The Colorado Department of Revenue has issued a draft of its “specified semi-automatic firearms guidance,” as required by a 2025 law that goes into effect on Aug. 1 of this year.

Last legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 003, which requires individuals to undergo a $52 safety course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife in order to be eligible to purchase semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines.

The bill, which initially started as an outright ban on such weapons, also requires DOR’s Firearms Dealer Division to issue guidance about specific models of firearms to which the law applies.

The draft, which was issued on May 15, includes a 150-page list of weapons covered under the new law. The draft states that the list will be reviewed and updated annually “for the purpose of maintaining regulatory transparency and compliance.”

Starting Aug. 1, individuals who wish to obtain a semi-automatic weapon will be required to submit an application online and show their local sheriff government-issued identification and a passed background check, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website. If approved, the sheriff will enter the individuals’ information into a firearms safety system database.

Senate Bill 003 was part of a yearslong campaign by some Democratic lawmakers to ultimately ban semiautomatic weapons in the state. Several other states, including California, Connecticut and Illinois, have passed similar measures in recent years.

Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Commerce City Democrat whose son Alex was killed in the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012, has been leading those efforts since he was first elected to the Colorado General Assembly in 2019.

“This legislation is another in the list of policies I have worked on to develop evidence-based solutions and reduce gun violence of all types,” he said.
“The people of Colorado have mandated that we do something about the public health crisis that is gun violence, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Following threats of a veto by Gov. Jared Polis, Sullivan and his cosponsors significantly altered Senate Bill 003, allowing individuals to purchase semi-automatic weapons — provided they undergo mandatory safety training through CPW.

The measure also prohibits the purchase and sale of rapid-fire conversion devices like bump stocks and binary triggers.

Republicans criticized the bill, saying it infringes upon law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights and creates financial barriers to exercising those rights. They also argued that shifting the responsibilities for the training course to the wildlife office is irrelevant to the agency’s scope. 

Republicans have also argued that the push to restrict gun access only burdens law-abiding citizens, making it difficult for them to defend themselves, while criminals will get their hands on guns whenever they can.

Democrats defended the measure, saying it did not take away anyone’s Second Amendment rights and arguing that semi-automatic weapons are commonly used in mass shootings, such as the case with King Soopers in Boulder in 2021 and the 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs.

Gov. Jared Polis, who signed the bill into law last April, said he “really think this will make Colorado safer.”