Colorado: Sweeping Restrictions on Semiautomatic Firearms Move Forward

Colorado lawmakers are one step closer to passing SB25-003, a sweeping gun ban on semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols. 

Last Friday, the Colorado Senate passed SB25-003. This bill initially called for a ban of virtually any semiautomatic firearm with a “detachable magazine.” But as it moved through the Senate, it was softened up with some amendments, including exceptions to allow for hunters to keep buying some semiautomatic firearms, such as semi-auto shotguns for waterfowl hunting, etc. The exception is for people who complete a training course to be regulated by and offered through the state.

The exemption, tacked on by Democrats in an effort to appease Gov. Jared Polis, represents a significant watering down of the measure. But proponents of the legislation felt it was needed to advance Senate Bill 3. The bill is now before the Colorado House, and if (when) it passes and reaches the desk of Gov. Jared Polis, the governor has signaled he will sign the bill into law.  If signed, it would take effect in September.

To qualify for the exception, a gun purchaser would have to be vetted by their local sheriff through a process similar to what’s required to obtain a concealed carry permit. Then, if they already have a hunter safety certification, they would have to complete a roughly four-hour training course to be offered by a third-party vendor. Without a prior hunter safety certification, a purchaser would have to complete a dozen hours of training over two days.

The course would focus on gun safety and specifically semiautomatic weapons. It would also include information about gun deaths associated with mental illness and Colorado’s red flag law, which lets a judge order the temporary seizure of guns from someone deemed an imminent risk to themselves or others. Eligibility for the exemption would be contingent upon people receiving a score of at least 90% on a test at the end of their training course. Sheriffs would issue cards verifying completion.

Renewal, within five years of purchase, must be completed through an extended safety course. That includes lessons in such things as safe gun storage and “victim awareness and empathy,” according to the bill.

What utter nonsense. This is what happens when Colorado is overrun by democrats who were tired of overregulation in California and decided to migrate here to set up the same type of overregulation they just left.  Stupid much?  Yeah.  Once you get through the democrats cover-story, SB-3 is nothing more than as a severe violation of our Second Amendment rights and essentially an effective ban on semi-autos. If Gov. Polis signs this Bill into law, you can bet it will be challenged on a Second Amendment basis, and hopefully it won’t pass the test.