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Colorado’s sweeping new law regulating the sale of many semiautomatic firearms is officially in effect. And gun stores are already seeing the fallout.
According to reporting by Denver7, the buying frenzy that preceded the law has been replaced by noticeably quieter showrooms as customers try to figure out what they can still buy and what hoops they’ll now have to jump through.
“It’s pretty quiet,” employees at Englewood’s The Shootist told Denver7 after weeks of record-breaking sales leading up to the Aug. 1 deadline.
What Changed?
Senate Bill 25-003 doesn’t outright ban ownership of AR-15s and other popular semiautomatic firearms. Instead, it makes buying many of them significantly more complicated.
Under the new law, many semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines, certain semiautomatic shotguns and some gas-operated semiautomatic handguns can no longer be purchased the same way they were just a week ago.
Instead, prospective buyers generally must first:
- Obtain a firearm safety course eligibility card from their county sheriff.
- Pass a background check for that card.
- Pay applicable fees.
- Complete a state-approved firearms safety course (or qualify through certain exemptions, such as recent hunter education combined with additional training).
- Have their course completion verified before an FFL can transfer the firearm.
The law includes exemptions for law enforcement, the military, certain government agencies, gunsmiths, museums, film productions and several other limited situations.
For everyone else, the process now includes several additional steps before many of the state’s most popular firearms can legally be purchased.
Gun Stores Are Adjusting
Denver7 spoke with the manager at The Shootist, who said employees are now spending much of their day explaining the new law to confused customers.
“We hear the word infringement all day long,” he told the station.
The store is also working to become certified to offer the required firearms training classes so customers can eventually meet the new state requirements.
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Even so, employees say many buyers aren’t happy.
“I wouldn’t be against training,” the manager explained. “The thing I’m against with the law changes is making it a mandatory thing. When you make that a requirement, it kind of feels like a punishment for the people who have already been doing it the right way.”
Will It Stop Criminals?
Supporters say SB 25-003 adds another layer of screening before someone can purchase certain semiautomatic firearms.
Critics aren’t convinced it’ll have much effect on violent crime.
The Shootist manager says he doubts criminals will suddenly decide to follow a law that law-abiding gun owners now must navigate.
“People who are okay with committing a crime, especially a violent crime with a firearm, they’re already willing to break these laws,” he said.
That’s an argument opponents of the legislation made repeatedly as the bill moved through the Colorado Legislature earlier this year.
A New Business Reality
For gun dealers, the challenge now is adapting.
The Shootist says it plans to shift more of its focus toward hunting rifles, handguns and other products while it works through the certification process to offer the state’s required training classes.
Colorado’s new law has already changed the buying process. And if Denver7’s interviews are any indication, it’s also changing how gun stores do business.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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You Coloradoans need to vote for Republicans to save your “you know what I am planning to say”!! I have fled from Colorado 5 years ago when I sensed the Democrats pushing in Colorado. Hope you all can push the Democrats back into the grave!
Might Colofornia take a lesson from Virginia; it is possible to stand up to and fight the leftist bastards.
In a way, most of the public who wanted to buy a restricted gun had the opportunity to do so. The lawmakers showed their ignorance of how firearms work. Over the years I think about how many people have been killed with revolvers, break open shotguns and bold action 22lr rifles. All it really is an attempt to try to turn people away from their 2nd amendment right to self defense.
The whole point is to put gun stores out of business.
Training? The “safety course” does not a single second of range time. And none of this replaces the form 4473 background check, or the 3 day waiting period after approval of the 4473. THIS IS BLATANT PREVENTION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP FOR LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. Not one single criminal will be prevented from obtaining a SSF (specified semiautomatic firearm) because of this. I am a life long resident of Colorado who has voted in every single election since I turned 18. I remember the free days of Colorado.
I love that this has happened. We have licensed radios, vehicles, various occupations etc. It is about time we get Americans licensed to demonstrate their willingness to show accountability and competence. Crime will continue, but we will have the assurance that the democrats and their minions will now have to “pound sand” over legal gun possession.
Add VOTING to your “licensed, competence” list.
I wonder if the bureaucrats administering the money-grubbing training sessions know which end of the tube the round comes out.
Critics aren’t convinced it will have an effect on violent crime? It will have absolutely ZERO effect on violent crime. Does someone there think that criminals take gun courses? You have to figure most of the time they are possessing an illegal weapon in the first place and there’s no way criminals are going to go anywhere close to any law enforcement agent, on purpose.
I’m not against the training but I do think it’s a little overboard on their end. I’m just wondering if it’ll have any effect on accidental discharges. Every state requires training to drive an automobile so why not a gun?
This might be a little easier and different if they reinstituted the hunter safety course in elementary schools like I had when I was a kid. I don’t see an adult with the brain being able to pick up a firearm for the first time and use it safely. The problem lies with there’s quite a few adults that don’t have brains or at least don’t use them. You can’t single them out so you make everyone “suffer“.
It’s interesting to me that the film industry is exempt. It’s my guess that the state wants the revenue. Money talks.
I have been in law enforcement for over 40 yrs., this will only effect the law abiding citizens and fill pockets with fee money and do nothing to stop violent crime….address the criminal and not the good people that want to defend themselves and their family against a criminal threat.
wtf……film production is exempt from the laws……
An interesting point to consider. The most prominent on-set victims of shootings during film production came from revolvers – Halyna Hutchins, Joel Souza (not fatal), Brandon Lee, Jon-Erik Hexum… a semi-auto ban on film production would not have saved them.