The House Judiciary Committee voted on a 7-4 party-line vote to advance a contentious gun measure late Tuesday evening, following 14 hours of testimony and seven additional amendments. 

Senate Bill 003 would require individuals to take a hunter safety training course and firearm safety training to be eligible to buy or sell semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, or handguns with detachable magazines.

Bill sponsors Reps. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, and Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, say military-style weapons have no place in civilian society. They referenced Colorado’s high number of prolific mass shootings, many of which were committed with semiautomatic weapons.

Firearms are the number one cause of death for American kids and teens, said Boesenecker.

“As a former public school teacher who is the parent of three children in our public schools, there is not a day that goes by, not a single day, that I don’t worry,” he said. “And I know I’m not alone in that.”

A firearm owner himself, Boesenecker said he takes the Second Amendment very seriously. He said similar measures in other states have been tried in courts and proven constitutional multiple times, even after the landmark 2022 Bruen case. 

The bill is intended to remedy a loophole in the state’s high-capacity magazine ban, which prohibits the sale and purchase of magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition.

Even though the ban has been in effect for over a decade, advocates say they’ve been to multiple businesses around the state that still sell high-capacity magazines.

“Change does not come without action by this body, whom I believe has a unique ability and responsibility to address this crisis head-on,” Boesenecker said. “Meaningful action needs to recognize that Colorado has more work to do on gun violence prevention; meaningful action needs to recognize that our state’s existing high-capacity magazine ban needs to be enforced more fully.”

Opponents argued the measure infringes upon their Second Amendment rights and questioned why it was necessary to involve Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which would be responsible for administering the hunter safety course and eligibility cards. 

Senate Bill 003 is paving the way for future restrictions on gun ownership, argued Rocky Mountain Gun Owners executive director Ian Escalante.

“If you think this is where it’s gonna end, I have an oceanfront property in Trinidad to sell you,” he said. “It never ends and it never will.”

Escalante criticized Senate sponsors for adding the training course requirement during a late-night reading of the bill in their chamber, suggesting it was a last-minute move to earn Gov. Jared Polis’ approval.

Escalante called the list of firearms outlined in the bill “arbitrary and capricious,” adding that he believed the sponsors were “discriminating” against certain guns simply because they “look scary”.

More amendments

Boesenecker and Froelich introduced seven additional amendments to the bill, bringing the total to 23 since the measure was introduced.  

Under the most recent amendments, CPW will be be required to issue ownership eligibility cards for the weapons, rather than county sheriffs as originally proposed. The amendment also requires individuals who wish to own semiautomatic weapons to submit an application to CPW including their full name, date of birth, and declarations that they are legally allowed to own a gun and will not violate any state or federal laws related to the purchase, sale, possession, storage, or use of firearms. 

Applicants will also be required to submit a copy of their government ID and pass a background check. 

The amendment will require CPW to transfer the money earned from the application fees to the State Treasurer to be stored in the Firearm Training and Safety Course Cash Fund. 

Opponents warned that Colorado could face legal challenges to its firearm ownership eligibility cards, pointing to an Illinois court ruling that found certain aspects of that state’s firearm identification cards unconstitutional. 

“Gun rights are civil rights,” said Minority Leader Ty Winter, R-Trinidad. He expressed concern with the fees associated with obtaining a permit, which he likened to “putting up a paywall in front of my Second Amendment rights.”

In order to reduce gun violence, he said, we need to be looking at the root causes like mental illness, not taking away peoples’ guns. 

Winter was also concerned about the state’s sheriffs’ opposition to the bill, which he said was “shoved down their throats”. 

“My constituents sent me here to fight for the Second Amendment, and they made it very clear where they stand on this,” he said. 

We place limitations on constitutional rights all the time, Rep. Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver, said, noting the “time, place, and manner” restrictions restrictions on the First Amendment. Unlike last session’s failed “assault weapons” ban, SB 003 does not prohibit ownership of semiautomatic weapons outright. 

Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, described the impact school shootings have had on Colorado’s students.  

“They are traumatized, and I am concerned that we have lost a whole generation to this trauma,” she said. “At every high school that I have gone to in my five years of service here and the four years before that on school board, this has been brought up by young people.”

While this bill wouldn’t put an end to all violent crime, it’s a step that could save lives, said Bacon.

Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, was skeptical about CPW’s ability to handle an increased workload, especially given testimony from a department employee that it currently takes about four months to secure a spot in a training class. Considering the state is already facing a shortage of hunter education instructors, prospective gun owners will almost certainly face an even longer waitlist.

However, what frustrated Armagost the most was what he viewed as an attempt to take away his ability to defend himself.

“You don’t get to tell me that I can’t buy a gun,” he said. “You don’t get to tell me I can’t use a firearm to protect myself.

Just because guns look scary and make you feel a certain way, that’s an inappropriate way to legislate in here, especially when it comes to something that is a constitutional right that shall not be infringed.”

The bill will next be heard by the House Finance Committee.