The Democrats on the Colorado House Judiciary Committee this week opted for a party-line vote that would ban many common semi-auto firearms in the state. 

While Colorado House Bill 24-1292 is officially entitled as an act to "Prohibit Certain Weapons Used in Mass Shootings," its definition of just what would be considered a so-called "assault weapon" under its guidance would include virtually all semi-automatic rifles that accept a detachable magazine as well as many pistols and shotguns used in hunting, target shooting, and self-defense. 

"The vast majority of Americans and over 80 percent of Democrats support an assault weapon ban and are fed up with weapons of war in our communities," contends the bill's sponsor, state Rep. Tim Hernández, D-Denver. 
 

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The bill prohibits the "manufacture, import, purchase, or sale of assault weapons and rapid-fire trigger activators." While there is a grandfather clause for those firearms already in circulation – at least for now – those found in violation of the act in the future would be on the hook for a first-time penalty of $250,000 followed by $500,000 for each subsequent violation. 

Passing the committee in a 7-3 vote on Wednesday, the bill now heads to the House floor for a vote, where Dems hold a 46-19 supermajority. Success there would send it to the state Senate which has a similar left-leaning polarity. This could send the measure to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who was reelected in 2022 following a $2.7 million campaign by big-name national anti-gun groups. 

If signed into law, Colorado will join other blue states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington which already have similar bans. 

Banner image: A Colt M4 sporting carbine. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)