DENVER — On Tuesday, January 28, the Colorado Senate committee voted 3-2 to advance Senate Bill 25-003.
The bill aims to ban many semiautomatic firearms and rapid-fire devices from being manufactured, distributed, sold, and purchased in the State of Colorado.
As a result, El Paso County Undersheriff Jeff Kramer made a statement on behalf of El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal, opposing the Senate bill.
Sheriff Roybal's and Undersheriff Kramer's full statements can be read below;
"As Sheriff, I will always oppose legislation which makes our communities less safe and erodes the constitutional rights of citizens.”
“I am thankful to Undersheriff for testifying today and continuing my commitment to public safety and the Constitution.”
Joseph Roybal, El Paso County Sheriff
“Good afternoon, and thank you, Chairman Weissman and committee members.
My name is Jeff Kramer, and I have the privilege of serving as the El Paso County Undersheriff.
I have previous military experience in the United States Army as a Military Police Officer. I have nearly 28 years of service with the Sheriff’s Office and have held numerous operational assignments. I am also an avid hunting enthusiast.
These experiences have made me familiar with and qualified to speak on the weapons targeted in today’s legislation. Sheriff Joe Roybal and I believe that Senate Bill 25-003 is an overreach of government and will set a dangerous precedent by mandating the removal of certain safety features on firearms and removable ammunition magazines.
Every year, we see legislators introduce gun bills with little or no regard for the negative safety impacts, crime and firearm statistics, or constitutionality. This bill is no different. It is a politically driven, unconstitutional gun control bill that mirrors federal legislation pushed by D.C. gun control lobbyists, to circumvent the recent Bruen decision.
This bill would ban removable magazines from modern firearms, a key component to rendering a firearm safe, which we would all agree is critical. Removable magazines allow for simplicity and certainty when removing ammunition from a firearm. This is important for safe storage and clearing firearm malfunctions.
This bill also disregards relevant crime statistics. Even if a specific set of firearms is banned, many other types of weapons can still be used to commit crimes. In fact, according to the FBI, rifles of all kinds are used in only a tiny fraction of gun crimes in the U.S. Almost all gun violence is committed with handguns, in particular stolen handguns.
And lastly, this bill is unconstitutional, as it will ban almost all semiautomatic rifles, most semiautomatic shotguns, and many pistols. These are some of the most purchased firearms in the State for self-defense.
I ask this committee to strongly oppose SB 25-003 and, rather, focus their time and efforts on legislation that will hold criminals accountable and reduce victims in Colorado. We believe HB 25-1062 is a strong piece of gun legislation which makes the theft of a firearm a class 6 felony regardless of the gun's value. Sheriff Roybal looks forward to supporting it.
I am happy to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank you.”
Jeff Kramer, El Paso County Undersheriff
Watch how Colorado lawmakers plan to renew efforts to limit assault weapons in CO
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