Colorado’s four Republican members of Congress urged Gov. Jared Polis to veto a bill that would set safety training requirements to purchase some firearms.
U.S. Reps. Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank and Gabe Evans sent the letter to Polis, a Democrat, on Wednesday asking him to reject Senate Bill 25-3, which has been passed by both chambers of the Legislature.
“Despite making some amendments to the legislation to appear less restrictive, the Colorado State Legislature proceeded with a partisan vote to pass one of the most restrictive gun ownership laws in the United States — on par with California and Illinois’ gun laws. The bill would impose a deceptive ‘permit-to-purchase’ system riddled with bureaucratic hurdles and impedes our constituents’ ability to freely exercise their right to self-defense,” the letter, first reported by Colorado Politics, reads.
SB-3 would limit the ability to purchase semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines to those who have completed a safety training course — either four hours of training if they already have a hunter safety license or 12 hours if they do not. It would not criminalize possession, but it would be one of the largest changes to Colorado’s gun purchasing laws in recent years.
The bill originally would have outlawed those guns with detachable magazines outright, but it was amended in the Senate to create the permit-to-purchase system. It passed the Senate and House on partisan votes, with some Democrats joining Republicans in opposition.
It now sits on Polis’ desk for him to sign into law or veto. A bill can become law without the governor’s schedule after 10 days. It was officially sent to Polis on Thursday.
The congressional Republicans wrote that the process laid out in the bill is burdensome, time-consuming, potentially costly and violates the Second Amendment. A person would need to undergo a background check and obtain an eligibility card from their sheriff before they could enroll in a class. Sheriffs could deny applicants if they believe the person is a danger to themselves or others.
“Not only does this new scheme come with additional fees and time commitments that no criminal will ever participate in, but it also gives any sheriff hostile to the individual — or semi-automatic firearms in general — carte blanche authority to block the enrollment,” they wrote.
Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman wrote in a statement that the governor welcomes input on legislation that comes before him.
“The Governor was clear he would oppose banning any guns, and his team worked with the sponsors, and got feedback from the hunting and sport shooting community, and members of law enforcement to amend the bill to address the overarching concerns, remove any bans on guns, and ensure people could continue to purchase the gun of their choice. The final bill allows responsible Coloradans to continue to purchase the gun of their choice as long as they receive gun safety education,” she wrote.
Members of Congress do not often weigh in directly on matters at the state Legislature, unless a bill is especially controversial or consequential. Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette and Brittany Pettersen lent their support last month to Senate Bill 25-5, which would eliminate a second election required in the union organization process. That bill passed the Senate but has not been debated on the House floor. Polis has expressed desire for labor and business groups to work out a compromise on the issue.
The legislative session ends in about one month.
