DENVER — A bill that would ban several semi-automatic weapons in Colorado will not become law this legislative session. The sponsor of the bill postponed the proposal on Tuesday.
This legislative session democratic Senator Julie Gonzales sponsored a House bill that would prohibit certain weapons used in mass shootings.
The bill defines the term "assault weapon" and prohibits a person from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of those assault weapons.
It would also prohibit someone from having a rapid-fire trigger activator. That's a device attached to a gun that lets it fire rounds faster.
The bill would not apply to active members of the military. The House judiciary committee approved the bill in March with a vote of 7 to 3. The full house was considering it, but never voted on it. It will not make it to the Senate.
Senator Gonzales said on Tuesday she is requesting the proposed bill to be indefinitely postponed. She sent News5 a statement.
“I intend to request that the Senate State Veterans and Military Affairs committee postpone indefinitely HB24-1292, the assault weapons ban, on May 7, 2024. That being said, I couldn’t be prouder of my colleagues in the House of Representatives for passing an assault weapons ban for the first time in Colorado history.
After thoughtful conversations with my Senate colleagues, I decided that more conversations need to take place outside of the pressure cooker of the Capitol during the last weeks of the legislative session. In that spirit, I look forward to renewing and continuing those discussions over the interim. It is clear that survivors of devastating gun violence, responsible gun owners, and local and national policy advocates remain committed to doing the work necessary to save lives — and an assault weapons ban will do just that."
The Colorado Gun Rights Group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners has been vocal on x about this bill, posting the quote "its dead, we have officially killed the 2024 assault weapons ban."
According to the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners X page, "RMGO members made over 65,000 calls, sent over 150,000 emails, and signed more than 210,000 petitions opposing this totalitarian measure."
Because of Senator Gonzales' request, the bill will not move forward this year. Wednesday is the last day of the legislative session.
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