6.5% of the net taxable sales from the retail sale of any gun, gun precursor part, or ammunition, with the state keeping and spending all of the new tax revenue as a voter-approved revenue change?”.

The federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding stream has been cut in half since 2018, limiting victims’ access to support and leaving victim service providers working beyond their means while the needs of victims have grown. VOCA is the largest source of funding for Colorado’s victim services infrastructure, supporting more than 200 organizations, serving thousands of victims across the state, and comprising the majority of community-based programs’ budgets.

Domestic violence (DV), sexual violence, and stalking cases have become more fatal; when a gun is available, women are 5x more likely to be killed by an intimate partner. In Colorado, 86% of DV related deaths involved firearms.
Colorado has the 10th highest rate of gun suicides in the US: 1 every 13 hours.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education, suicide is the leading cause of death among youth and young adults (ages 10-24). Black children and teens are 5 times more likely than their white peers to die by guns.
Veteran suicide rate in our state is significantly higher than both the national average and the national general population suicide rate, according to US Dept. of Veteran Affairs.
Individuals exposed to trauma, including military veterans and at-risk youth, need support accessing mental health care.

The Proposed Solution: Crime Victim and Survivor Services Funding and Mental Health Security Actl

When approved by Colorado voters, a new excise tax of 6.5% on the gross taxable retail sales of firearm dealers, manufacturers and ammunition vendors for all firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition sold in the state would reate consistent and reliable funding to address imperative needs

$ 39 million

Expected revenue

Mental Health care for veterans and Youth.
Promote school safety and gun violence prevention.
Sustain victim services, including crisis response, emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and case management for domestic violence and other victims of crime.

Our Proposal