Colorado Republicans urge federal constitutional review of state gun laws
A coalition of Colorado's Republican members of Congress, Republican state lawmakers, county sheriffs and the Colorado State Shooting Association want U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the constitutionality of nearly 20 state gun laws they say infringe on Second Amendment rights.
In a letter sent Monday, the group asked Bondi to take up the review using the Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force her office established in early April.
'Over the past few years, the State of Colorado and some of its larger cities and political subdivisions have, through a progression of increasingly oppressive and burdensome statutes and ordinances, engaged in a systemic and unrelenting campaign designed to restrict, impair, impede and ultimately extinguish Coloradans' right to bear arms in violation of our Constitution,' the letter reads.
House Republicans sent a similar request to Bondi's office a few weeks ago, but now more people are on board, including the state Senate Republican caucus, Colorado's four Republican members of Congress, and 14 county sheriffs. The Colorado State Shooting Association is the state branch of the National Rifle Association.
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They urged Bondi to investigate Colorado's 'anti-Second Amendment agenda' and identify 'federal remedies' including litigation. They also want an assessment of how the laws impact 'law-abiding citizens' and rural residents, hunters, people in poverty and people who rely on guns for self defense.
The letter mentions laws including the state's high capacity ammunition law, 'red flag' law, waiting period requirement, minimum age requirement and expanded training for concealed carry permits. The majority of the laws called out in the letter were passed in the last three years.
It also highlights Senate Bill 25-3, signed into law earlier this month, that sets training requirements to purchase most semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines. The law is set to go into effect in August 2026. It passed the Legislature with entirely Democratic support.
The letter says that the new law fails to meet the 'constitutional benchmarks' set by a series of gun-related U.S. Supreme Court cases. Throughout the lawmaking process, however, bill sponsors asserted that they believe it would stand up to a legal challenge. Colorado joins states including California, Washington and Oregon that require training to buy certain guns.
'I think this bill will make Colorado's communities safer and prevent accidents as well as reduce gun violence, ultimately saving lives while protecting our Second Amendment rights,' Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said as he signed SB-3.
In a statement, Attorney General Phil Weiser said SB-3 was 'commonsense.'
'Colorado communities — from Aurora and Colorado Springs to Boulder and Littleton — have been devastated by gun violence. While each mass killing brings unique pain and trauma, they all have one thing in common: weapons that are more suited for war than for self-defense or hunting,' he said in an email. 'I will continue to go to court to defend Colorado and our laws whenever they are attacked by the gun lobby or Washington, DC.'
It is likely SB-3 will face litigation from gun-rights groups.
The federal task force is composed of Bondi, the yet-to-be-confirmed associate attorney general, and representatives from the Department of Justice's Criminal Division and Civil Rights Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It has not yet met.
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