DENVER — A controversial gun bill officially passed through the Colorado Senate on Tuesday, even as two Democratic lawmakers who initially sponsored the bill flipped and voted "no."
In its original form, Senate Bill 25-003 would have outright banned 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. However, late last week, Senate Democrats amended the bill so that those guns could still be sold if a buyer first takes a training course.
The course must include information on firearm deaths associated with mental illness, Colorado’s red flag law, and victim awareness and empathy. Before they can take the course, applicants must undergo a criminal background check and obtain a firearms safety course eligibility card.
The bill received initial approval on Friday and officially cleared the Senate by a 19-15 vote on Tuesday, with three Democrats voting "no."
State senator changes vote over threat of recall
Democratic State Senator Tony Exum represents District 11 in El Paso County and supports the bill's passage, calling the safety course requirement a way to “slow down the process of somebody wanting to get a hold of one of these weapons in a heightened state, and then wanting to go out and do harm, or kill people with it.”
But Exum took his name off the bill as a sponsor and voted against it on Tuesday. He said pressure put on by his constituents and an effort to recall him if he voted "yes" convinced him to change his mind.
“I couldn't risk the fact of possibly losing my seat through a recall,” Exum said, explaining that his seat is especially vulnerable because of historically low voter turnout in his district. “All the gun legislation that we've had in the past I voted for, even with the threat of recalls, but this had a different, different energy to it.”
Exum is up for re-election in 2026.
“It was a difficult day leading up to this because, like I said, once I give my word, you know, I'm true to my word, and I went back on my word today,” he told Denver7.
When asked if this decision would affect his reputation, Exum replied, “It could. It's just something I'll have to live with.”
Gun advocates strongly opposed
Ian Escalante, executive of the gun rights group, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, said he is not surprised three Democrats, including Exum, voted against the bill.
“They're in very competitive districts, and they know full well if they went ahead and put their name behind this that they would more than likely lose their seats,” he said.
Exum said pressure from RMGO led to his decision. Escalante confirmed that the group made a strong push to sway legislators in the past week.
Escalante said the bill amendment was a late-night “political backroom deal” that led to a change that “may even be worse” than an outright ban on the weapons.
“You have to register your fingerprints with the government,” he said. “You have to then go and take all these hours of training to be able to purchase these firearms. And this is a right. This is not a privilege."
Escalante went on to say the bill shows lawmakers are “putting the foot in the door” to later enact more regulations.
“It’s Denver saying, ‘Screw you,’ to the rest of Colorado, who doesn't want this," he said.
Another Democratic sponsor backs out
State Senator Marc Snyder, another El Paso County Democrat, also removed his name from the bill and voted "no" on Tuesday.
He said his initial perception was that the bill would add extra enforcement to the 2013 law that bans high-capacity magazines of more than 15 rounds but is often flouted.
“Unfortunately, the bill when it got introduced was quite different from what I was expecting, and as I followed the process along, it became more and more of another, you know, burden upon law-abiding, lawful gun owners,” he said. “This bill became so much more than just trying to get rid of those high capacity magazines that ultimately I could not support it.”
Majority Whip Nick Hinrichsen, who represents District 3 in Pueblo County, was the third Democrat to vote "no" on the bill.
The bill now moves to the Colorado House of Representatives. It’s expected to pass there and then be signed by Governor Jared Polis.
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