El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal issued a statement following the passage of a bill requiring individuals to take firearm safety training before being eligible to purchase certain firearms. 

Under Senate Bill 003, Coloradans planning to purchase a semiautomatic weapons with a detachable magazine after Aug. 1, 2026, would be required to take a firearm safety course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The bill has passed through both the House and Senate and is on its way to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. 

Roybal, who testified in opposition to the bill along with a number of other county sheriffs, said he was concerned about the the measure’s constitutionality and the harm it could cause to small business owners and law-abiding citizens. 

“Rather than focusing on legislation to hold criminals accountable and make Colorado a safer, more prosperous place for families and businesses, lawmakers spent their time passing legislation which will ultimately make Colorado less safe for everyone but the criminals,” he said. “I hope Governor Polis will listen to public safety experts and veto SB 25-003 rather than cave to political pressure by signing the bill. However, if SB 25-003 becomes law, I am already making plans to ensure the constitutional rights of the citizens of El Paso County are safeguarded by our overzealous state government. My Office will communicate these plans to our citizens as soon as possible. Colorado is my home, and I am heartbroken to see yet another layer of unnecessary government control and bureaucracy added to its statutory landscape.”

All legislators representing Colorado Springs, both Democrats and Republicans, voted against the bill. 

The bill’s passage marks a victory for Democrats, as efforts to ban the sale of semiautomatic weapons with detachable magazines failed during both the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions.

The bill passed through the Senate on a 19-15 vote, with all Republicans and Democratic Sens. Tony Exum and Marc Snyder and Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo voting against it. Both Exum and Snyder also voted against concurring with the 19 amendments made in the House, which primarily dealt with the financing of the safety training at Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 

In the House, the vote stood at 36-28, with all Republicans and seven Democrats balking at the measure.

Sponsors and advocates argued the bill would help prevent future mass shootings, such as those at the Aurora movie theater, Boulder King Soopers, and Club Q in Colorado Springs, all of which, they said, were carried out using a semiautomatic weapon with a detachable magazine.