A panel of House lawmakers on Tuesday approved, on an 8-3 party-line vote, a Democrat-sponsored bill that would require stricter requirements for those who hold or want to obtain concealed weapons permits.

The measure from House Majority Leader Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge and Rep. Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs requires the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to set stricter criteria for concealed handgun classes and permits.

Supporters of the measure argued that it’s necessary to ensure that concealed carry permit holders are properly trained and they understand the laws, while critics described it as an infringement on Second Amendment rights, called the measure unconstitutional and added it would raise costs by hundreds of dollars.  

Currently, a person can obtain a permit from the local sheriff after completing a firearms training course, which includes “live-fire” exercises for as little as 20 rounds, and submitting an ID and fingerprints and a background check. The permit is good for five years.

Under House Bill 1174, for first time permits, the applicant must take an 8-hour, in-person course, with a “live-fire” shooting exercise of 50 rounds to demonstrate competency in using a firearm. The course also must include instruction on safe storage, information on state and federal laws on how to report stolen weapons, use of deadly force and self-defense, and conflict resolution. 

A student must achieve a minimum score of 75% on the live-fire exercise and a passing score of at least 80 on the written exam. 

Renewals under the legislation require a concealed handgun refresher course, in which the student must demonstrate safety and competence with a firearm, taught by a verified instructor. It would also require a “live-fire” shooting exercise with a discharge of at least 50 rounds, along with a written test developed by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Witnesses said there are about 650,000 concealed carry permits currently in Colorado, about 15% of the total population of the state.

Duran told members of the House Judiciary Committee that the measure is “common sense” and argued it would ensure those with concealed carry permits are property trained and understand current state laws. This provides minimum standards for training statewide, and “does not add any penalties or interfere with any Second Amendment rights,” said Duran, who holds a concealed permit.

“Many have asked: Is this bill necessary? We hope to show you (that it is),” she said.  

More than 500,000 people in Colorado have permits without having to demonstrate they are competent in the use of a firearm, Duran claimed. 

Supporters, including many of the same people who testify on every gun control bill, pointed to crime statistics involving guns that had little to nothing to do with concealed weapons permits, including pointing to the shootings at the Boulder King Soopers or mass shootings in other states that did not involve people with those permits. 

Other supporters talked about the process for obtaining a permit, claiming it isn’t rigorous enough.

Among those who testified was Mary Parker, who insisted that current requirements are insufficient and that “the only thing you can assume about me is that I paid some money to get a certificate and to get a background check done.”

“You cannot know whether or not I know how to handle a gun safely or if I’ve ever even fired a gun before,” she said.

Parker said she took many gun training classes, including those specifically for women. But in her first class, she said, the instructor gave them a book, told them to take out a highlighter, and which sentences to highlight because that would be on the test.

“At the end of the course, we had an open book test, which we graded ourselves. We turned them in and we got our certificates,” Parker said.

The live-fire exercise also wasn’t particularly safe, she claimed. People had the tendency to turn and talk to the instructor to ask him a question, and pointing the gun right at him, “even though we had just taken a test, which said always in bold, make sure your gun is pointed in the safe direction.”

“It’s important that we have better controls, better regulations if you’re going to carry a gun in public,” she said.

Dawn Reinfeld of Blue Rising told the committee that it’s in the best interest of Coloradans that those who carry firearms are well-trained in safe handling and storage of their weapons.

“We have the right to be confident that the people carrying weapons know how to use them and know the legal constraints they operate under, including that they show written competency and understanding of the current laws and guidelines,” Reinfeld said. 

In addition to raising Second Amendment arguments, critics pointed out the higher expense tied to the training, particularly for ammunition. They estimated the current cost to obtain a concealed carry weapons permit at about $200, but with the added requirements, that could rise to $500 or even $1,000, they claimed.

Firearms instructors also defended the current system, calling the bill a solution in search of a problem.

William Peterson, who owns Colorado Handgun Safety and teaches firearms classes, said his training exceeds the standards contained in HB 1174.

He pointed out there were 54,000 applications last year and 26,000 renewals. There were 355 denials, in that same time and just over 400 revocations of permits.

“We do hold ourselves accountable,” Peterson said. 

Alicia Garcia, who is a firearms instructor and the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state over the law requiring a three-day waiting period to buy guns, said a gun “represents more than just freedom.”

“It represents the liberation of people from slavery and abuse from all people of color and minority groups in America,” she said, adding that the first gun control measures were created by the Ku Klux Klan in response to Republican reconstruction policies that were intended to give political and and economic equality to Blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics.

The committee amended the bill at the behest of Republicans and gun rights organizations.

An amendment suggested by the National Shooting Sports Foundation struck language that required firearms instructors be certified only by a national nonprofit that certifies firearms instructors or runs national firearms competitions. The changes included a national organization, as well as colleges or universities; law enforcement at the federal, state, or local level; or, a firearms training academy. 

The committee also approved an amendment proposed by Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, one of two committee members who are certified instructors, to break the eight-hour instruction into smaller segments so that a person would not have to spend an entire day in class.

Armagost told the committee he teaches an eight-hour class, four hours on a Tuesday night and four hours on a Wednesday.

HB 1174 now moves on the House Finance Committee.