Colorado’s Democratic-controlled House approved a bill on Sunday aimed at banning the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms.
This legislative stride marks a notable development, particularly after a similar bill met a swift demise at the hands of Democrats last year.
The bill, endorsed with a 35-27 vote, is now en route to the Democratic-led state Senate. If it clears this hurdle, Colorado would join the ranks of 10 other states, including California, New York, and Illinois, with prohibitions on semiautomatic guns.
However, despite being a state marred by some of the nation’s most devastating mass shootings, such legislation encounters significant challenges.
Colorado’s political landscape is often described as purple, though it has leaned towards blue in recent years.
The prospects of the bill succeeding in the state Senate appear dimmer than in the House, where Democrats command a 46-19 majority, including a sizable far-left faction. Governor Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has expressed reservations about endorsing such a ban.
Notably, a similar bill floundered in committee last year, with some Democratic lawmakers voicing apprehensions about the scope of the ban and commitments made to their constituents to prevent government overreach that might infringe on the rights of most gun owners.
Last year, Democrats successfully passed four less sweeping gun control bills, signed into law by Polis.
These measures included raising the minimum age for purchasing any gun from 18 to 21, implementing a three-day waiting period for gun purchases, strengthening the state’s red flag law, and rolling back certain legal protections for the firearms industry, thereby subjecting it to lawsuits from victims of gun violence.
These laws came in the aftermath of a shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, leaving five dead.
Additionally, the state is approaching the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which claimed 13 lives.
Other tragic incidents include the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting, where 12 people lost their lives, and the 2021 Boulder supermarket shooting, resulting in 10 fatalities.
Democratic Representative Javier Mabrey emphasized Colorado’s tragic history of mass shootings, urging fellow lawmakers to align with other states that have banned semiautomatic weapons.
Meanwhile, Republicans vehemently opposed the legislation, decrying it as an excessive infringement on Second Amendment rights. They argued that the focus should be on addressing mental illness and individuals who do not value human life, rather than targeting guns.
Republicans also pointed out that individuals with malicious intent could resort to other weapons, such as knives, to cause harm.
Democrats countered, highlighting the capacity of semiautomatic weapons to inflict significant harm in a short span.
Mabrey cited the Aurora theater shooting as an example, underscoring the devastating impact that firearms can have compared to other weapons.
