Colorado lawmakers hear proposal impacting specified semiautomatic guns
DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado lawmakers are once again taking up legislation that impacts semiautomatic firearm sales in the state. Supporters and opponents say the new effort is different than similar bills in recent years.
The new bill may have enough support to pass the Senate this time if it clears the Colorado Senate's State, Veteran and Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Gun store owners are worried about the impact it could have if it passes.
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After the Aurora theater shooting, Colorado lawmakers passed a law prohibiting the sale, transfer or possession of high-capacity magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.Sponsors said the new Senate bill looks to enforce that law.
'This shouldn't be controversial. Enforcing the laws on the books is all that we are asking our law enforcement agencies and our state to do. The question is very clear: Are we going to sit behind and allow gun manufacturers to just flout the law or are we going to say no, this is not OK and we need a different path forward? At the end of the day, that's what Senate Bill 3 is all about,' said Senator Julie Gonzales of Denver.
She was also the prime Senate sponsor of a bill looking to outlaw the sale of assault weapons in 2024; it never reached the Senate floor. She is cosponsoring the new bill with Senator Tom Sullivan whose son Alex was killed in the Aurora theatre shooting.
'This policy is meant to hold manufacturers to account for following the law that we have already had on the books here in Colorado for well over a decade. So this isn't about taking away anybody's guns, but this about saying, 'Hey manufacturers, if you want to sell your products here in Colorado, follow our laws,'' she said.
The new bill defines a specified semiautomatic rifle or shotgun as one with a detachable magazine or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine.Under the new proposal, knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, or purchasing those guns would be prohibited in Colorado.
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Bryan Clark is the owner of Bristlecone Shooting, Retail and Training Center in Lakewood.They've been open since 2015. He worries the new bill at the capitol would go beyond enforcing current law.
'I respectfully disagree that this particular bill is all about enforcing that measure. I view this bill as more of kind of an end and around attempt to ban certain firearms. Whereas, I know that as long as we have been open, we've always been Colorado compliant with any of the products we sell, especially magazines,' said Clark.
'Rifles which we typically think of an AR-style semiautomatic rifle that — or even shotguns that are not pump activated — that are semiautomatics, people don't realize that with those they do have detachable magazines a lot of times where the ammunition is actually stored in the tube underneath the actual barrel, that tube can be removed,' Clark continued. 'There are certain firearms that are popular: some Walther, the PPK — the old James Bond gun would be included and certain other smaller handguns would be included in the bill.'
Hundreds signed up to weigh in on the measure. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners are already gearing up to tackle the legislation head-on.'We have a large group of gun owners who and Second Amendment defenders to oppose Senate Bill 3 which is the most egregious piece of gun control that has ever been filed in Colorado history,' said Ian Escalante, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Executive Director. 'If this bill does make it to the governor's desk and it goes into law, RMGO will be waiting before the ink is dry to file a lawsuit. We will have this struck down in court. There's absolutely no way we can allow this to stand.'
Gov. Jared Polis has not taken a position on the new bill. A spokesperson for his office told FOX31 'he will continue to review the bill as it moves through the process and changes.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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