Gov. Jared Polis said Thursday night that a ban on the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic firearms with a removable ammunition magazine isn’t his preferred method of tackling gun violence, but he’s not fundamentally opposed to the idea.
Still, the Democrat was noncommittal during The Colorado Sun’s legislative preview event on whether he would sign Senate Bill 3 should it pass this year and make it to his desk. The measure would affect the manufacture and sale of most semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with removable magazines, along with some semiautomatic pistols.
As introduced, the legislation has enough cosponsors to pass the Senate and it almost surely has enough support to clear the House, too.
“I want to make sure it doesn’t interfere with legal, law-abiding gun owners in our state for hunting, for home defense or sport,” he said. “We’ll certainly bring those values to the table as the discussions continue.”
Polis said he thinks the state’s focus “should be on guns used in crime,” which is why his priority firearm bill at the Capitol this year targets stolen weapons.
“I’m not entirely sure why the legislature wants to play around with different gun models,” he said. “Certainly always a red line for me has been don’t affect things that people already have. This proposal obviously clears that.”
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LABOR PEACE ACT
Polis indicated that a bill that would make it easier for unions to require all employees at a company to pay for representation, whether they are in the union or not, is a nonstarter as introduced.
Senate Bill 5 would eliminate a requirement that 75% of workers at a company sign off before a union can negotiate with an employer on union security, which is when workers are forced to pay collective bargaining representation fees regardless of their union participation. The requirement is part of the Labor Peace Act, a roughly 80-year-old law.
“I’m all for unions,” he said, “but if dues are going to be deducted from paychecks, I think the workers deserve to have a say.”
The governor said he’s open to a change in the Labor Peace Act lowering the 75% threshold.
“There’s nothing magic about 75%,” he said. “I think that’s a variable that can be talked about. As long as the workers are at the table, have a say, I think there’s a broad range of discussions to be had.”
Bottom line: “I’m open to a better compromise if there is one out there,” the governor said. “I’m not confident. I don’t think there is.”
You can watch a recording of the entire event here.
THE NARRATIVE
More highlights from our interview with Polis
There was too much news from our interview with the governor to fit in one section. Here are the other highlights:
POLIS AND TRUMP
The governor refused to elaborate on his State of the State remarks about welcoming help from the Trump administration in deporting dangerous criminals. We asked him twice to define what a “dangerous criminal” means to him, but the governor sidestepped the questions.
“If they’re talking about taking away the mom and dad and making an orphan of an American child with parents who’ve committed no crime, that’s not something that we’re supportive of,” he said.
Polis nonetheless pushed back on the notion that he’s too cozy with Trump.
“Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so for every 10 things he does that I disagree with, he’ll probably do one or two things that I agree with,” he said. “If people are going to use a magnifying glass and say ‘why did you praise what Trump did here?’ they’re probably ignoring the other 15 times where I said what he was doing wasn’t good.”
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
ELECTION 2026
State Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, announced Friday morning that she will run in 2026 to represent Senate District 25.
The district is currently represented by Democratic Sen. Faith Winter, who is term limited.
Bird’s announcement is a big deal because she was seen as a prime contender to run in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District in 2026. Senate District 25 is a safe Democratic seat, whereas the 8th District is a toss-up.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Sean Duffy has been named a senior vice president at the Daniels Fund, where he will oversee the philanthropic group’s communications operations.
“Sean has built a respected and proven track record as a leader in strategic communications, both in Colorado and nationally,” Hanna Skandera, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, said in a written statement. “His extensive experience makes him well-suited to lead our efforts in showcasing the many ways that the Daniels Fund is positively shaping American life and creating lasting impact for individuals and communities across our four-state region and beyond.”
Duffy has long been involved in Republican politics in Colorado. He was deputy chief of staff and communications director for then-Gov. Bill Owens.
READ MORE
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THIS WEEK’S PODCAST: The big budget deficit facing the Colorado legislature
LABOR
That Labor Peace Act poll
The Colorado business community is touting the results of a poll it commissioned as proof that voters don’t support an effort to make it easier for unions to require all employees at a company to pay for representation, whether they are in the union or not.
The survey, however, should probably be taken with a grain of salt.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 6-8 among 507 registered voters in Colorado by WPA Intelligence. It had a 4.4 percentage point margin of error.
Sixty-seven percent of those polled said they oppose “requiring workers in a workplace with a labor union to have labor union dues deducted from their paycheck.”
And then here were the results of the other Labor Peace Act question that participants were asked:
FiveThirtyEight gives WPA Intelligence, a Republican firm, a 1.7 rating out of three, as well as a transparency rating of three out of 10. The pollster has also had some well-documented internal strife in recent weeks.
Additionally, the poll’s questions don’t capture all of the nuance of the Labor Peace Act.
Yes, union security forces employees who are not in a union to pay union fees — not dues — even if they are not in the union. But those fees go toward representation that benefits all employees at a company, since a union cannot legally collectively bargain only on behalf of some workers.
Additionally, the second vote requiring 75% support to pass, if it’s approved, doesn’t automatically force all employees to pay fees regardless of whether they are in a union. Approval just allows a union to negotiate with an employer as to whether union security can be enacted.
Analysis: Polling candidates is tough. Polling complicated policy is often tougher than a $2 steak. A healthy dose of skepticism should always be applied to surveys about bills being debated at the Capitol.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
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Corrections & Clarifications
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