COLORADO ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN UPDATE
This bill is so broadly written it bans roughly 90% of semi-auto shotguns, 73% of semi-auto rifles, and 64% of semi-automatic handguns. Those statistics are based on this bill defining an “assault weapon” as a rifle, shotgun or handgun that accepts a detachable magazine AND has one of a whole laundry list of various other features that are either cosmetic in nature or features that are used to help those who are weaker more accurately and safely be able to use the firearm.
According to FBI Crime Statistic data, murder by rifle deaths in Colorado are incredibly rare (5 in 2019, 8 in 2020). Murder by shotgun deaths are even more rare (1 in 2020). For comparison, murder by knife or other sharp object is much more common (32 in 2019, 40 in 2020). And the handguns this bill would ban are the most common used in self defense.
If you have specific concerns about parts of the bill or personal stories, please relay those in your correspondence. There are some Democrats who are on the fence with this final vote.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
In the Senate the first step would be a public hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary committee where they will take public comment/testimony. This will be an extremely difficult committee for it get through as it is a 5 member committee with one swing vote that could kill the entire bill. You can find the contact info for these committee members HERE. You will notice that the bill sponsor herself, Julie Gonzales, is the committee chair. Dylan Roberts is the swing vote. Please keep your correspondence respectful and provide specific concerns or personal stories if you have them.
After over 12 hours of public testimony, 10 of which was solidly against the bill, the House Judiciary Committee passed HB24-1292 “Prohibit Certain Weapons Used in Mass Shootings” (their sneaky way of saying “Assault Weapons” ban) on 3/19/24 on a party-line vote of 7-3.
From here it will need to go to a debate and vote in the full House Chamber. This is scheduled on the legislative calendar, but they continue to lay it over each day, meaning it isn’t being heard but reappears on the calendar the next day. It also means it could go to that full vote any day.
This bill does NOT currently have a prime sponsor in the Senate, something that is required for it to be scheduled in the Senate Chamber and eventually become law.
Take this time to contact your State House representative and let them know you are oppose to this bill. You can find legislator contact info HERE. You can also begin reaching out to your State Senators.
This bill could easily clear the House Chamber but last week House Majority Leader Monica Duran told the Colorado Sun that if this bill does not get a Senate sponsor, it may never go to a vote of the full House Chamber. Instead they will continue to lay it over daily until the session ends. Forcing a two-day long debate on the house floor over the bill, and then making vulnerable Democrats vote on it, is just not worth the political capital if they know it’s dead in the senate. We continue to watch it closely.
Please keep the pressure on. We will keep you updated as it moves forward. If it finds a prime sponsor in the Senate, it will be scheduled for another public committee hearing. If it doesn’t, it will stall. This is where we can make an impact and let the Senate know they do not want to touch this bill this late in the legislative session.
It must pass both the State House and State Senate chambers to make it to the governor’s desk to become law.
WATCH LAST WEEK'S 2A UPDATE WITH AVA FLANELL & LESLEY HOLLYWOOD TO LEARN ALL THE STEPS THIS BILL MUST GO THROUGH TO BECOME LAW
Colorado Gun Law Could Have Disarmed Johnny Hurley
Two days prior to a violent madman with a vengeance being killed by an armed citizen with a concealed carry permit, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a bill that will allow 3,143 different localities in the state to ban concealed carry.
SB21-256 Local Regulation of Firearms would have done this.
Gun Control Groups Giffords And Brady Among Recipients Of Corononavirus Relief
Recently released records show two of the country’s most active gun control groups received Coronavirus relief during the pandemic shut down in the form of Paycheck Protection Loans.
The Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence and The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence both received the loans they likely will not need to reimburse.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
On January 1, 2020 Colorado’s Red Flag Extreme Risk Protection Orders ERPO law officially went into effect. This means Red Flag ERPO petitions will start making their way into the courts and orders will be coming out, landing in the hands of law enforcement who will then be responsible for serving them and confiscating firearms.
There is a lot to learn about this downright dangerous and unconstitutional law.
If you or someone you know is Red Flagged, the Red Flag Resource Center wants to know. This effort is a collaboration between Rally for our Rights, civil rights activists, and legal experts. It has all the information you could need about the law, what to do if you’re Red Flagged, along with attorney resources. They will also be tracking ERPO’s and providing transparency to the public.
RED FLAG RESOURCE CENTER
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