Lawmakers are tackling nine bills this week and next that deal with firearms – from licensing to liability insurance to where those guns can and can’t be carried.

The action began Monday in the House, where Democrats approved House Bill 1174, which adds training requirements for those who want to obtain concealed carry permits. The 43-16 vote on the bill occurred strictly along party lines.

The bill was amended, including with suggestions from House Republicans.

While he was “pleased and thankful for the cosponsors in making the compromises,” the bill is still an overreach, said Republican Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud, who is a firearms instructor who worked on the amendments. 

Rep. David Ortiz, D-Centennial, an Air Force veteran, said the bill promotes safe and responsible gun ownership, and that he would be interested in seeing how firearms instructors will make those courses available to those with disabilities. 

House Majority Leader Monica Duran, who cosponsored the measure and said she’s been working on it for six years, said having a permit comes with responsibility, and that means knowing how to load and unload a gun.

She noted there are no standardized training for permits, ranging from a few hours to several days, nor is there any requirement that a permit applicant demonstrate, through a live-fire exercise, that they know how to use it responsibly.

The bill requires both an eight-hour training course, which can be split into multiple segments, as well as a live-fire exercise.

Under the proposal, minimum testing requirements will now be in the statutes, instead of a requirement from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Duran said, adding the change is a request from county sheriffs.

HB 1174 now heads to the state Senate.

The Senate is also poised to take action on a measure that would allow the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to look into illegal activity involving firearms.

Senate Bill 3, however, could run into problems over its cost, estimated at $1.7 million in general fund dollars, a risk in a year when lawmakers are being advised to keep their bill costs to a minimum.

SB 3 won a party-line vote from the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, but the March revenue forecast, which is the final set of numbers upon which the 2024-25 budget is based, is expected to show less available funds for lawmakers to spend, particularly on new initiatives.

That forecast comes out on Friday.

The bill also would require adding 10 full-time equivalent employees to the CBI staff.

The investigations authorized under SB 3 would primarily apply to illegal firearm transfers or other efforts to illegally acquire a firearm. It requires the CBI to coordinate with local law enforcement should the agency uncover other potential criminal activity.

SB 3 is awaiting full Senate debate.

Committees are tackling five bills this week.

Senate Bill 131, scheduled for the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, intends to prohibit carrying a firearm, including those allowed under concealed carry permits, in 19 specifically-identified “sensitive” places.

That includes college campuses, polling places, public parks and playgrounds, recreation facilities; demonstrations, rallies and protests; health care facilities, banks, houses of worship; fairs, circuses and zoos; libraries; and, government buildings.

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday will take a look at House Bill 1348, which would impose a $500 fine on someone who leaves a firearm in a car in plain view or not otherwise secured in the vehicle.  

On Thursday, the House Education Committee will review House Bill 1310, which among its provisions prohibits schools or law enforcement from storing firearms on school property.

The measure allows school security officers to possess a handgun on school property, so long as they meet prescribed requirements outlined in the bill. That includes a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun, firearms training, and passing the state’s peace officer standards and training board’s firearms skills test.

On Thursday, the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee will look at two bills dealing with firearms.

House Bill 1353 would require firearms dealers to obtain a state firearm dealer license. Those who operate without the state license could be hit with a felony charge and a $250,000 fine. 

House Bill 1270 would require firearms owners to hold liability insurance for accidental discharge of a gun on the owner’s property. That insurance would come through either through homeowners or renters’ insurance. Failure to obtain liability insurance would be civil penalty that carries a $500 fine for the first offense and $1,000 for subsequent offenses committed within five years.

Those denied liability insurance or who may be unable to pay for it can petition a court for a waiver.

And that’s just this week.

In the coming weeks, several other gun bills are on tap:

HB 1349, also sponsored by Duran, would impose an excise tax on firearms dealers, firearms manufacturers, and ammunition vendors. The money would go to crime victim support services, gun violence prevention, safe and lawful gun use, and enhancement of school safety.  The proposal would need voter approval.

House Bill 1292, which would prohibit the sale of “assault weapons” as defined in the bill, is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on March 19. Lawmakers rejected that measure last year.