If it were passed and signed by Gov. Jared Polis, firearms dealers would have only until July 1, 2023, to sell or otherwise transfer their inventory of affected weapons to non-Colorado residents.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Elisabeth Epps and Sen. Rhonda Fields, alleges that “assault weapons in civilian hands endanger Colorado’s streets, stores, restaurants, places of worship, music venues, schools, movie theaters, and communities at large. With an assault weapon, even a firearms novice can perpetrate a mass casualty event.”
The weapons, the bill’s sponsors claim, “include detachable magazines, barrel shrouds, pistol grips, forward grips, and telescoping stocks.” But they hardly stop there in the detailed description of what would be banned from the state if the legislators succeed.
An “assault weapon” is then defined as a .50 caliber rifle, with some exclusions, or a semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine or the ability to be modified to accept one. The rifle has a pistol grip, a protruding grip able to be held by the non-trigger hand, a folding, telescoping thumbhole, or detachable stock, or a flash suppressor.
It may have a functional grenade launcher, a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel, or a fixed large-capacity magazine (more than 15 rounds).
The measure also targets semiautomatic pistols that either accept a detachable magazine or may be modified to accept one, may have a second pistol grip, a barrel shroud, flash suppressor, the ability to accept a detachable ammunition-feeding device, weigh more than 50 ounces unloaded, or other features.
Also targeted are shotguns with a revolving cylinder, semiautomatic shotguns, and other rapid-fire weapons.
The proposed legislation also specifically covers “any combination of parts from which an assault weapon may be readily assembled.”
Another bill cleared a Colorado House committee Monday, H.B. 1219, that would impose a three-day waiting period for firearms purchases.
Rep. Meg Froelich told the House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee during a hearing that the mandatory three days would be a “cooling-off” period. She said the proposed measure would give more time for those who may be contemplating suicide.
One of the co-sponsors, Rep. Judy Amabile, cited her family’s experience with a suicidal member and said that both suicides and homicides could be reduced with the bill’s passage.
Critics dispute these claims, arguing that the legislation will not prevent suicides while it will place an unnecessary burden on people who need to purchase firearms for protection. Opponents also pointed out that Colorado already has a delay built in due to state-mandated background checks.
Those testifying in the debate included Eric Stone, a county commissioner who is also a certified firearms instructor for the National Rifle Association. He told legislators that there has been no proven correlation between waiting periods and suicide rates.
California’s 10-day waiting period, he explained, did not reduce the state’s suicide rate. He also noted that, since children cannot purchase firearms, the law does not apply to them.
His recommendation was for the state to invest more in mental health services and drop the waiting period proposal.
Another witness, Mario Acevedo, told lawmakers that the last decade has been filled with “empty promises” that new legislation will clamp down on rising violent crime. “What happened?” he asked. “We had more mass shootings and gun violence got worse.”
As so many states move to ensure law-abiding citizens enjoy their full Second Amendment freedoms, a few are bent on going in the opposite direction. Unfortunately for its citizens, some Colorado leaders appear to be determined to undermine civil liberties.
