This story was originally published by KUNC.
By Lucas Brady Woods, KUNC
After gearing up for a big legislative fight on the Senate floor, state lawmakers postponed debate Friday on a contentious gun-control proposal to ban the manufacture, sale and purchase of guns that use detachable magazines.
The main sponsors of Senate Bill 25-003, Democratic Sens. Tom Sullivan of Centennial and Julie Gonzales of Denver, said the delay is because negotiations with the governor’s office over the measure are ongoing.
“We're working our way through it, and when we get finished, we’ll be in a positive place, and we'll get that to his desk for him to sign,” Sullivan said Friday morning.
Gov. Jared Polis told the Colorado Capitol News Alliance this week he has yet to decide whether he would sign the bill if it’s passed by the legislature. He is generally skeptical of policies that target specific models of firearms.
But the governor said he’s not completely opposed to the measure because it would not impact any guns Coloradans already own.
“Like the sponsors, the governor takes preventing gun violence seriously which is why we appreciate the additional time to work together on this important issue,” a spokesperson said in a text message Friday.
The sponsors are working on amending the bill to alleviate Polis’ concerns and bring him fully on board. Five amendments were already added to the bill during a committee hearing last month.
“I appreciate any and every opportunity to have conversations with the governor's team about the importance of passing this policy that will save lives,” Gonzales said. “We've been having several conversations, several times a day.”
Gonzales and Sullivan hope the negotiations will be resolved within a week and currently plan to bring it up for debate in the Senate on Thursday.
But support for the bill has been chipped away. One Democratic co-sponsor, Sen. Mark Snyder of Manitou Springs, now says he won’t vote for the measure, citing doubts over its reach and concerns from his constituents.
Sponsors still believe Senate Bill 3 has enough support to make it out of the Senate. Of the chamber’s 23 Democrats, 19 have signaled they plan to vote “yes” on it. All of the chamber’s 12 Republicans are expected to vote against it. It needs 18 votes to pass.
With those numbers, Republicans can’t block it from passing, but they are expected to fight it as much as possible through extended debate on the Senate floor.
“It might be a long night,” Senate President James Coleman said earlier this week, “but at the same time, I think we've had conversations to try to find areas where we can agree and align.”
If the measure gets through the Senate, it then moves over to the more progressive-leaning House of Representatives, where sponsors say they’ve lined up enough support to pass it. However, House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, said she is undecided on her vote.
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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.
