2024 Colorado and Federal Firearm Bills
Last Updated: March 15, 2024
Colorado Gun Violence Reform Proposals
SB24-003 CBI Authority to Investigate Firearm Crimes – Strongly Support
Status: Passed Senate 3rd reading 3/15. Passed House Judiciary on April 10 on 8-3 part-line vote. Passed House Appropriations by 7-4 on 4/22. On to the House floor. (Sen. Tom Sullivan and Rep. Meg Froelich). Would grant CBI authority to initiate investigations into illegal firearm activities, including “lie and try” and illegal activities of gun dealers. Tip line for gun dealers and citizens.
SB24-057 Agricultural Workforce and Suicide Prevention – Support
Status: Passed by Senate Health and Human Services Committee 2/7 on party-line 5-3. On to Senate Appropriations. (Sen. Tom Sullivan and Rep. Meg Froelich). Creates mental health and suicide prevention program in Department of Agriculture, which will conduct an awareness campaign and collect data, among other responsibilities.
SB24-066 Firearms Merchant Category Code – Strongly Support
Status: Passed Senate 3rd reading 2/21 with party-line vote of 22-11. Passed House Business, Labor and Technology on party line vote of 8-3. Passed House 3rd reading on 4/8 with 38-21 vote. On to the Governor. (Sen. Tom Sullivan and Rep. Meg Froelich). Would require that a merchant category code be established for Colorado firearms retailers, where it is there primary source of revenue. Algorithms could filter through billions of transactions to identify gun traffickers and persons amassing arsenals and perhaps planning mass shootings.
SB24-107 POWPO additional crimes –Support
Status: Passed Senate Judiciary 2/28 on a 4-1 vote. On to Senate Appropriations. (Sen. Bob Gardner and Rep. Gabe Evans). Would add motor vehicle theft and drug distribution to POWPO-eligible crimes. (POWPO=Possession of Weapon by Previous Offender)
SB24-131 Sensitive Spaces – Strongly Support
Status: Passed Senate 3rd reading 4/3 by a 24-14 vote. Passed House Judiciary on 4/17 on 8-3 party-line vote. Passed House Appropriations on 4/19 by a 7-4 party-line vote. On to House floor. (Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis and Chris Kolker, Reps. Kyle Brown, and Mandy Lindsay). Would designate places where persons may not carry concealed or openly carried firearms. The list includes day care centers, libraries, recreation centers, community centers, courts, hospitals and medical/mental health centers, stadiums, museums, zoos, parks, shelters for homeless and domestic violence victims, banks, college and university campuses, marijuana shops, houses of worship, bars, public protests, etc. Also prohibits concealed or openly carried firearms near voting sites or vote processing centers.
SB24-158 Social Media Protect Juveniles Disclosures Report – Support
Status: Passed Senate Business, Labor, and Technology 3/28 on a 7-0 vote. Passed Senate 3rd reading on 4/17 by 30-1 vote. House Education hearing 4/25. (Sens. Chris Hansen and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Rep. Meghan Lukens). Establishes requirements for the operation of social media platforms and authorizes the Attorney General to enforce.
HB24-1015 Workplace Suicide Prevention Education – monitor
Status: Passed House Business Affairs 1/31 on 11-0 vote. On to House Appropriations. (Rep. Stephanie Vigil and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet). Requires department of Labor to produce suicide prevention education posters and notices. Employers will be required to post these and provide information to employees.
HB24-1066 Preventing Workplace Violence in Health Care Settings – monitor
Status: Passed Health and Human Services 2/27 on 12-1 vote. On to House Appropriations. (Rep. Eliza Hamrick and Lorena Garcia, Sens. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Julie Gonzales). Requires health care facilities to establish a workplace violence prevention committee to document violence incidents, develop a prevention plan, provide training, submit reports to the behavioral health administration and offer post-incident services to staff.
HB24-1122 Protection Orders Domestic Violence–Support
Status: PASSED! House 55-4, Senate 32-0. Onto the Governor (Reps. Monica Duran and Rose Pugliese, Sens. Dylan Roberts and Faith Winters ). Addresses court processes for temporary domestic violence protection orders and includes firearm relinquishment.
HB24-1123 Funding for School Safety Firearm Detection – Neutral
Status: Passed House Education on a 9-1 vote. On to House Appropriations. (Rep. Brandi Bradly and Sen. Kevin Van Winkle) Establishes a fund for schools to purchase such systems. No fiscal note, not funds in bill.
HB24-1174 Standardization of CCW Training Classes – Strongly Support
Status: Passed House 3rd reading 3/11 on 43-16 party-line vote. Passed Senate 3rd reading on 4/22 by a 20-14 vote. On to the Governor. (Reps. Monica Duran and Marc Snyder, Sen. Kyle Mullica). Establishes minimum standards for CCW classes including safe firearm handling, live fire exercise, education on gun laws and conflict resolution.
HB24-1292 Prohibit Certain Weapons used in Mass Shootings – Support
Status: Passed House 3rd reading on 35-27 vote on 4/14. (Reps. Tim Hernández and Elisabeth Epps) Prohibits the manufacture, purchase, sale or transfer of an assault weapon. Prohibits possession of a rapid-fire trigger activator.
HB24-1270 Firearm Liability Insurance Requirement – Support
Status: Passed House Business Affairs and Labor 4/4 on 6-5 vote. Passed House 3rd reading on 4/20 by a 33-29 vote. Assigned to Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs. (Reps. Steven Woodrow and Iman Jodeh, Sen. Chris Hansen) Would require firearm owners maintain liability insurance and require insurance companies to offer such policies.
