Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed a new gun bill into law that would add several steps to legally purchase a firearm in Colorado.

The legislation will make it illegal to purchase, sell, or make certain semiautomatic firearms without a permit from a local sheriff, completing a firearm training course, and passing background checks. Polis said in a statement upon signing the legislation that he believes it will uphold Second Amendment gun rights and improve public safety in the Centennial State.

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“This bill ensures that our Second Amendment rights are protected and that Coloradans can continue to purchase the gun of their choice for sport, hunting, self-defense, or home defense,” Polis said. “I am confident that this bill contributes to improving public safety in our state by helping to ensure an educated and trained gun owner community, including gun safety and safe storage.

“This law is not a ban, and I have been clear that I oppose banning types of firearms. Proper gun safety education and training, however, are key components of public safety and responsible gun ownership.”

Gun rights groups expressed their outrage over the legislation, with the Colorado State Shooting Association warning that the “fight is far from over” and threatening legal action. The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action also slammed the law.

“Behind closed doors, Governor Polis cowardly signed into law the most anti-gun, anti-freedom bill in Colorado’s history,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford said in a statement. “Instead of respecting the individual liberties of gun owners and hunters in his state, he bent the knee to the radical gun control element of his party.

“In Jared’s Colorado, you need a Polis permission slip to exercise your constitutional rights. If this proposal was popular with his citizens, it would not need to be enacted in secret.”

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Colorado, an increasingly heavily Democratic state, has had several high-profile bills under consideration and passed that have solidified the state’s leftward shift in the past several decades.

Another bill this session in the Colorado legislature would categorize “deadnaming” someone as a discriminatory act, as part of a push for transgender-focused legislation amid rollbacks on LGBT policies at the federal level. The bill passed a vote in the state House but has yet to be considered by the state Senate.