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DENVER, CO - The House today advanced three gun violence prevention bills on preliminary votes. These bills would expand Colorado’s existing “Red Flag” law, crack down on ghost guns by strengthening requirements for firearm barrel sales and strengthen Colorado’s firearm dealer law.
“Our bills will help prevent gun crimes and suicides to save countless Colorado lives,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, sponsor of SB26-004 and SB26-043. “Colorado Democrats have passed life-saving gun violence prevention legislation in the last few years, including Colorado’s Red Flag and ghost gun laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. These bills strengthen our laws to improve public safety and make Colorado a safer place to live for all.”
“This bill refines our Red Flag law so we can expand the use of this life-saving tool,” said Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, sponsor of SB26-004. “Co-responders often have the most direct contact and information about someone who is experiencing a crisis, and allowing them to file an ERPO petition means that the judicial system can make a more informed decision to remove access to firearms from an individual in crisis. Colorado’s Red Flag law saves lives, and our bill would make it an even stronger tool to prevent gun violence.”
SB26-004 would expand the list of community members eligible to petition for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) and create a new category of institutional petitioners. The bill would add co-responders and entities that employ or contract with specified community members to the list of those who may petition the court for an ERPO. SB26-004 would also add health care facilities, behavioral health treatment facilities, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions as institutional petitioners that may petition a court for an ERPO.
Passed in 2019, Colorado Democrats’ original ERPO legislation allows specified individuals to petition a judge to temporarily remove a firearm from a potentially dangerous individual and interrupt gun violence before it has a chance to occur. In 2023, lawmakers passed legislation to expand the list of qualified individuals eligible to petition for an ERPO to include DAs and other law enforcement officials, licensed health care professionals, educators, and mental health professionals.
SB26-043 would require firearm barrel sales or transfers to be done through a federally licensed firearm dealer. Under the bill, firearm dealers would also be required to keep a record of these transactions for at least five years.
“Ghost guns prevent law enforcement from holding dangerous people accountable for their crimes, which is why we’re advancing this gun violence prevention bill to get ghost guns out of our communities,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, sponsor of SB26-043. “By having a record of gun barrel transactions, law enforcement will have a way to trace a gun found at a crime scene to the person who committed the crime. We’re balancing public safety and responsible gun ownership to save Colorado lives.”
Most firearm components can be easily printed and made functional using a three-dimensional (3D) printer, except for a firearm barrel. Typically, individuals who build a ghost gun must use an industrially-manufactured firearm barrel to finish the construction of the firearm.
Colorado Democrats passed a law in 2023 to ban “ghost guns” by prohibiting the possession, sale or transfer of unserialized firearms, frames and receivers. The legislature is considering a bill in this legislative session to strengthen this law by prohibiting the 3D printing of firearms, large-capacity magazines or other firearm components.
Last year, Rep. Sirota sponsored a law that requires firearm dealers in Colorado to hold a state firearms dealer permit in order to sell firearms in Colorado. HB26-1126 would strengthen this law to better prevent gun theft and illegal gun sales.
“Our bill would strengthen Colorado’s firearm dealer permitting, training and security standards to prevent gun thefts and gun violence,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, sponsor of HB26-1126. “I proudly passed a law in 2024 to crack down on illegal firearm sales by requiring firearm dealers to have a state permit to sell firearms and gun components. This bill would strengthen this law to improve public safety and save Colorado lives from senseless gun violence.”
“We’re building on our permit-to-sell law to prevent firearm theft and protect Coloradans from gun violence,” said Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, sponsor of HB26-1126. “Colorado Democrats remain committed to keeping our communities safe, which is why we’re bringing this bill to drive down firearm theft and encourage compliance with our gun violence prevention efforts. We’re taking a multi-faceted approach to strengthen our laws to save Colorado lives.”
Colorado law requires firearm dealers to hold a state permit to sell firearms and firearm components. HB26-1126 would also require an individual to hold a state permit to transfer firearms. Currently, firearm dealers are only required to keep a record of the sales, rentals or exchanges of pistols and revolvers. The bill strengthens record-keeping requirements by requiring firearm transactions to be recorded and requiring that these records be maintained electronically.
HB26-1126 would prevent firearm theft by requiring firearm dealers to secure large-capacity magazines behind a counter in a locked case or in a locked room that is not accessible to the public, except when showing these products to a customer who is eligible to purchase them or during a repair. Within 72 hours of learning of a loss or theft of a firearm, firearm dealers would be required to report it.
In order to create more opportunities for compliance, this bill would impose fines for violations of the law before revoking a firearm dealer’s permit. Beginning January 1, 2027, a second or subsequent offense could result in a fine of up to $75,000.
Studies show that policies regulating firearm dealer licensing can lead to significant reductions in gun violence, including gun homicides and suicides. After Connecticut passed a similar law, its firearm homicide rate fell by 28 percent and firearm suicide rate decreased by 33 percent.