Semiautomatic firearm bill headed to Governor Polis’s desk

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) - Governor Jared Polis will soon review SB25-003, potentially signing it into law, putting stricter licensing restrictions on semiautomatic weapons in the Centennial State.

The bill prohibits the purchase or sale of "rapid fire conversion devices, like bump stocks and binary triggers," according to Colorado Senate Democrats.

Stricter licensing requirements would apply to semiautomatic rifles or semiautomatic shotguns with detachable magazines, or gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines.

Senate Democrats say the bill will not impact the sale of shotguns, semiautomatic firearms that have fixed magazines, and almost all handguns.

“High-capacity magazines are what put the ‘mass’ into mass shootings, which is why over a decade ago Colorado Democrats passed legislation to prohibit magazines that hold over 15 rounds of ammunition,” said Senator Tom Sullivan. “The people of Colorado have mandated that we do something about the public health crisis that is gun violence, so that’s what we’re going to do,” he later added.

Under the law, those hoping to obtain a semiautomatic as defined above are required to complete a firearms safety course every five years. The course will go over safe storing, handling, and other gun safety issues. Those applicants will then take an exam, which they must pass with at least 90%.

Sheriff's offices will be required to check that an applicant does not have criminal convictions preventing them from getting a gun. They can also deny an applicant if they have reasonable belief the applicant is a danger to themselves or another person.

Local sheriff's offices will be responsible for issuing course eligibility cards, which will be given to applicants before they can take the course.

State Democrats explain within the bill that they assume about 50,000 people per year will contact a sheriff to apply for a course eligibility card, generating an estimated $2,000,000 in revenue.

According to a recent fiscal analysis, $1,443,010 will be transferred to the 'Firearm Safety and Training Course Cash Fund' for the 2025-26 year to properly fund the program in its first year of implementation. Most of that dollar figure will be taken from the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Cash Fund.

Conversely, the bill has faced scrutiny by sheriff's offices across the state, some pointing to the lack of resources designated to sheriff's offices who will be required to handle work associated with licensing permissions. While the eligibility cards will come with a fee, the law stipulates that sheriff's offices will send the money to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

Additionally, critics argue that many mass shooters and criminals obtain their guns illegally to begin with. Gun rights advocates believe the only people who would be adversely impacted are law-abiding community members.

"There are no other rights that are constitutionally protected in our Bill of Rights in which we have to ask the government for permission to practice," said Leland Conway, the Rocky Mountain District Manager for Delta Defense, in a previous interview with KRDO13. "We don't have to get permission, or take a class, to go and speak our mind [through] freedom of speech, or freedom of religion, or freedom of the press. We just get to do that because we're Americans, and that's guaranteed."

According to legislative documents, starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year, revenue generated by the eligibility cards and education classes would be used to pay back the roughly $1.4 million that was borrowed, ultimately paying that amount by the 2029-30 fiscal year.

This legislative session, the bill went through several iterations, first drafted as a ban before becoming watered down. The current version of the bill also dropped a fingerprinting requirement found in previous versions.