(The Center Square) – Legislation that would ban the sale or purchase of semi-automatic firearms that take detachable magazines is set to be heard in the Colorado Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 25-003 was scheduled to be heard last Friday but was laid over, marking the second time the legislation has been delayed in the chamber.
The delays come as some key Democrats say they won’t support the bill as it stands and sponsors are reportedly reworking the bill so it has Gov. Jared Polis’s support.
The bill would ban the manufacturing and sale of semi-automatic firearms, which it defines as any semi-automatic rifle, shotgun or gas-operated handgun that takes a detachable magazine. The legislation excludes “a firearm that has a permanently fixed magazine that cannot accept more than 15 rounds of ammunition.”
Colorado passed a ban on magazines that hold over 15 rounds in 2013. Backers of SB 25-003 say it’s necessary to “fully implement” the state’s high-capacity magazine ban.
The delays on a floor vote come as the prime sponsor’s of SB 25-003, Sens. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, are negotiating amendments to the legislation with the governor’s office, KUNC reported.
Two Democrats have said in recent weeks that they won’t vote for the bill in its current form.
Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, the majority whip from Pueblo, said in a statement he opposes the current bill because of its prohibition on detachable magazines, which most semi-automatic firearms have.
“I also have very little confidence that this provision would decrease the amount of casualties in a mass shooting, which is what this bill sees to address,” he said.
Sen. Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, who was initially a co-sponsor of SB 25-003, also said he will no longer support the bill, The Colorado Sun reported.
Bans of so-called assault weapons similar to SB 25-003 failed to pass during the last two legislative sessions.
Another Democratic-backed bill that would ban the sale of ammunition to individuals under 21 years old is scheduled to be heard on Thursday by the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee.