Why It Matters: Colorado SB-25-003 seeks to ban many semi-automatic rifles and shotguns commonly used by America’s sportsmen and women in hunting and recreational shooting. Modern sporting rifles and semi-automatic shotguns are not only important to our hunting heritage but are highly popular in the recreational shooting community. This legislation would severely undermine our hunting heritage, firearm rights, and one of America’s most successful wildlife conservation programs – the Pittman-Robertson Act.
Highlights:
- SB3 would ban the manufacture, distribution, transfer, or sale of semiautomatic firearms that accept a detachable magazine.
- Current owners of these firearms would be grandfathered in, but future transfers would only be allowed to direct heirs, to someone outside of Colorado, or an FFL.
- It appears that SB3 has a strong chance of passing this year, potentially impacting hunters and recreational shooters in the state.
The anti-gun members of the Colorado Legislature kicked off the 2025 legislative session with yet another gun ban bill, SB25-003. If it passes, SB3 will effectively ban all semi-automatic firearms that accept a detachable magazine. Anyone with even a passing familiarity of firearms knows that scores of rifles and shotguns in common use today fall under that definition.
Other so-called “assault weapons” bans and semi-auto bans have been tried in Colorado in the past without success. Unfortunately, given the political landscape in Colorado, it is likely that SB3 will pass. Governor Jared Polis has frequently been a discouraging force on these bans behind the scenes; however, word has yet to come from his office to discourage legislative leaders away from this latest attempt.
The passage of SB3 will have a negative impact on conservation funding and scientific wildlife management in Colorado. Last year, nearly $90 million in revenue was raised for Colorado Parks and Wildlife from hunting licenses, and another $24 million in Pittman-Robertson funding was distributed to Colorado in 2023 alone. Any prohibition on the possession, transfer, and sale of some of the most commonly used firearms will depress participation in hunting and recreational shooting, and eliminate a large portion of the contributions to the Pittman-Robertson fund, together resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Furthermore, the “common use” test that was devised by the United States Supreme Court in the District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) case, which effectively states that bearable arms that are in common use by Americans may not be banned, casts doubt on the validity of legislation like SB3. Given gun industry sales numbers, there can be no doubt that semi-automatic firearms with detachable magazines are the single most popular class of firearms sold and possessed in the United States today. Similarly, 2022’s NYSRPA v. Bruen established a “history and tradition” test which holds that a gun law is permissible under the Second Amendment only if a longstanding history and tradition of such regulations can be found in American history.
Thus, the constitutionality of these sorts of bans is very doubtful. This is a legal issue we hope to be settled later this year in Snope v. Brown, which is presently before the Supreme Court regarding a similar ban recently enacted in Maryland. If granted certiorari in the upcoming weeks, Snope will be settled law when the Supreme Court releases opinions in mid-summer, hopefully putting an end to legislation like SB3 for good.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has opposed legislation like SB3 in Colorado and elsewhere, and will continue to do so. As always, we will keep you up-to-date on the latest. Stay tuned!