HB24-1348 Secure Firearm Storage in a Vehicle – Strongly Support
Status: Passed House 3rd reading on 3/25 on 41-22 vote. Passed SEnate 3rd reading on 4/22 by a 21-33 vote. Needs House Concurrence. (Reps. Elizabeth Velasco and Lorena Garcia, Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis and Rhonda Fields) Would require firearms left unattended in vehicles be locked inside the vehicle inside a locked hard cover case and not be visible from outside the vehicle.
HB24-1349 Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax – Strongly Support
Status: Passed House Finance 4/1 on a 6-5 vote. Passed House 3rd reading on 4/20 by a 44-18 vote. Assigned to Senate Finance. (Rep. Monica Duran) Would send to the voters a request for an excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Generated funds would first be dedicated to Victims Assistance program funds and also to school safety and gun violence prevention programs.
HB24-1353 Firearms Dealer Requirements and Permits – Strongly Support
Status: Passed House 3rd reading on 4/20 by a 40-21 vote. Assigned to Senate Finance. (Reps. Emily Sirota and Andrew Boesenecker, Sen. Jeff Bridges) Would require every firearms dealer in the state to obtain a state issued permit. The Department of Revenue would oversee the permit system and inspect dealers to see that they are complying with local, state and federal law and that all employees pass background checks and take required annual training. Dealing in firearms without a permit can result in a maximum $250,000 fine.
Colorado Proposals Defeated
HB24-1162 Penalty of Theft of Firearms
Status: Defeated in House Judiciary 2/14 on 5-6 vote. (Reps. Ryan Armagost and Marc Snyder). Makes theft of a firearm a Class 6 felony. Second Offense is Class 5 felony. Was amended to be a Class 2 misdemeanor. Still failed.
HB24-1310 School Safety Measures – Support
Status: Postponed Indefinitely (defeated) on 4/11. (Reps. Jennifer Parenti and Eliza Hamrick) Would define “school safety officer,” establish requirements for the position, including rigorous training. Would prohibit educators from being school safety officers and would require guns stored in schools be locked in a gun safe in a locked room or closet only accessible by law enforcement and school resource officers.
Federal Bills of Concern
There are 224 bills dealing with firearms, these are ones of interest or concern:
H.R. 38 and S. 214 Federally Mandated Concealed Carry (CCW) Reciprocity – Strongly oppose
Status: Introduced. House bill has 165 cosponsors, including Lamborn, and Buck. Senate bill has 44 c-sponsors, none from Colorado. Would mandate that every state honor CCW permits from other states and also people from permitless states. House bill would allow someone denied a permit in Colorado to get one in a state that does not require residency, would allow individuals to take their guns into K-12 schools, and to sue law officers or political subdivision if they are arrested or detained.
H.R. 151 and HR 646 and S. 163 Remove short-barreled shotguns from National Firearms Act of 1934 – Strongly Oppose
Status: Introduced. HR151 has 37 cosponsors, including Boebert and HR646 has 47 cosponsors, including Boebert. Senate bill has 21 cosponsors, none from Colorado.
H.R. 152 Hearing Protection Act and S. 401 – Strongly oppose
Status: Introduced. House bill has 69 cosponsors, including Boebert. Senate had 28 cosponsors, none from Colorado. Removes silencers from the National Firearms Act of 1934.
H.R. 625 Regulate Large Capacity Magazines – Strongly Support
Diana DeGette is prime sponsor, has 161 cosponsors including Crow, Pettersen, Neguse and Caraveo
H.R. 660 and S. 173 Safe Storage (Ethan’s Law) – Strongly Support
House bill has 206 cosponsors including Caraveo, Crow, DeGette, Neguse and Pettersen. Senate bill has 40 cosponsors including Bennet and Hickenlooper.
H.R. 698 and S. 25 Assault Weapons Ban – Strongly Support
Status: House bill has 206 cosponsors including Crow, DeGette, Neguse, Pettersen and Caraveo. Senate bill has 45 cosponsors including Bennet and Hickenlooper. 3369 (GOSAFE) has 11 cosponsors, including Bennet.
H.R. 715 and S. 494 Universal Background Checks – Strongly Support
Status: House bill has 206 cosponsors including Caraveo, Crow, DeGette, Neguse and Pettersen. Senate has 48 including Bennet and Hickenlooper.
H.R. 7450 Prohibit Firearm Merchant Category Code – Strongly oppose
Status: Has 24 cosponsors, none from Colorado.
Other Firearms-related bills sponsored by Coloradans in Congress
- S. 1285 School Shooting Safety Preparedness – Michael Bennet (0 cosponsors)
- H.R. 1830 Prohibit Out-of-State Gun Transfers – Jason Crow (6 cosponsors)
- H.R. 2753 Firearm Retailer Code of Conduct – Jason Crow (16 cosponsors)
- H.R. 2897 End Gun Violence Act – Joe Neguse (19 cosponsors)
- H.R. 2898 Secure Background Checks Act – Joe Neguse (16 cosponsors)
- H.R. 2899 Grants moneys against mass violence – Joe Neguse (16 cosponsors)
- H.R. 3212 Repeal every gun control law from 117 th congress – Lauren Boebert (23 cosponsors)
- H.R. 3872 Study lockdown mental health effects – Brittany Pettersen (5 cosponsors)
- H.R. 4384 Reauthorize funds for safe neighborhoods – Joe Neguse (12 cosponsors)
