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Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These gun bills passed the Colorado Legislature in 2025
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs Senate Bill 25-3, a gun safety measure, on April 10, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Colorado lawmakers, led by a Democratic majority in both chambers of the Legislature, passed a suite of firearm-related bills this year aimed to reduce gun violence and boost public safety. Over the previous two years, Colorado had enacted gun laws concerning a minimum purchasing age, purchase waiting period, safe storage in vehicles, and an expansion of the type of people who can petition courts to remove a potentially dangerous person's firearm. They did more this year, such as passing what could be the most consequential gun law in recent history with a permit-to-purchase program for most semiautomatic rifles. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Beginning in August 2026, purchasers will need a special permit to buy certain semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition magazines. Without the permit, they can buy models of those firearms that have fixed, 15-round-maximum magazines, which are far less common. Those provisions are in Senate Bill 25-3. People will need to be vetted by their county sheriff, take a safety class and pass a test to get a permit, which will be valid for five years. The training will be four hours for people who have gone through hunter education and 12 hours for everyone else. 'If you're going to be purchasing these weapons, it should be your responsibility to make sure that you're educated on how to safely use these weapons. I think that's common sense,' Polis said when he signed the bill in April. Polis wants to see financial assistance for lower-income Coloradans who wish to obtain a permit, and he also thinks some people, such as retired law enforcement and former military personnel, should not have to undergo redundant training. The bill was originally introduced as an outright ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase and transfer of those types of guns with detachable magazines. It was proposed as a way to enforce an existing large-capacity magazine ban. The permit-to-purchase program was amended into the bill in the Senate to get Polis on board. The promoter of a gun show will need to submit a security plan for the event to local law enforcement starting next year under House Bill 25-1238, which Polis signed in April. Additionally, promoters will need to carry liability insurance, make sure vendors have the proper federal and state licenses and have video surveillance of all areas of the gun show, including the parking area. Children will not be able to attend a gun show without a parent or guardian. 'One of the best ways we can prevent gun violence is by requiring firearm dealers and gun show promoters to utilize proven methods that keep guns out of the wrong hands, like running background checks, securely storing firearms and ammunition, and boosting security measures like video cameras,' bill sponsor Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat, said in a statement when the bill passed the House. 'This legislation helps enforce responsible gun-selling practices and that makes gun shows more resilient to illegal sales or theft. In a signing statement, Polis emphasized the law would not impact 'gun collector shows' that concern collectible firearms like curios, relics or antique firearms. Senate Bill 25-34, a suicide prevention measure, would allow people to voluntarily waive their right to buy a gun by giving their name to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations through an online portal. They could also include information of someone to contact if they try to buy a gun while the voluntary waiver is in effect. CBI will need to verify someone's identity before adding them to the 'Do Not Sell' list. People could then remove themselves from that list after 30 days. 'We know that when people have mental health issues, sometimes they feel better and sometimes they feel worse. And we know that when people feel better, they might know that when they feel worse, they might not want to be able to go purchase a firearm,' bill sponsor Sen. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Republican, said on the floor in April. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. Under House Bill 25-1250, schools will need to provide materials about gun violence prevention to students' parents or guardians at the start of each year. They will also need to post the materials, developed by the state Office of Gun Violence Prevention, online. 'Some of the most devastating and preventable tragedies in our nation's history have happened in Colorado schools, and one in three Colorado middle and high school students say they can access a firearm in their home,' bill sponsor Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat, said in a statement after it passed the Senate. 'Safe storage dramatically reduces firearm suicides and overall youth firearm fatalities. Information is power, and this bill simply helps inform and educate students and their families about gun violence and how to prevent it.' Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. A rare bipartisan gun-related bill, House Bill 25-1062, would make all firearm thefts a felony, instead of structuring the charge based on the value of the stolen gun. All firearm thefts would be a Class 6 felony, which can result in a prison sentence up to four years and fines up to $100,000. Bill supporters say it will deter gun theft and reduce the circulation of stolen guns in illegal markets. The potential misuse and lethality of guns are reasons to treat them differently than other stolen goods, they said. 'By setting a consistent felony classification for firearm theft, the state signals that stealing guns carries a significant consequence,' bill sponsor Rep. Ryan Armagost, a Berthoud Republican, said during floor debate on the bill. 'Stolen firearms often end up in the hands of people who cannot legally purchase firearms, such as felons or minors, and are frequently used in violent crimes.' This bill passed on a bipartisan vote. Polis has not yet taken action on it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are 5 key bills the Colorado Legislature passed this year
Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran speaks with Rep. Alex Valdez on the House floor during the last day of the 2025 legislative session on May 7, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) The 2025 regular lawmaking term in Colorado wrapped up Wednesday evening after 120 days of policy proposals. Lawmakers grappled with a year of financial strain — an extraordinarily tight budget situation prevented new programs or many new spending attempts — and an ever-changing federal landscape as President Donald Trump began his second term in office, two themes that colored much of the session. Democrats controlled both chambers of the Colorado Legislature with a 43-22 majority in the House and a 23-12 majority in the Senate. Those margins, combined with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, allowed Democrats to pass most of their priority bills, though not all. A bill supported by Polis that would allow churches to build affordable housing on their land could not pass the Senate, and a resolution to direct the Legislature to sue over the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights did not get a debate. Here are five of the biggest bills to pass this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Senate Bill 25-3 was introduced as a ban on the sale of semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines, a description that includes a huge portion of guns sold in the state. The idea was to bolster enforcement of the state's large-capacity magazine law, passed in 2013, by allowing in gun sales only fixed magazines that accept no more than 15 rounds. But pushback from the governor's office resulted in a major change in the Senate — the addition of a permit-to-purchase program to access the otherwise-banned firearms. The bill passed the Legislature with entirely Democratic support, and Polis signed it into law on April 10. Starting in August 2026, anyone who wants to buy most semiautomatic guns with a detachable magazine will need to complete either a four- or 12-hour safety training, depending on whether the person already has a hunting license. Course completion will result in a five-year purchasing ability. Colorado joins a handful of states with similar training requirements. Supporters see the law as a way to reduce accidents and injury, because people who buy the powerful weapons will have education about how to use them safely. Opponents say it is an additional hurdle in Colorado to exercise Second Amendment rights and worry about a lengthy wait time to get into a necessary safety course. A coalition of Republican lawmakers and gun rights advocates recently asked the U.S. attorney general to review the constitutionality of the new law. It is also possible opponents will attempt a legal challenge in court. Though it was announced last year and became one of the first bills introduced this year, Senate Bill 25-5 didn't pass until the penultimate day of the session, after months of negotiations between labor and business groups broke down. The bill now heads to a likely veto from Polis. The bill would repeal a second election that's required for union formation in Colorado. The first election, governed by federal law, requires a majority vote to form a union. Colorado's unique second election requires a 75% vote for a union to negotiate union security, the term for compelling all workers to pay into the representation a union provides, regardless of membership. Bill supporters say the second election creates an opportunity for employers to intimidate workers and represents a barrier to forming strong unions. Supporters immediately faced a call from Polis to rework the bill around a compromise that both labor and business advocates could agree to. That deal never came to fruition, and an unamended version of the bill passed through the Legislature on party-line votes, with Democrats in favor of the measure. House Bill 25-1312, dubbed the Kelly Loving Act after a transgender woman killed in the Club Q shooting, adds more legal protections for transgender Coloradans. It would make it discriminatory for a person to intentionally not refer to a transgender person by their chosen name in places of public accommodation. It would also make it easier for a person to change their gender marker on a driver's license and other government documents. It would require schools to be more flexible in chosen-name policies and dress code requirements. Some of the bill's most controversial original provisions were amended out, including a section that would have made courts consider a parent's treatment of their child's transgender identity during custody decisions. Another removed section would have enacted a shield provision against other state's custody laws. The original bill would have also added legal definitions for 'misgendering' and 'deadnaming' into the state's anti-discrimination act. