A controversial proposal that would make it illegal to sell, buy or make guns that use detachable magazines cleared its initial committee hearing Tuesday, the first hurdle on its legislative path.
The bill’s main sponsor, Democratic Sen. Tom Sullivan of Centennial, opened the hearing by talking about his son’s murder at the hands of a mass shooter during the 2012 attack on an Aurora movie theater.
“High-capacity magazines are what put the ‘mass’ into mass shootings,” Sullivan said. “The people of Colorado have mandated that we do something about the public health crisis that is gun violence, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
The measure specifically would make it illegal to sell, purchase or manufacture semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, and some semiautomatic pistols, that are capable of accepting detachable ammunition magazines.
The hearing drew hundreds of witnesses to the Capitol to testify. Coloradans from all over the state crowded the marble-clad hallways hoping to get a seat in the packed committee room.
Sullivan and his co-sponsor in the Senate, Denver Democrat Sen. Julie Gonzales, said one reason for the bill is to enforce Colorado’s existing ban on magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. They also claim the policy is an important way to limit the damage inflicted during mass shootings.
Supporters for the measure include national gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
“We have a lot of people signed up to testify who have been touched by gun violence and have been touched specifically by the dangers of high-capacity magazines paired with firearms that accept them,” said Allison Shih, a lawyer for the group who testified at the hearing.
“I'm here to talk to people about how impactful this kind of law will be, and I think that the truth will carry the day.”
Conversely, those opposed to the bill argued that it would infringe on Coloradans’ constitutional right to own guns. One opposition group, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, showed up to the Capitol with dozens of boxes it said were filled with petitions opposing the measure.
The group’s president, Ian Escalante, held an opposition rally outside of the statehouse ahead of the hearing.
“Let's make this happen. Let's push hard, and let's not let these people trample over our rights. Who's ready to take our state back?” Escalante said through a megaphone to cheers from the crowd.
But after eight hours of public testimony, the committee ultimately voted to advance the measure along party lines, with full Democratic support. All of the Republicans on the panel voted against it.
The committee vote bodes well for the bill's prospects in the full Senate, where it’s headed next and needs wide Democratic support to pass. A previous gun-control measure that would have banned assault-style weapons failed in the Senate last year when some Democrats joined Republicans to oppose it.
This year’s bill would amount to one of the most sweeping gun restrictions in the country, and takes a different approach from past policies on both the state and federal levels.
“Unlike last year's bill and what other states have done and the original federal prohibition on assault weapons, this is just fundamentally different in substance,” said Shih, the lawyer for Everytown. “It's a new approach to still regulating military-style firearms, just in a completely different way from what any other state has done.”
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
