Update: Friday, April 11: Governor Jared Polis has signed SB 25-03 into law.
Did you know state laws are often implemented – and paid for – at the county level? That – combined with its unconstitutionality – is why your Board of Douglas County Commissioners are asking Gov. Jared Polis to veto a bill prohibiting nearly all semiautomatic firearms in Colorado.
Senate Bill 25-03 has passed both the Colorado House and the Colorado Senate and is waiting for Gov. Polis’ signature. The bill prohibits the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, and purchase of nearly all semiautomatic firearms in Colorado. During a regular Business Meeting April 8, the Board passed a resolution opposing the bill and encouraging the veto.
“This bill is a gross violation of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms,” said Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle. “Our state is looking at a $1.3 billion budget deficit, yet this bill would require taxpayers at the local level to incur millions of dollars in administrative and enforcement costs.”
“Yet again, this is a gun law that those who commit crimes with semiautomatic weapons and extended magazines will ignore,” said Commissioner George Teal. “The only people who will be penalized for this law will be the law-abiding gun owners of the state of Colorado.”
“The fundamental right to defend yourself is bipartisan and universal,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon. “Our resolution is about the right of free citizens to have a bulwark against tyranny, no matter where it comes from.”
SB 25-03 requires Colorado law enforcement, including the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, to become administrative agencies for the bill with tasks like verifying state records, performing background checks and fingerprinting, yet provides no additional staffing to these agencies.
“I testified at the Capitol with several Sheriffs to oppose SB3,” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “This bill will have zero impact on criminals. It’s one of the many bills during this session to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding Coloradans.”