Denver, CO- Former Columbine student and current House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, is introducing legislation that would allow law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders the right to carry firearms in K-12 schools. House Bill 1037 will be heard in House State Veteran and Military Affairs this Tuesday, February 20.

“This act would allow every law-abiding citizen who holds a concealed carry permit, issued from their chief law-enforcement officer, the right to carry concealed in order to defend themselves and most importantly our children from the worst-case scenarios,” said Neville.

Neville continued, “Unfortunately, current Colorado law creates a so-called gun free zone in every K-12 public school. This leaves our students vulnerable for crazed lunatics, who want to murder our children, I refuse to stand by silently when we can stop this horrific cycle and deter would-be predators. I want our kids protected in their classrooms.”

Neville has introduced this legislation every year he has served in the state house, and even though the bill has a slim chance of passing in the Democrat controlled house, he believes it is important to continue bringing the issue forward.

“As a former Columbine student who was a sophomore during the shootings on April 20, 1999, I will do everything in my power to prevent Colorado families from enduring the hardships my classmates and I faced that day,” said Neville, “Time and time again we point to the one common theme with mass shootings, they occur in gun-free zones.”

Neville says the common theme in every of school shooting is they take place in a government mandated gun-free zone.

“While the anti-gun lobby continues to spread scare tactics purposely distorting the facts when the reality is law-abiding gunowners are not the problem and guns are not the problem. The problem is these so-called gun free zones making it easy for criminals to carry out their murderous plans,” concluded Neville.