COLORADO SPRINGS — Starting in 2026, it will be harder to buy a semiautomatic gun in Colorado.
Governor Polis signed Senate Bill 3 into law in April. When the bill was first introduced, it would've banned the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, or purchase of a specified semiautomatic firearm.
The Senate amended the bill so that those guns could still be sold, but only if the buyer takes a training course first.
Under Senate Bill 3, gun owners will need to take a 12-hour course over two days if they want to buy semiautomatic weapons with detachable magazines.
Elizabeth Hautman, owner of Colorado Boots and Firearms Instruction, has been teaching gun safety courses in Colorado Springs for 14 years.
Hautman says her gun safety course takes eight hours, but under this new law, anyone who wants to purchase a semiautomatic firearm will have to take an extra four hours.
"It's going to be a two day class, just getting people to schedule out a full day is a big commitment," said Hautman.
The law also requires buyers to apply through their local sheriff's office for a background check.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office says it will put an extra burden on the office. You can watch a video statement from Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell below:
Supporters of this law say this will help public safety, calling it a "life-Saving bill."
Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action released the following statement:
“Limiting access to the weapons of war used in our country’s deadliest mass shootings shouldn’t be controversial — it’s a logical response to the bloodshed we have seen time and time again when someone armed with hate gets their hands on an AR-15. This is a major victory for every advocate, lawmaker, survivor, and student who fought to get this bill across the finish line, and for every Colorado community that will be safer because of it.”
Hautman says she wants better safety for the public, but she says this law is not the right way to help.
"I think gun violence is a mental health problem. I think it's a societal problem. I wish I could say this is the answer, but it's not," said Hautman.
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