State Senate Bill 3 would ban the sale and manufacture of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that accept detachable magazines.

The measure would deem the manufacture, purchase, or sale of such semi-automatic firearms in Colorado a misdemeanor, with subsequent offenses being a felony. The reason the law is needed, according to sponsors, is that even though the state already has a controversial 15-round magazine capacity cap, guns still are for sale in the state that can accept higher capacity mags, leaving SB25-003 to "fully implement and enforce Colorado’s existing high-capacity magazine prohibition."

Likewise, Everytown describes the state's current restriction as flawed, saying, "By closing the loophole in Colorado’s magazine ban, which is already over a decade old, Colorado lawmakers can show their dedication to providing a future for our state different from our history of deadly mass shootings."

The bill has bicameral sponsors, state Sen. Julie Gonzales – who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee – and Rep. Meg Froelich, both progressive Denver-area Democrats. 

The measure, introduced as one of the first 10 bills debuted in the state Senate on opening day, is assigned to the State, Veterans, & Military Affairs committee for consideration. 

Democrats have overwhelming control of the Colorado General Assembly holding the Senate 23-12 and the House 43-22 for the current session. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is an Everytown-backed Dem who has stood with the gun control group consistently while in office. The state was one of just 18 states that went blue in the 2024 general election, with Kamala Harris carrying the Centennial State by 11 points. 

Banner: The SA-16A2 from Springfield Armory is a faithful commercial recreation of the M-16A2, one of the most capable and iconic rifles in history.