Colorado Will Soon Require a Discretionary Permit To Acquire Semiautomatic Rifles
A bill that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law last week requires residents of that state to obtain the government’s permission and complete 12 hours of firearms training before they can legally obtain semiautomatic rifles that accept detachable magazines. The law, which Polis improbably claims “will make Colorado safer,” imposes broad restrictions on firearm ownership that seem inconsistent with the test that the Supreme Court has said gun control laws must pass to comply with the Second Amendment.
Senate Bill 3, which is framed as a means of enforcing Colorado’s 2013 ban on magazines that hold more than 15 rounds, applies to “a semiautomatic rifle or semiautomatic shotgun with a detachable magazine”—a category that encompasses some of the most popular guns sold in the United States, including AR-15-style rifles. The law makes exceptions for guns that fire “.22 caliber or lower caliber ammunition” and for specified hunting rifles. It does not apply to handguns unless they are gas-operated and have detachable magazines.
Beginning in August 2026, anyone who wants to acquire a covered firearm will have to complete two new steps. First, he will have to obtain a “firearms safety course eligibility card” from the local sheriff, who is charged with verifying that the applicant is not legally disqualified from owning firearms. The sheriff “may deny an application” if he “has reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely the applicant will pose a danger to [himself] or others.”
Second, the applicant will have to undergo at least 12 hours of firearms training by a government-approved instructor, or four hours if he has “completed a hunter education course” within the previous five years. If he receives a score of at least 90 percent on the exam he must take at the end of the training, his name will be added to a database of approved gun owners that dealers are req
Article from Reason.com
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