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Rocky Times for Gun Owners in the Rocky Mountain State

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Rocky Times for Gun Owners in the Rocky Mountain State

As the Colorado legislative session closes, its 2025 edition will long be remembered and lamented as a historic assault on the Second Amendment. The worst-case scenario of erasing the fundamental and constitutional protections of the Second Amendment with the stroke of a pen came true for Coloradans. It’s an example all Americans, especially those who believe they live in a “safe” state for gun rights, should heed.

With Governor Jared Polis’s signature on three consequential firearm bills, the stark reality is that these laws take effect next year, and while the legal fight will continue, it is critical for citizens to fully understand the application and effect of this egregious legislation.

SB 25-003 mandates that beginning August 1, 2026, Coloradans’ constitutional right to acquire a semiautomatic is now accessible only after surmonting gratuitous government prior restraints and fee schedules. There is now a permit-to-purchase scheme in place for semi-automatic firearms—this includes rifles, shotguns, and handguns equipped with a detachable magazine. Ultimately, the law now places an incredible amount of restrictions on law-abiding citizens including prohibiting the sale, purchase, distribution, or transfer of these firearms without first completing a 12-hour training course (unless a person has already completed a hunter’s safety course, in which case it would 4 hours); requiring passage of a written exam by a minimum of 90%; inclusion in a database, i.e. gun registry, of exam takers; payment of requisite fees; and obtaining permission via an eligibility permit from a local sheriff based on “may-issue” criteria. County sheriffs can deny an applicant for merely a “reasonable belief” and can revoke a permit under the same standard with renewal required every five years, further adding to the overwhelming constitutional concerns facing Coloradans. See NRA-ILA’s most recent statement HERE.

Starting July 1, 2026, HB 25-1133 goes into effect, providing for additional measures regarding ammunition restrictions. Sales of ammunition will be banned for those under 21 years old except for military service members, police officers, and those who completed a hunter’s safety course, as well as requiring ammunition to be stored behind counters or locked shelves, entirely restricting customer access. Gun shops, dealers, and shooting ranges are rightfully concerned about the negative effects on their businesses in an already very heavily regulated environment.

House Bill 25-1238 places additional regulatory burdens on gun show vendors and organizers, now requiring promoters to prepare a “detailed security plan” that must be submitted to local law enforcement for approval before an event can take place. These new onerous requirements can certainly deter vendors from participating in these community events which have long served as a lawful, accessible, and already regulated avenues for legal firearm transactions.

These far-reaching and unconstitutional attempts additionally face implementation challenges that will undoubtedly also burden the taxpayers of Colorado, a state with a significant $1.2 billion budget shortfall. These unfunded mandates will have an incredible fiscal impact on citizens while paying zero dividends in citizen safety.

This historic assault on Second Amendment rights will also embolden and energize anti-gun extremists in other states. That momentum should inspire the Second Amendment community to use this cautionary tale of Colorado to become engaged in protecting gun rights nationwide, just as NRA-ILA will continue to do at every opportunity and in every forum.

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Monday, June 23, 2025

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In a single sentence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit added to the high-profile and consequential national conversation on firearm suppressors.

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Thursday, May 22, 2025

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Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

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Monday, June 23, 2025

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Monday, June 23, 2025

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Update: Washington Post Fact Checks Misleading Ad Council “Children” and Firearms Talking Point

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Monday, June 23, 2025

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Last week, NRA-ILA explained how a recent public service announcement campaign from the federally-funded Ad Council, and the gun control lobby more broadly, manipulates statistics to create misleading talking points about “children” and firearms.

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

Friday, June 20, 2025

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

On Monday, June 9th, outside of regular session, the Senate passed the Environment Omnibus bill, removing shotgun-only hunting zones in the state. 

DOJ Files Amicus Brief Supporting NRA-Backed Challenge to IL’s Ban on “Assault Weapons” and “Large-Capacity Magazines”

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

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Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in the Seventh Circuit supporting an NRA-backed challenge to Illinois’s prohibition on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines.”

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Friday, June 20, 2025

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s law prohibiting people from buying more than one firearm in a 30-day period violates the Second Amendment.

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

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Monday, June 23, 2025

The Trace Marks a Birthday: Ten Years of Anti-gun Propaganda, Little to Show for It

On June 18, the anti-gun propaganda mill The Trace celebrated its tenth birthday with a self-congratulatory article entitled “How The Trace Came to Be and Other Stories From Our Early Days.” 

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.