Centennial State’s sweeping purchase requirements are viewed by gun rights supporters as a backdoor ban on America’s most popular rifles
Beginning August 1st, Colorado residents looking to purchase many semi-automatic firearms will face a maze of new state government mandates before they can legally buy one of America’s most commonly-owned firearms.
The law requires prospective purchasers of many semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns that accept detachable magazines to first obtain a state eligibility card, complete 12-hour government-approved firearms training, and satisfy additional requirements before a dealer can complete the sale.
Although the legislature stopped short of passing an outright “Assault Weapons” Ban, many Second Amendment advocates argue the new system was deliberately designed to achieve the same result by making lawful firearm ownership more expensive, time-consuming, and bureaucratic.
The restrictions follow years of unsuccessful efforts by anti-gun lawmakers to ban semi-automatic firearms outright, prompting legislators to pursue a permitting scheme instead.
Critics warn that the law creates yet another government hurdle for law-abiding citizens while doing little to stop violent criminals, who routinely ignore firearm regulations altogether.
The National Association for Gun Rights and its state affiliate Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, has condemned the measure as a direct attack on the Constitutional rights of peaceable Coloradans and has vowed to continue fighting similar restrictions wherever they appear.
Colorado’s law also arrives as courts across the country continue applying the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, which requires modern firearm regulations to be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of gun laws.
With the U.S. Department of Justice already challenging several Colorado gun restrictions in federal court, many expect the state’s new semi-automatic purchase law to face significant Constitutional scrutiny in the months ahead.
For gun owners, the battle over Colorado’s latest restrictions is likely just beginning, as opponents prepare to argue that Constitutional rights should never depend on government permission slips.
Read more at Colorado News Line.
