Democrats in Colorado are focusing on banning the sale and transfer of so-called assault weapons with a new bill. The bill was first introduced last Friday at the statehouse following a protest against gun violence led by thousands of Denver high school students. The students took to the state capitol after a 16-year-old student died from gun violence.
The new bill prohibits the “manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of an assault weapon.” “Rapid-fire trigger activator(s)” are also going to be prohibited under the bill sponsored by two Democrats, state Rep. Elisabeth Epps, and state Sen. Rhonda Fields.
This is the first time that Colorado’s Legislature is going to be looking at a possible assault weapons prohibition in this session. According to this new bill, assault weapons are defined as “semi-automatic rifle(s)” using detachable magazines. They can also have a threaded barrel, a flash suppressor, a pistol grip, or a folding stock. Some handguns and shotguns will also be blocked under the bill.
However, gun owners are allowed to continue owning their weapons; they simply cannot sell or transfer those weapons.
In the past few years, Colorado has had a number of mass shootings from assault-style rifles, one of the latest ones taking place in November at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs which led to 5 deaths and left more than two dozen people injured. In the first two months of 2023, there were more than 100 mass shootings in the U.S.
President Biden and several other states are pushing for a national assault weapons ban.