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. As the Trump administration began ramped-up deportation efforts, Democrats moved to protect the civil rights of Colorado's immigrants. Senate Bill 25-276 would prohibit public employees, like those in local governments, from sharing data about immigration status with federal immigration enforcement authorities. It would also repeal affidavit requirements for immigrants without legal status seeking in-state tuition and driver's licenses. The bill would also limit where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can access within schools, hospitals, libraries and child care facilities without a signed warrant. It would clarify and strengthen existing law that prevents local law enforcement from holding someone in jail on behalf of immigration authorities after their release time. Republicans opposed the bill and argued that it could jeopardize federal funding to the state. As it passed, the Department of Justice sued Denver and the state over so-called 'sanctuary policies,' which the bill is seen as expanding. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. The start of the legislative session was packed with vacancy committees after three state senators resigned shortly following the 2024 election. That prompted calls for reform on how vacancies are filled in the Legislature, as the current system permits a small number of party insiders to decide on new lawmakers. The bipartisan House Bill 25-1315 would change the vacancy process by adding elections for the seat in question into an already-planned November election. A vacancy committee would pick a replacement, but that person would need to run in the newly created vacancy election, where voters of the same party and unaffiliated voters could participate. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado Republicans urge federal constitutional review of state gun laws
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs Senate Bill 25-3, a gun safety measure, on April 10, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) 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. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 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. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado's congressional Republicans ask Polis to veto firearm training bill
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks during a news conference about a bipartisan property tax reduction bill on May 6, 2024, at the Colorado Capitol. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) Colorado's four Republican members of Congress urged Gov. Jared Polis to veto a bill that would set safety training requirements to purchase some firearms. U.S. Reps. Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank and Gabe Evans sent the letter to Polis, a Democrat, on Wednesday asking him to reject Senate Bill 25-3, which has been passed by both chambers of the Legislature. 'Despite making some amendments to the legislation to appear less restrictive, the Colorado State Legislature proceeded with a partisan vote to pass one of the most restrictive gun ownership laws in the United States — on par with California and Illinois' gun laws. The bill would impose a deceptive 'permit-to-purchase' system riddled with bureaucratic hurdles and impedes our constituents' ability to freely exercise their right to self-defense,' the letter, first reported by Colorado Politics, reads. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SB-3 would limit the ability to purchase semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines to those who have completed a safety training course — either four hours of training if they already have a hunter safety license or 12 hours if they do not. It would not criminalize possession, but it would be one of the largest changes to Colorado's gun purchasing laws in recent years. The bill originally would have outlawed those guns with detachable magazines outright, but it was amended in the Senate to create the permit-to-purchase system. It passed the Senate and House on partisan votes, with some Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. It now sits on Polis' desk for him to sign into law or veto. A bill can become law without the governor's schedule after 10 days. It was officially sent to Polis on Thursday. The congressional Republicans wrote that the process laid out in the bill is burdensome, time-consuming, potentially costly and violates the Second Amendment. A person would need to undergo a background check and obtain an eligibility card from their sheriff before they could enroll in a class. Sheriffs could deny applicants if they believe the person is a danger to themselves or others. 'Not only does this new scheme come with additional fees and time commitments that no criminal will ever participate in, but it also gives any sheriff hostile to the individual — or semi-automatic firearms in general — carte blanche authority to block the enrollment,' they wrote. Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman wrote in a statement that the governor welcomes input on legislation that comes before him. 'The Governor was clear he would oppose banning any guns, and his team worked with the sponsors, and got feedback from the hunting and sport shooting community, and members of law enforcement to amend the bill to address the overarching concerns, remove any bans on guns, and ensure people could continue to purchase the gun of their choice. The final bill allows responsible Coloradans to continue to purchase the gun of their choice as long as they receive gun safety education,' she wrote. Members of Congress do not often weigh in directly on matters at the state Legislature, unless a bill is especially controversial or consequential. Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette and Brittany Pettersen lent their support last month to Senate Bill 25-5, which would eliminate a second election required in the union organization process. That bill passed the Senate but has not been debated on the House floor. Polis has expressed desire for labor and business groups to work out a compromise on the issue. The legislative session ends in about one month. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committee amends, then passes bill to limit semiautomatic weapon sales
