DENVER — Following a 9-hour hearing, a Colorado Senate committee voted 3-2 to advance a bill to ban certain semi-automatic firearms.
As expected, it was a partisan vote.
The committee's chair, State Sen. Michael Weissman, D-Aurora, voted to advance the bill, along with State Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Aurora, the bill's sponsor who also serves as vice-chair of the committee. Joining them was State Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, who was appointed by a Democratic vacancy committee earlier this month.
The two Republicans on the committee, Sens. Rod Pelton and Byron Pelton, voted against the measure.
In his closing remarks, Sullivan pushed back against critics of the bill.
"This is a enforcement of the high capacity magazine [law], something that we should have been working on since 2013 but we didn't, and it took 11 years for us to get back on it, and do something about it. That's what we're doing today," Sullivan said.
State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, another sponsor of the bill, said she believes the legislation, if it is approved and signed into law, would survive legal challenges.
"There are no specific firearms or features that would be prohibited under this bill. Firearms that are on the market that would not be compliant can easily be brought into compliance prior to sale if gun manufacturers [who] make an incredible amount of profit, simply affix the magazine," said Gonzales. "The fact that gun manufacturers can easily bring firearms into compliance will help this bill withstand the Second Amendment challenge."
State Sen. Rod Pelton said he believes the bill is unconstitutional.
"We heard from sheriffs. We heard from law enforcement today that this bill is flawed. Wwe heard that is is viewed as unconstitutional and I do share that view," Pelton said. "I'm at my soul a pro-Second Amendment individual, and I think that in the Second Amendment where it says 'shall not be infringed' means exactly that. This bill is an attack on our constitutional rights."
Large crowds gathered at the Colorado State Capitol earlier in the day as lawmakers held the first hearing on one of this session’s most controversial bills.
Senate Bill 25-003 would ban the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, or purchase of a "specified semiautomatic firearm," which includes semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, along with gas-operated semiautomatic handguns that have a detachable ammunition magazine.
Under the bill, a semiautomatic gun with a detachable magazine could still be transferred to an heir, someone in another state, or a federally licensed firearm dealer.
If the bill became law, violations would be considered a misdemeanor offense. A second violation escalates to a felony charge.
SB25-003 would also prohibit the possession of a dangerous weapon, a category that includes rapid-fire devices.
- Watch our previous coverage in the video player below
Right now, because of a state law the legislature passed in 2013, anything above a 15-round magazine is illegal in Colorado. But supporters of SB25-003 say those kinds of weapons are still too accessible and pose a risk if they fall into the wrong hands.
“Because as long as we have weapons being circulated in Colorado that can still receive these magazines, everyone is at risk,” said Alexander Cisneros, a former East High School student who testified in support of the bill in the Colorado Senate's State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee.
Cisneros said young people have a responsibility to speak up on legislation like this.
“It is an obligation for us to have our voices heard on an issue that affects us more to a greater degree than other age demographics,” said Cisneros. “This is an issue that is unique to our generation, and it’s something that older generations have not had to deal with.”
State Sen. Tom Sullivan, who lost his son, Alex, in the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting, is one of the main sponsors of the bill.
“It will not impact a single firearm you presently own,” Sullivan said during his testimony Tuesday, speaking to opponents of the bill. “This will be about the next one, possibly the first one for the next mass shooter in our state.”
On the other side of the debate are people like Peggy Sue Andre.
At first glance, Andre doesn’t appear to have a lot in common with most gun rights advocates.
“I’m a trans girl,” Andre said. “I’ve been a civil rights advocate for a number of decades.”
But like other gun rights advocates, she opposes SB25-003.
“I believe it's totally misguided. It's blatantly unconstitutional,” said Andre.
Opponents call it the most extreme anti-gun bill they’ve seen in Colorado. They believe it will ban most guns Coloradans own, including handguns.
“It's attempting to backdoor outlaw the possession of most lawfully owned and lawfully purpose weapons,” said Andre. “This isn’t going to stop one punk from committing one more crime.”
BREAKING: A Colorado Senate committee votes 3-2 to advance a bill to ban the manufacture, sale, and purchase of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines. #copolitics #coleg @DenverChannel
— Brandon Richard (@BrandonLRichard) January 29, 2025
Following a 9-hour hearing, the Colorado Senate's State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee voted 3-2 to advance SB25-003 to the full Colorado Senate for consideration.
Last year, gun rights advocates were able to help stop an assault weapons ban bill. They hope to stop this bill, as well.
But with dozens of sponsors, gun rights advocates may face an uphill battle that could make its way from the Colorado State Capitol to a courtroom.
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