Colorado is poised to pass some of the toughest gun laws in the country

DENVER — Gun dealers and owners in Colorado could soon be subject to some of the most restrictive gun-control laws in the country.

Lawmakers in the state are poised to pass a measure that would, with a few exceptions, outlaw the use of detachable ammunition magazines. By doing so, it would make it illegal to buy, sell and manufacture a wide range of firearm models, including rifles, shotguns, pistols and some handguns.

Detachable magazines are devices that allow shooters to reload and fire bullets more quickly. Without them, gun users would have to load bullets into the chamber one by one.The bill’s supporters say the legislation is necessary to limit the damage inflicted during mass shootings.

Shootings in Colorado
Colorado has a long history of mass shootings, dating back to Columbine High School in 1999. Then, in 2012, when a gunman used a hundred-round detachable magazine to open fire on moviegoers in Aurora.

Tom Sullivan’s son, Alex, was one of the dozen people killed in that shooting.

“If Alex had had two seconds, maybe he could have gotten behind the seat, maybe something else could have happened in front of him. Maybe he’d still be here today,” Sullivan saysThe bill’s supporters say the legislation is necessary to limit the damage inflicted during mass shootings.

Shootings in Colorado
Colorado has a long history of mass shootings, dating back to Columbine High School in 1999. Then, in 2012, when a gunman used a hundred-round detachable magazine to open fire on moviegoers in Aurora.

Tom Sullivan’s son, Alex, was one of the dozen people killed in that shooting.

“If Alex had had two seconds, maybe he could have gotten behind the seat, maybe something else could have happened in front of him. Maybe he’d still be here today,” Sullivan says.The Aurora movie theater shooting was one reason Colorado passed a law more than a decade ago banning magazines that contain more than fifteen rounds.

But since then, two more significant shootings happened in Colorado — at a Boulder supermarket in 2021 and at Club Q, an LGBTQ-plus nightclub in Colorado Springs, a year later. Both involved high-capacity detachable magazines.Colorado could be really a pioneer in true safety test for civilian firearm owners,” says Daniel Webster, who studies state gun laws at Johns Hopkins University. He says that even with those changes, the measure would amount to some of the country’s strictest gun ownership laws.

It’s also particularly significant that Colorado, a Western state with a deep-rooted gun culture, is proposing this kind of gun regulation, Webster says. “It would be a statement that you can still preserve your Second Amendment rights to be able to acquire firearms, both for sport and defense, but we acknowledge that it’s important for there to be a more rigorous process for vetting to make sure that the person is safe to have firearms.”

The oppositionOne of the bill’s biggest critics are the state’s gun dealers.

Sponsor MessageThe last three to four years, we feel like we’ve been under attack,” says Brian Clark, who has owned Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colorado, just outside Denver, for a decade. “The Colorado legislature has definitely been chipping away at our rights and our ability to make a living.”

Over that time, Colorado has passed more than a dozen laws that gun-ownership advocates say restrict their rights. But the latest proposal goes much further than any of those, and many gun store owners claim it would put them out of business.

Clark says it would make a significant portion of his inventory illegal overnight, especially when it comes to his rifles and shotguns.

“For our long gun inventory, 60 to 75% of the guns we sell would be affected.”That includes one of his best-sellers, and one of the most popular models in the United States: the AR-15.

Other critics, including Colorado’s Republican lawmakers, say the measure would be outright unconstitutional. Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action are supporting the bill on one side. The National Rifle Association and other groups are lobbying against it.

The bill has one last legislative vote to get through, with widespread support from the Democratic majority.

It may now have a clear path to the finish line in Colorado, but even if it’s signed into law, it will likely face challenges in court.Colorado is poised to pass some of the toughest gun laws in the country