Follow current legislation on our Legislative Watch page.
Follow Colorado General Assembly at leg.colorado.gov.
The list below is current as of 3/7/23
Public testimony/comment is being accepted both in-person and remotely via Zoom for bills scheduled for committee hearings.
To register for remote testimony visit this link: www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2022A/commsumm.nsf/signIn.xsp, at bottom select “remote via Zoom”, select “by committee and hearing item”, select the committee the bill is to be heard in (Senate State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs), select date of hearing, select option that includes the bill you would like to testify on, complete registration. To testify on all three bills, you will need to register for each bill individually. You can also submit written testimony via this same link.
To testify in person: Go to the Colorado State Capitol at 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver. If the main north entrance is closed, you may need to use the south entrance through the basement, but the Capitol is open to the public.
SB23-168 Gun Violence Victims’ Access To Judicial System
- Repeals limitations of when a firearm industry member can be sued
- Defines “firearm industry member” as a person who is engaged in the manufacture, distribution, importation, marketing, or wholesale or retail sale of an “industry product”.
- Allows Attorney General to sue “firearm industry members”
- Action must be brought within 5 years
- Goes into effect Oct 1, 2023
*This bill is scheduled for public hearing in Senate Committee 3/8/23 upon adjournment (approx 10am)
SB23-169 Increasing Minimum Age To Purchase and Possess Firearms
- Increases age to purchase or possess a firearm to 21
- Reduces penalty from felony to misdemeanor to sell or transfer firearm to a juvenile
- Exceptions:
- Active duty military or peace officer
- Taken hunter safety and purchases a firearm that is not a handgun or semi-automatic centerfire rifle
- Gifts from immediate family members
- Engaging in training
- Under supervision of parents or guardians
- Violation is a class 2 misdemeanor for the first offense, and a class 5 felony for subsequent offenses
- Goes into effect Oct 1, 2023
*This bill is scheduled for public hearing in Senate Committee 3/8/23 upon adjournment (approx 10am)
SB23-170 Extreme Risk Protection Order Petitions (Red Flag)
- Expands who can request a ERPO to include licensed medical care providers, licensed mental health-care providers, licensed educators, and district attorneys
- Requires the office of gun violence prevention to expend funds annually on a public education campaign regarding the availability of, and the process for requesting, an extreme risk protection order.
*This bill is scheduled for public hearing in Senate Committee 3/8/23 upon adjournment (approx 10am)
HB23-1230 Prohibit Assault Weapons In Colorado
- Prohibits a person from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of an assault weapon
- Prohibits a person from possessing a rapid-fire trigger activator
- A violation is a class 2 misdemeanor
Defines assault weapon as:
- Any rifle that has a detachable magazine plus either:
- Barrel Shroud
- Pistol grip
- Adjustable stock
- Flash suppressor
- It would basically ban the sale of all AR-15 type rifles in Colorado
- Any pistol that has a threaded barrel that allows for the addition of a suppressor would be legal
- Any semi-automatic shotgun with a detachable box magazine or fore end pistol grip.
The prohibition does not apply to:
- A member of the United States armed forces, a peace officer, or other government officer or agent, to the extent that such person is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon and does so while acting within the scope of the person’s duties;
- The manufacture, sale, or transfer of an assault weapon by a licensed firearms manufacturer to any branch of the United States armed forces or to an entity that employs peace officers for use by that agency or its employees;
- The sale or transfer of an assault weapon to a licensed firearms dealer or gunsmith for the purposes of maintenance, repair, or modification, and the subsequent return of the assault weapon to the lawful owner;
- Any federal, state, or local historical society, museum, or institutional collection that is open to the public, provided that the assault weapon is securely housed and unloaded;
- A forensic laboratory, or any authorized agent or employee of the laboratory, for use exclusively in the course and scope of authorized activities;
- An entity that operates an armored vehicle business and an authorized employee of such entity while in the course and scope of employment;
- A licensed gun dealer who has remaining inventory of assault weapons as of July 1, 2023, and sells or transfers the remaining inventory only to a non-Colorado resident and the sale or transfer takes place out-of-state; or
- A peace officer.
*This bill has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing
HB23-1165: County Authority To Prohibit Firearms Discharge
- Allows county commissioners to prohibit the discharge of firearms in unincorporated areas.
- To prohibit must have minimum of 30 dwellings per square mile.
- A county ordinance may not prohibit the discharge of firearms in designated areas by peace officers, in indoor shooting galleries in private residences, or at a licensed shooting range
*This bill has passed house chamber with amendments; awaiting Senate schedule
HB 23-1219: Waiting Period To Deliver A Firearm
- Establishes a waiting period for the delivery of a firearm by a seller to a purchaser.
- Sellers must wait three days or until required background checks are completed, whichever occurs later in time.
- Violations are civil infractions punishable by a fine of $500 for the first offense and ranging from $500 to $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
- Local governments are given authority to establish a waiting period longer than described in the bill.
- Goes into effect Oct 1, 2023
*This bill passed House Committee 3/6/2023; awaiting second hearing in full house chamber
HB23-1050: Protection Of Business From Unlawful Entry
- Expands immunity from criminal prosecution and civil liability to the use of physical force, including deadly physical force, by an owner, manager, or employee of a business when another person makes an unlawful entry into a place of business.
- Persons lawfully possessing a firearm within the place of business are similarly protected.
- The person using physical force must also have a reasonable belief that the unlawful entrant has committed, is committing, or intends to commit a crime and is likely to use any physical force against any occupant of the building.
*This bill died in first committee
HB23-1044: Second Amendment Preservation Act
- Prohibits any entity or person from enforcing federal laws that: levy a special tax, levy, fee, or stamp on a firearm that causes a chilling effect; register or track firearms; register or track the ownership of firearms; forbid the possession, ownership, use or transfer of firearms by law-abiding citizens; and order the confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens.
- Prohibits the state or any political subdivision from hiring law enforcement officers that enforced these laws.
- Civil penalty of $50,000 for each violation.
*This bill died in first committee