EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — Starting this Saturday, August 1, Coloradans who want to purchase certain specified semiautomatic guns must undergo new requirements.
Under the new law, gun owners will need to take a 12-hour course over two days if they want to buy semiautomatic weapons with detachable magazines.
Before enrolling in the safety course, applicants must buy a Firearms Safety Course Eligibility Card from a sheriff's office. The card is valid for five years once purchased.
The new application process requires the following;
- completing the required application
- providing a valid government-issued photo identification
- providing a completed third-party name-based background check of national and Colorado public criminal history
- meeting all eligibility requirements established under Colorado law
- paying the $52 required fee to Colorado Parks and Wildlife
The new law also gives individual sheriffs the decision on whether to charge an additional fee to residents.
El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal has decided not to add a separate fee for El Paso County residents. Additionally, the sheriff encourages residents to thoroughly review the requirement process before starting the application process.
At DCF East in Colorado Springs, store manager Jake Freijo said business surged before the law took effect and then slowed dramatically.
"Up until the 28th, which was the last day to submit a background check, we were doing sales that we've never done before. Pretty much all I have left here is what we have in stock," Freijo said.
He warned the new steps will add cost and time for buyers, creating a bottleneck for dealers. "Maybe they put aside five to six hundred dollars to buy a gun. Now that five to six hundred dollars is what's going to cost you to get the course, the time off work and the filing fee."
Freijo said retailers without ranges could face the greatest disruption, though DCF East plans to offer training courses to help customers comply.
Supporters say the law is focused on safety and reducing harm in mass shootings. "This bill that passed into law was very much evidence-based and geared to saving lives, especially in mass shootings," Stephanie Greenberg of Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence said, adding that background checks and training should preserve lawful ownership.
Eileen McCarron President of Colorado Ceasefire noted Colorado’s prior 15-round magazine limit and how that differs from other states: "Large-capacity magazines have been banned in Colorado if they're over 15 rounds since 2013... every other state that has a magazine limit uses 10 rounds, so we're kind of out there by ourselves with 15."
McCarron also pointed to past shootings: "We've had two mass shootings in Colorado since the law was passed that involved large-capacity magazines — the Boulder King Soopers shooting and Club Q in Colorado Springs. These large-capacity magazines enable someone to shoot multiple rounds off without ever having to stop to reload." She added that a lawsuit challenging the law has been filed and courts will decide Second Amendment questions.
State officials said agencies prepared for increased background checks; the Colorado Bureau of Investigation temporarily expanded InstaCheck staffing to handle the surge.
Freijo said he hopes the rollout will clarify in the coming weeks. "Come the first week of August, we'll have a better judgment of what this will look like."
To learn more about the process, visit the El Paso County Sheriff's Office's website.
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