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 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.
Sullivan, now a Democratic state senator, is behind the latest proposal and framed it as a way to strengthen the ban on high-capacity magazines without affecting the guns Coloradans already own.
"This is for the next purchase, and this is for the next person who becomes disgruntled at work or is being led down a path by some ideology out there," Sullivan says. "When that person goes down to their local gun shop or big box store, they are going to buy something that's got an attached magazine to it."
Other states already have magazine restrictions in place. In California, magazines are supposed to be fixed but the locking mechanism can still be removed in minutes with simple tools. In New York, they are considered one of the features that define assault weapons, which are outlawed in the state.
The Colorado legislation would go even further and require magazines to be soldered, welded or affixed to the gun with strong epoxy.
A need to compromise
Most Democrats in the legislature support the measure, but they had to make some concessions to get Democratic Gov. Jared Polis fully on board.
One compromise exempts several dozen firearms commonly used for hunting. Another lets people buy prohibited guns if they get a special permit by taking up to twelve hours of safety training and getting approval from their local sheriff.
Other changes to the bill would create a process for reviewing permit applications that are rejected by sheriffs, require annual transparency reports on the bill's cost and postpone the law's enactment date until 2026.
"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 opposition
One of the bill's biggest critics are the state's gun dealers.
"The 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.
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