Unconstitutional SB 25-003 Gun Control Law Enacted in Colorado
Image from LT Arms SB 25-003 Report Video.
CBS News reports: “Gov. Jared Polis on [4/10/25] signed into law what may be the toughest gun control regulations in state history. Under the new law, it is [now] illegal to buy, sell, and make most semi-automatic firearms [rifle, shotguns, and pistols] without background checks and training.”
The law imposes tough new requirements: “Individuals would need to pass a background check and receive an eligibility card from their county sheriff, who could deny it if he or she believed the person was a danger. Those eligible for training would need to pass a 12-hour safety course certified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife unless they have completed hunters’ training, and then it would be 4 hours. Their names would then go into a state database[.]” (CBS News)
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) condemns the signing of SB 25-003 into law by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Under Colorado’s SB 25-003, sales of semiautomatic firearms capable of accepting a detachable magazine are banned unless those purchasing the firearms are vetted by a local sheriff and complete a firearm certification course. Sheriff approval to apply for a permit-to-purchase is based on subjective criteria. This type of regulation was expressly rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2022 Bruen decision that struck down New York’s unconstitutional concealed-carry permitting law.
“This law is unconstitutional on its face. It is a gun control group-spurred attack on the Second Amendment rights of those who follow the law”, said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior V.P. and General Counsel. Colorado’s SB 25-003 makes Second Amendment rights in Colorado only permissible with a state-approved permission slip. Along with banning ARs and other semi-auto rifles, SB 25-003 also bans the sale of semiautomatic shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable magazines, unless lawful purchasers obtain similar approval from county sheriffs and obtain a permit-to-purchase.
County sheriffs can deny an application if they have a “reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the application makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to themself or others.” Sheriffs could also revoke purchasing permissions under the same standard. The criteria for the required training course is yet to be established.
Notably, SB 25-003 is unnecessarily burdensome, because Colorado gun buyers must already be checked and approved for a purchase through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
