Colorado: Assault Weapon Ban Committee Hearing Scheduled!

On March 29, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on House Bill 23-1230 (“HB 23-1230”), which bans the manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of what the drafters have defined as an “assault weapon.” Your immediate assistance is needed!  It is imperative that you contact the committee members NOW and urge them to OPPOSE HB 23-1230, which would severely restrict law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen! Additionally, please share this alert with your family and friends, and ask them to do the same.

The bill’s broad definition of “assault weapon” bans all semi-automatic rifles including America’s most common rifle, the AR-15, along with countless other rifles, pistols, and shotguns that Coloradans use for hunting, target shooting, and self-defense. HB 23-1230 also bans .50 BMG rifles, despite the fact that these rifles are essentially never used in crime. Even worse, the ban extends to common firearm parts and many innocuous components in the definition of “assault weapon” or “rapid-fire trigger activator” (FRT/forced reset trigger). Possession of one of these innocuous parts in a toolbox could lead to someone accidentally transferring them in violation of the law and being subjected to the punishment of up to 120 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $750. To read more about HB 23-1230, click here.

Over the weekend, the anti-gun majority disregarded the calendar and hastily passed three bills that undermine the Second Amendment. The time allotted for debate and amendments was limited to a mere hour. The bills in question expand Colorado's "red flag" gun confiscations, deprive young adults of their Second Amendment rights, financially cripple the firearms industry, and impose a mandatory three-day waiting period between firearm purchases and possession.

These sessions occurred on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, and the results are highlighted in bold:

Senate Bill 23-168 holds gun industry members liable for third-party criminal acts, by “knowingly or recklessly creating, maintaining, or contributing to a public nuisance.” It is possible a gun sold lawfully could later fall into a criminal’s hands, whether through theft, secondary transfer, or some other circumstance wholly beyond a manufacturer’s or dealer’s control. If industry members are potentially liable for every such occasion, it will make it impossible for businesses to exist in Colorado. SB 23-168 passed the House on Second Reading on Saturday and Third Reading on Sunday. 

Senate Bill 23-169 denies Second Amendment rights to young adults aged 18-20 by prohibiting them from purchasing firearms. Adults who are old enough to vote, join the military without parental permission, and enter into contracts should also have their Second Amendment rights. This is an unnecessary restriction on personal freedom and choice. Such restrictions will not stop criminals from stealing firearms, getting them on the black market, or getting them from straw purchasers; they only infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. SB 23-169 passed the House on Second Reading on Sunday and Third Reading today, March 27.

Senate Bill 23-170 expands Colorado’s “red flag” gun confiscation scheme by allowing the designation of additional individuals as “qualified” to accuse people of potentially acting out in dangerous and unlawful ways in the future, and for authorities to confiscate their firearms to prevent these supposed actions from happening. Second Amendment rights are taken away based on mere speculation and hearsay evidence, without going through due process of law. “Red Flag” orders, or Emergency Risk Protection Orders, are designed to empower the government to confiscate Americans’ firearms without due process of law. SB 23-170 passed the House Appropriations Committee on Friday, Second Reading in the House on Saturday, and Third Reading in the House on Sunday.

Also, HB23-1036, a bill to replace bullets that are considered to be “toxic,” has been sent to the House Agricultural Committee. The measure, which establishes a voluntary program to allow some hunters to exchange lead ammunition for rounds made up of other metals, would be a logistical nightmare for the Division of Parks and Wildlife and would increase the fee for hunters’ licenses. HB23-1036 passed Second Reading on the House Floor, as amended, on March 23 and Third Reading today, March 27.

Again, please use the link above to contact the committee members NOW and respectfully urge them to OPPOSE HB 23-1230. Coloradans’ Second Amendment rights are on the line. Your NRA-ILA is closely monitoring the legislation and actively opposing the anti-gun bills. Stay tuned to your inbox and www.nraila.org for updates.