Democratic Reps. Andrew Boesenecker and Meg Froelich testify on Senate Bill 25-003 during its House committee hearing on March 11, 2025. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) A Colorado bill to limit the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines passed its first House committee late Tuesday night, after being amended to clarify how county sheriffs and Colorado Parks and Wildlife would work together on a process for people to buy otherwise restricted guns. Senate Bill 25-3 passed on a 7-4 vote through the House Judiciary Committee after about 12 hours of witness testimony, most of which was from people opposed to the bill who showed up to rally outside the Capitol in the morning. The committee's four Republicans voted against it. The bill, originally a broad ban on the sale of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines, was amended heavily in the Senate to allow people to buy those types of guns if they complete a safety course, a compromise workshopped with Gov. Jared Polis' office to earn his support. The Senate passed it in February on a 19-15 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'A permit-to-purchase program for these firearms recognizes both their unique lethality and also a pathway to ownership, which is accompanied by reasonable safety training to be able to understand the gravity of the moment when you put one of these firearms in your hands,' said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat sponsoring the bill. It is also sponsored by Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat. It was sponsored by Democratic Sens. Tom Sullivan of Centennial and Julie Gonzales of Denver in the Senate. Sponsors and supporters frame the bill as a way to enforce the state's high-capacity magazine ban from 2013. A person who wants to purchase semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines would need to be vetted by their county sheriff, undergo either four or 12 hours of training — depending on whether they have a hunter safety certification already — and pass a test. That would enable them to buy an otherwise-banned firearm for five years. It would not limit possession of the targeted firearms. It would take effect in September of this year. CPW would be in charge of creating the application, determining the safety course requirements and setting the fees for that course. One amendment on Tuesday took out a fingerprinting requirement for a background check. An applicant would need to fill out the CPW form and submit to their sheriff a photo ID and the results of a name-based background check that looks at Colorado criminal history and judicial databases. Sheriffs would be able to set fees to cover the cost of vetting applicants. Another amendment would allow sheriffs to deny someone an eligibility card to undergo safety training if they have a 'reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely that the applicant will present a danger to themself or others' if they access these types of firearms. 'Our sheriffs might have been out on a call to a property three or four times that week already, and (they) see that application come through, and it might give (them) pause about whether that individual has some other extenuating circumstances that might factor into consideration about whether to pause the (application) process for that individual,' Boesenecker said. Some members on the committee raised due process concerns about giving that additional layer of discretion to sheriffs, and the bill sponsors said they intend to address that issue in an amendment on the House floor. Another amendment addresses the cost of starting the permitting program before it would be able to fund itself. CPW would be allowed to transfer money from two cash funds — the Outdoor Recreation Cash Fund and the Wildlife Cash Fund — to cover startup costs. That would essentially be a loan that CPW would need to pay back into those cash funds by 2030. Republicans questioned the legal justification for the amendment. Cash funds are created for specific programs and purposes and are funded through fees, gifts and donations. The two cash funds contemplated in the amendment, for example, take money from hunting licenses, park passes and state lottery money. 'We set these cash funds up for a specific reason,' Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican, said. 'When we do create these funds, they're not just to be moved around for different programs. Otherwise we'd be doing that for all of our bills, especially in a tight fiscal year.' Froelich responded that the safety course created in the bill would be part of CPW's general operations, so it makes sense to use cash funds within CPW. The department also already runs the hunting licensure course that would affect the length of an additional required safety course. Republicans on the committee opposed the bill on broad Second Amendment grounds and argued that requiring a safety course is a barrier to someone exercising their right to own a gun. 'If you want to get this done, not only do you have to pay for the training, now you have to pay for the sheriff,' Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, a Trinidad Republican, said. 'Can CPW do the job in a timely fashion? Will it create backlogs? Will it divert funds from the original mission of CPW? Many who testified have figured out that gun laws in Colorado are meant to be death by a thousand cuts, making it harder and harder.' The bill now heads to the House Finance Committee. If it makes it to the House floor, it will almost certainly pass with the chamber's 43-22 Democratic majority. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
