Is Senate Bill 3 already on death’s door? Anti-gun bill had to be laid over again in Senate

By / / Rocky Mountain VoiceState

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice

Senate Bill 25-003, the much-maligned bill that some have said would make Colorado the most anti-gun state in the country, can’t seem to get the support it needs to clear the Democrat-controlled state Senate.

Support for the bill appeared to have collapsed again Friday before a second reading and preliminary vote, as it was laid over until Feb. 13. The bill was introduced Jan. 8, cleared by a Democrat-led committee Jan. 28 and Friday was laid over for the second time.

If passed, SB 3, led by Democrat Sens. Tom Sullivan and Julie Gonzales and sponsored by Democrat Reps. Andrew Boesenecker and Meg Froelich, explicitly prohibits the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale and purchase of common-use, gas-operated semi-auto rifles or shotguns and gas-operated semi-auto pistols, all with detachable magazines.

A death knell toward passage through the Senate may have been delivered when Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, a Pueblo County Democrat and the majority party’s whip, declared his opposition to the bill in its current form. A whip generally is responsible for “whipping” the votes needed in his caucus to pass legislation. He only supports the bump-stock ban portion of the bill.

“I believe that, broadly, semi-automatic firearm ownership, by law-abiding individuals, is protected by the 2nd Amendment,” Hinrichsen writes in a letter defining his position. “Most semi-automatic weapons have detachable magazines. On many semi-automatic firearms, having a detachable magazine is a critical component for proper maintenance and for safety in the event of a misfeed.”

Hinrichsen has not always been aligned with 2nd Amendment advocates, including, for example, his support of ghost gun and high-capacity magazine bans. He has, alternatively, opposed such legislation as mandatory waiting periods and increasing the age of firearm purchase from 18 to 21.

Then, the bill lost Sen. Marc Snyder, who initially was a co-sponsor. Snyder told The Colorado Sun he didn’t initially understand the bill’s full effect when he agreed to co-sponsor.

The bill needs 18 votes to pass the Senate and advance to the House. In addition to Hinrichsen and Snyder, Democrats Dylan Roberts and Kyle Mullica may also be defecting. The full Republican caucus of 12 senators is expected to oppose the bill, meaning it may still have the votes to pass, if Rocky Mountain Gun Owners executive director Ian Escalante is not correct that there are other Democrats unwilling to support it — such as Lindsey Daugherty and Dafna Michaelsen Jenet.

“Democrats are RUNNING from the 2025 ‘Assault Weapons Ban!’ Sen. Hinrichsen is right, this bill flies in the FACE of the Bruen decision and will NOT save lives!!,” a RMGO Tweet/X reads.

The RMGO, which claims to be the state’s most effective no-compromise pro-gun lobby, also shared on Twitter/X one person’s perspective of the potential “unintended consequences” of the bill passing.

Adds Gun Owners of America, known as the no-compromise gun lobby in Washington, D.C., in a posting on the bill, “This atrocious bill spits directly in the face of the 2nd Amendment, the Heller, McDonald and Bruen decisions from the Supreme Court, and turns law-abiding citizens into criminals for wanting to purchase commonly owned firearms.”

Gun Owners of America, like RMGO, has advocated for a ‘no’ vote by senators on the legislation.

CO: Lawmakers Advance Semi-Auto Ban!

The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has additionally called the SB 3 an “all-encompassing semi-automatic ban” and has advocated for its members to encourage senators to oppose the bill.

READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE BILL HERE