CO: Legislative Update!

Anti-gun legislators in Colorado are advancing more bills designed to strip you of your fundamental right to keep and bear arms.

It is important to remember that the massive onslaught of gun control in Colorado has done NOTHING to keep law-abiding citizens safe but only emboldens criminals who ignore the law.

Please consider testifying on these bills at the link below!

Public Participation

Legislation to Oppose!

• HB 25-1133: Restrictions on the Sale of Firearms Ammunition
  • Current Status: House Business Affairs & Labor, Room HCR 0112, February 3rd at 1:30 pm
    • House Bill 25-1133, sponsored by Rep. Duran (D, D23), Rep. Gilchrist (D, D8), and Sen. Mullica (D, D24), would prohibit the sale of ammunition to a person who is younger than 21 years of age at retail stores, and creates shipping issues regarding the transfer of ammunition to a person under 21. H.B. 25-1133 defines ammunition as a “cartridge, case, primer, bullet, or propellant powder.”
  • Given that there are multiple cases already advancing within the circuit courts to overturn the federal prohibition on the ability of those under 21 years of age to purchase and carry arms {18 U.S.C. §§ 992(b)(1),(c) (1)}, this legislation will only end up being challenged in court and found to be unconstitutional. In the recent 5th Circuit holding, Reese v. ATF, the court  found such laws to be clear infringements and struck down Louisiana’s prohibitions. It is blatantly evident that the Marxists who control the Colorado legislature think that costly court battles are a prudent use of your exorbitant tax dollars.
• HB 25-1148: Removing Due Process to Threaten Gun Owners’ Rights
  • Current Status: Assigned to House Judiciary Committee, no movement yet.
    • House Bill 25-1148, sponsored by Sen. Gonzales (D, D34), Rep. Bacon (D, D7), and Carter (D, D36), is an extension of the fundamentally unjust ex parte trials, which clearly make a mockery of our due process rights. To add further Colorado’s lust for infringements, H.B. 25-1148 bans a person subject to the criminal protection order from possessing arms, as well as being in possession of “alcohol or controlled substances without a valid prescription.”
  • H.B. 25-1148 removes a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms upon issuance of a criminal protection. It is important to remember that such orders are based upon ex parte proceedings by an “alleged victim or witness.” Meaning that the defendant has not had their due process right properly applied before the revocation of their second amendment rights, and the alleged abuses have not been adjudicated through a jury trial.
• SB 25-034: Voluntary Do-Not-Sell Firearms Waiver
  • Current Status: Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee, Room SCR 352, February 6th, Upon Adjournment.
    • Senate Bill 25-034 sponsored by Sen. Kipp (D, D53) and Rep. Boesenecker (D, D14), establishes the authority for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to create a process for a person to voluntarily waive their right to purchase a firearm. The process will be completed via an on-line portal where a person can conveniently place themselves on a arms prohibition list. Once a name is uploaded, the CBI will, in an unspecified process, verify the person’s identity before accepting a voluntary revocation. The individual who voluntarily waives their right to keep and bear arms “may” also “designate one or more contact persons who will be contacted if the person attempts to purchase an arm.” Once the person has completed the form, within 24 hours of it being filled, the CBI will upload the personal information into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). If an individual desires to remove their name from the probation list the order remains in effect for 30 days. Those who are on the revocation list and elect to buy a firearm after the prohibition will be charged with a “civil infraction” and fined $25.00.
  • The primary danger with such edicts is that citizens who do not wish to have their rights stripped from them will inevitably find their names on this list. S.B. 25-034 does not specify how the CBI will ensure the identity of the individual who desires to be a prohibited person. In light of the 24-hour reporting to NICS, it seems that the CBI will have quite the task to ensure they have the correct individual placed into the system. Considering that roughly 95% of NICS denials are “false positives,” meaning the person is not proscribed they just have a similar name to someone who might be prohibited, this will most assuredly add to the increasing number of false positives.
• SB 25-059: Accepts Federal Funding for Gun Control
  • Current Status: Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee, Room SCR 352, February 2nd at 2:00 pm.
    • Senate Bill 25-059, sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan (D, D27) and Rep. Steven Woodrow (D, D2) directs Colorado agencies to “apply for and accept and expend federal or other available grant money.”
  • The funding for these grants would primarily come from the funds from the Safer Communities Act, which provides grants for a whole host of programs like advancing extreme risk protection orders, enhanced background checks for those under 21 years of age, or increasing the age to purchase arms at the state level. GOA opposes these programs because they are primarily employed by Leftist controlled States to strip God-given rights from its citizenry.

Despite the continual push for infringements here are a few pieces of legation to support!

Legislation to Support!

• HB 25-1055: Repeal Firearm Dealer Requirements & State Permit
  • Current Status: House Business Affairs & Labor Committee, Room HCR 0112, February 6th at 1:30 pm.
    • House Bill 25-1055, sponsored by Brooks (R, D45), seeks to repeal the requirement for a firearms dealer to obtain a state firearms dealer permit to engage in the business of dealing in firearms.
  • Given that GOA is the principal no compromise Second Amendment advocacy group, we do not support legislation that requires a government permission slip to exercise a God-given right, nor do we support the unconstitutional edicts within the 1968 Gun Control Act that established the Federal Firearms License (FFL) requirement for individuals and businesses involved in the firearms industry. Hence, we support the repeal of this arbitrary and unconstitutional state level infringement that is clearly intended to increase the regulatory burden for those sellers that are facilitating those desiring to exercise their God-given right to preserve life with arms.
• HB 25-1067: Criminal Asset Forfeiture Act
  • Current Status: Assigned to House Judiciary Committee, no movement yet.
    • Asset forfeiture is a constitutionally questionable governmental takings that allows law enforcement to seize property from people suspected of criminal activity. It is also vital to know that the takings do not require a criminal conviction before property can be seized by the government. In the Institute for Justice’s Report, Policing for Profit, Colorado currently has C grade for its onerous civil forfeiture edicts.
  • House Bill 25-1067, sponsored by Rep. Degraaf (R, D22) and Sen. Baisley (R, D4), seeks to restore due process rights of property owners by creating detailed procedures for seizing, storing, and potentially returning property by requiring revenue from the sale of the forfeited property be distributed general fund, law enforcement grant programs, and behavioural health services. H.B. 25-1067 also provides detailed guidelines for seizing and forfeiting property related to drug crimes. It limits forfeiture to cases where a defendant is convicted of higher-level drug crimes and requires that forfeiture must be a part of the criminal trial. Additionally, there is a provision for judicial review to ensure the takings are not unwarranted, and there must be a criminal conviction before property is declared to forfeited by the State. Finally, the bill curtails the federal government’s involvement in asset forfeiture within the State by limiting the amount of seized property that can transferred to the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.

PLEASE use the form above to contact your Colorado Legislators and DEMAND they Defend Liberty.