A bill that would ban the manufacture and drastically restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition magazines in Colorado is now headed to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk after it cleared its final legislative hurdle Friday.
Polis has signaled he will sign the Democrat-backed measure, which would be one of the most restrictive gun regulations ever adopted in Colorado.
Senate Bill 3 would prohibit people from buying the otherwise banned weapons — most semiautomatic rifles as well as some semiautomatic pistols and shotguns — unless they get approved by their county sheriff and complete up to a dozen hours of training.
The bill passed the legislature Friday afternoon when the Senate, by a mostly party-line vote of 19-15, approved changes made to the measure in the House, including some substantial ones. Three Senate Democrats — Sens. Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs, Tony Exum of Colorado Springs and Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo — joined every Republican in the chamber in voting “no” on the final passage of the legislation.
Under the House amendments, the bill wouldn’t go into effect until August 2026, which will give the state more time to develop forms and firearm training curriculum. The legislation was originally set to take effect in September.
Additionally, the House amendments would give sheriffs broad authority to deny applications from people seeking to buy otherwise banned firearms. Those who are rejected, however, could file a lawsuit seeking to reverse a sheriff’s decision to reject their application.
Senate Bill 3 has been significantly watered down by the legislature since it was introduced on the first day of the 2025 lawmaking term in January. At first, the bill would have banned outright the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and some pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines.
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Colorado Senate gives preliminary OK to ban on sale, manufacture of certain semiautomatic guns after adding major carveout
To qualify for the carveout, a gun purchaser would have to complete a training course that would be regulated by the state and offered through Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Read moreThe paring back of the bill was done to appease Polis, who indicated he would have vetoed the measure without the changes.
But even in its weaker form, the legislation — unique to Colorado — would still dramatically change the state’s gun policy landscape. Right now, most gun restrictions in Colorado are based around how weapons are purchased, not the types.
The measure is aimed at reducing the lethality of weapons used in mass shootings. Detachable magazines make guns easy to quickly reload.
“We passed legislation in this building, in this General Assembly, in 2013 that limited the sale and possession of high capacity magazines over 15,” Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat and lead sponsor of Senate Bill 3, said Friday. “In the 10-12 years since, it has been woefully inadequate.”
Sullivan’s son, Alex, was murdered in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.
But detachable magazines are also a feature of most guns, including those used by the police and military, as well as by civilians for target shooting and personal defense.
It would affect AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, as well as a long list of their popular variants. It would also affect tactical shotguns and a small portion of handguns.
The bill wouldn’t affect guns people already own. It also wouldn’t outlaw possession of the banned weapons.
Republicans fought Senate Bill 3 at every legislative turn.
“If we allow the government to redefine rights as privileges, which I argue this bill does, then we place our freedoms at the mercy of those in power,” Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, said Friday.
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But the GOP is in the minority at the Colorado Capitol and mostly powerless to stop policy from advancing.
The legislation passed the House 36-28 on Monday, mostly along party lines. All of the Republicans in the chamber voted against the bill. They were joined by seven Democratic representatives.
Gun rights groups have indicated they will sue to invalidate the law should the bill be signed by Polis. That legal action, however, may have to wait until the bill takes effect next year.
Efforts to invalidate Colorado’s gun laws have been mostly unsuccessful to date.
Colorado lawmakers are debating a number of other gun restrictions this year, including bills that would increase the age to purchase ammunition and let people put themselves on a list that would temporarily prohibit them from purchasing firearms.