Democrats and Republicans clashed on Friday over a bill that would restrict the purchase of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines to only those who complete a hunter safety training.

House Republicans offered 50 amendments to the measure. 

As originally proposed, Senate Bill 003 would ban the sale and purchase of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines but was amended to allow such purchases if people completed a hunter safety education course managed by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 

It’s the latest in a string of measures over the years that proponents said would curb violence. Critics said it would infringe on residents’ Second Amendment rights, while doing nothing to actually prevent violence.  

“It will not impact a single firearm you presently own,” said Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, who called the bill a “pathway forward” to reducing gun-related violence.

“This will be about the next one, possibly the first one for the next mass shooter in our state,” he said. 

Sullivan’s son, Alex, was killed in the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012. 

As envisioned, the bill would not apply to firearms purchased before Sept. 1, 2025. 

The bill faced criticism from Second Amendment advocates, who argued that it imposes barriers on law-abiding gun owners and forces the state’s wildlife agency to take on responsibilities beyond its scope. 

Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, told his colleagues they should be concerned about the bill’s fiscal impact, regardless of how they feel about the policy. 

“We have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that every dollar spent by the state is used effectively and efficiently,” he said. 

The bill’s fiscal note assumes 50,000 Coloradans would pay the $40 to apply for course eligibility cards, bringing in about $2 million to the proposed Firearms Training and Safety Course Cash Fund. The fiscal note also estimates $1.4 million in expenses to the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Revenue to pay for three additional full-time employees and new computer systems. 

Calculations by House Republican staff assumed 75,000 individuals would apply for the eligibility card, putting the actual cost of the measure at $6.6 million, with $5.5 million in revenue and 35 full-time employees.

“From a budgetary standpoint, where I spend the bulk of my time, these are very important factors to consider,” said Taggart. 

Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, said the bill presents not just a policy problem but also a “financial boondoggle.”

“This bill imposes new bureaucratic systems, creates costly mandates, and places a series of unfunded burdens on both individuals and local governments, all while failing to deliver measurable improvements to public safety,” he said.  “The funding for this system is being offloaded on the people who are just trying to exercise their constitutional rights.”

Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, expressed worries about taking diverting wildlife funds from conservation and park maintenance efforts to gun safety education programs and eligibility cards, particularly at a time when the state is facing a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.

“How is this funding mechanism that we’re doing here going to impact CPW’s ability to maintain the parks that are out there?” he asked. “How are they going to function in the state of Colorado with their primary mission for parks and wildlife?” 

Earlier, Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, argued that

“military style” weapons have no place in civilian society. Firearms are the No. 1 cause of death for American kids and teens, he said.

“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.”

Sponsors said 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, proponents said they’ve been to multiple businesses around the state that still sell high-capacity magazines.

During Friday’s debate, lawmakers drifted in and out of the House chamber.

At one point, one of the bill’s cosponsors was even seen driving away from the Capitol. According to House Majority Leader Monica Duran, representatives are not permitted from leaving the building during debate without asking to be excused.