This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on March 12, 2024.
Colorado lawmakers this year are considering a handful of firearm regulations. While a slate of connected gun bills was released last year with fanfare and joint leadership support, the bills this year have trickled out largely unannounced.
Gun rights groups have already promised legal action against any new regulations, bolstered by the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which sets a tough legal standard for any restrictions.
The House passed the first major firearm bill during the current session on Monday, when it gave final approval to a bill that would put stricter requirements on concealed carry permitting classes. That bill had the expected Republican opposition and passed on a party-line vote. It now heads to the Senate.
Many of the other introduced gun bills have their committee hearings this week, the first hurdle before they land on the floor for debate.
This bill would prohibit firearms, carried openly or otherwise, from many so-called sensitive spaces, including public parks, recreation centers, hospitals, amusement parks and property hosting a protest or demonstration.
Houses of worship and buildings owned by local governments would be able to give permission to carry.
SB-131 is sponsored by Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis of Longmont, Sen. Chris Kolker of Centennial, Rep. Kyle Brown of Louisville and Rep. Mandy Lindsay of Aurora, all Democrats. It will be heard on Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
HB-1353 would require gun stores in Colorado to obtain a state-issued permit in addition to a federal firearm license. To qualify, the dealer can’t have violated a gun law in the past three years or have had a license revoked or denied in the past three years.
There are over 2,200 federal firearms licensees in Colorado, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The bill also requires a dealer and their employees to complete an annual training that goes over current firearm laws, theft prevention and how to recognize if someone is buying a gun for someone else or to harm themselves. Each year, the state would inspect a random sample of 15% of licensed dealers to make sure they are compliant with the permit requirements.
“I think the federal permitting does serve its stated purpose. But what I think what we’ve seen in the state of Colorado is that the ATF and other federal agencies are not able to provide that level of inspection that is necessary in order to gain compliance with the gun violence prevention laws we’ve already passed,” Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat, told reporters Tuesday.
Selling guns without a state permit would be punishable by a fine up to $250,000. Fifteen states require gun dealers to have a state-issued license, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
The bill is sponsored by Boesenecker, Rep. Emily Sirota of Denver and Sen. Jeff Bridges of Denver, all Democrats.
This bill would require gun owners to have an insurance policy that covers injuries from an accidental discharge. People could petition an exemption if they are denied by two or more insurers or if they cannot afford the insurance.
A gun carry law in New Jersey has a similar provision but was blocked last summer by a U.S. District judge. If implemented, that would have been the first statewide liability insurance requirement.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Steven Woodrow of Denver, Rep. Iman Jodeh of Aurora and Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver, all Democrats. It will be heard on Thursday in the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.
HB-1310 mainly concerns qualifications for school resource officers in Colorado, including standards for them to carry a handgun on campus. It would also prevent a school employee, such as a teacher, from carrying a firearm at school, by repealing an existing exemption for them in the law.
It is currently legal for a school district to allow employees to concealed carry on campus. FASTER Colorado, an organization that trains school staff to be armed, reports that it has trained nearly 400 employees in the past 20 years.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Parenti of Erie and Rep. Eliza Hamrick of Centennial, both Democrats. It will be heard on Thursday in the House Education Committee.
Progressive Democrats are trying for the second year in a row to prohibit the manufacture and sale of what the bill terms an “assault weapon,” which includes most semi-automatic rifles and guns with certain defined features. The bill does not ban possession for people who already own these types of weapons.
Last year, a similar bill died in committee even after it was amended to ban only rapid-fire trigger activators.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Elisabeth Epps of Denver and Tim Hernández of Denver, both Democrats. It will be heard next Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee.