Law-abiding gun owners will soon face mandatory training, sheriff approval, and new permit requirements before buying many semi-automatic firearms
Beginning August 1, Colorado residents will encounter one of the nation’s most restrictive firearm purchasing systems as Senate Bill 25-003 officially takes effect.
The new law requires anyone seeking to purchase many semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and certain gas-operated pistols to first obtain a firearms eligibility card from their county sheriff and complete a state-approved firearms safety course before a dealer can complete the sale.
The eligibility card remains valid for five years, but applicants must first navigate a new government approval process that includes mandatory training and review by local law enforcement.
As the deadline approaches, firearms dealers across Colorado report an increase in customers hoping to complete purchases before the new restrictions become law.
The National Association for Gun Rights and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners have condemned permit-to-purchase laws like SB 25-003, arguing they burden peaceable citizens instead of violent criminals and invert the Constitution by requiring government approval before a fundamental right can be exercised.
NAGR and RMGO also contend the law disproportionately impacts first-time gun buyers and lower-income Coloradans by adding new costs, mandatory classes, and administrative delays to the firearm purchasing process.
RMGO has launched a SB-003 resource page on their website, which can be viewed here.
Colorado now joins a small group of states that require government-issued permits before residents can purchase certain firearms, a policy that Second Amendment advocates say has little historical support under the Constitutional standard established by the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision.
With SB 25-003 officially taking effect on August 1 and legal challenges expected to continue, the battle over Colorado’s latest gun control law is entering a new phase — one that will directly affect thousands of law-abiding gun owners across the state.
Read more at KRDO.
