Colorado lawmakers introduced a sweeping gun-control bill on the first day of the state’s 2025 legislative session this month. The bill would prohibit the manufacture, purchase, sale, and transfer of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines within the state of Colorado. It would place the same prohibitions on gas-operated semi-auto handguns with detachable magazines, and it would reclassify “rapid-fire devices” as dangerous (i.e. prohibited) weapons under state law.
Sen. Tom Sullivan (D-27) introduced Senate Bill 3. The legislation has three additional primary sponsors and more than 35 additional sponsors in the House and Senate. All of them are Democrats. These legislators, many of whom have introduced or supported gun-control legislation in years past, say the bill will allow the state to better enforce its existing “high-capacity magazine” ban, a law passed in 2013 that bans magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition.
But Colorado hunters, gun owners, and other Second Amendment advocates are speaking out strongly against the bill. These groups say the legislation goes too far and would run afoul of the legal precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. v Heller. In that case, the court noted that states cannot ban entire classes of firearms.
“This legislation is short-sighted,” National Shooting Sports Foundation managing director of public affairs Mark Oliva tells Outdoor Life. “It will affect anyone wanting to purchase any firearm with a detachable magazine and make those firearms unavailable for sale in the state of Colorado. There are serious questions over whether or not this is even Constitutional, given the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Heller.”
What the Bill Would Mean for Colorado Gun Owners
SB3 defines a “specified semiautomatic firearm” as “a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun with a detachable magazine, or gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine.” The legislation would make it illegal to knowingly manufacture, distribute, transfer, sell, or purchase one. Guns with detachable magazines already owned in Colorado would be grandfathered in, and current owners of these firearms would be allowed to keep them. Future transfers would be heavily restricted under the new law, however, and limited to direct heirs, individuals residing outside of Colorado, or federally licensed firearm dealers.
The first violation would be a class 2 misdemeanor, with the second and subsequent offenses escalating to a class 6 felony. This could result in up to 18 months in prison and fines between $1,000 and $100,000. It would also make the person ineligible to own a firearm. Gun dealers who violate the law would have their licenses revoked.
SB3 would also reclassify and prohibit “rapid-fire devices” such as binary triggers, bump stocks, and forced reset triggers as dangerous weapons under state law.
The primary concern from Colorado hunters is that the proposed ban would affect any rifle or shotgun capable of accepting detachable magazines and that use ammunition larger than .22 caliber. This would include many commonly used hunting rifles and shotguns. Firearms with pump, lever, bolt, or slide actions would be exempt from the ban.
In addition to rifles such as the AR-15 and AK-47 that are frequently the target of gun-control legislation, the bill would also ban more dedicated hunting rifles like the Browning BAR and the Remington 742 Woodsmaster. The measure would also prohibit the sale and manufacture of gas-operated semiautomatic pistols, including popular models such as Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 and Walther CCP.
Here are examples of other semi-automatic firearms that would be prohibited under SB3:
- Ruger Mini-14
- SIG Sauer 716i
- Mossberg 715T
- Benelli R1
- Stag Arms M7 Hunter
- Savage MSR-10
Although no specific models are currently listed in the bill, the proposed legislation would allow the attorney general to add specific firearm models to the prohibited list in the future.
What Lawmakers Are Saying
One of the prime sponsors of SB3 is Sen. Julie Gonzales. Gonzales was also a lead sponsor of House Bill 1292, which was essentially an MSR ban. HB1292 passed the House in April 2024 with a 35-27 vote, although nine Democrats voted against the bill. Gonzales asked for that measure to be killed in committee last May.
“After thoughtful conversations with my Senate colleagues, I decided that more conversations need to take place outside of the pressure cooker of the Capitol during the last weeks of the legislative session,” Gonzales said in a statement.
The most significant difference between the new Senate Bill 3 and the previous House Bill 1292 is the absence of the term “assault weapon.” While HB 1292 defined and banned “assault weapons” as any “semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine or that may be readily modified to accept a detachable magazine,” HB3 attempts to limit access to the same weapons (and others) without the attached label.
This time around, however, Colorado’s Democratic lawmakers have the support of Sen. Tom Sullivan, whose son was killed in the 2012 mass shooting that took place at a movie theater in Aurora. While Sullivan has been a staunch gun control advocate, he has been outspokenly critical of state-level “assault weapon” bans for upsetting gun-rights advocates and being unenforceable, among other reasons.
Sullivan is also adamant that SB3 does not seek to ban any particular type of weapon. He claims that if the bill were to pass, Coloradans could still buy the same kinds of firearms as they do today. They would just have to, he says, retrofit or redesign those guns by permanently affixing the magazines and limiting the capacity of those magazines to 15 rounds.
“To be clear, I have not introduced any legislation at the General Assembly since I was elected in 2018 that works to control anyone’s access to firearms,” Sullivan tells OL in an emailed statement. “I have worked to address the public health crisis that is gun violence in a way that can bring all communities into the effort. That’s what I will continue to do.”
Sullivan also claims that the proposed legislation would not affect Colorado hunters.
“Hunters, to the best of my knowledge, do not hunt using firearms that need more than 15 rounds in the enjoyment of their sport,” Sullivan says. “I’m unaware of hunters that need more than 15 rounds to down their prey.”
Critics of the proposed legislation, however, contend that it would do little to curb gun violence. They also say that requiring gun manufacturers to redesign firearms by permanently affixing magazines is both unrealistic and potentially dangerous.
“This legislation would invite the potential for a negligent discharge,” Oliva says. “The safest and easiest way to render a firearm with a magazine safe is to remove the magazine and clear the chamber. If Coloradans were only able to obtain firearms that have fixed magazines, that would mean owners would have to cycle every round in that magazine through the chamber before it could be visibly and physically inspected to ensure that firearm is safe. That’s not a winning idea if we want to pursue true safety.
“This legislation is terribly misguided,” Oliva continues. “This is legislation that is attempting to advance a radical anti-gun agenda and risks proven safe firearm handling methods.”
What Happens Next?
The bill has been assigned to the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee, of which Sullivan is vice chair. The next step will be for the committee to review the bill in a hearing. If the committee votes to pass SB3, it will be referred to another committee before it hits the Senate floor for a vote. It will need a majority of at least 18 votes to be passed to the House. If the bill passes both chambers, it goes to the governor for his signature.
“Given the political majorities in both the state’s House of Representatives and Senate, this bill could be pushed through and sent to Governor Polis for his consideration,” Oliva says.
It is unclear whether Gov. Jared Polis would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. The governor, a Democrat, has been critical of firearms bans in the past.
“I’ve long been skeptical of discussions around ‘this kind of equipment versus that kind of equipment,’” Polis told The Sun in an April interview. “I think it’s more an issue of making sure our gun safety laws are followed. I think where you can and can’t safely carry guns is a legitimate discussion, as well as making sure that our strong gun laws are enforced.”
If SB3 passes and the governor signs it into law, the gun ban would go into effect on Sept. 1.
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