On the first day of the new legislative session in Colorado, anti-gun Democrat lawmakers introduced one of the most sweeping bans on so-called “assault weapons” ever considered.
Under Senate Bill 3, the purchase, sale and manufacture of semi-automatic guns that accept detachable ammunition magazines would be banned in the state, taking in a wide swath of popular rifles, pistols and shotguns.
According to the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA):
Senate Bill 25-003 bans so-called “specified semi-automatic firearms,” defined in the bill as “…a semi-automatic rifle or semi-automatic shotgun with a detachable magazine or a gas-operated semi-automatic handgun with a detachable magazine.” According to NRA-ILA, Semi-automatic firearms with detachable magazines have existed for well over a century, and these platforms definitely fit the definition of “in common use” as set forth by the District of Columbia V. Heller ruling.
The bill prohibits knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling or purchasing a specified semi-automatic firearm, according to the legislature’s bill summary. However, a person may transfer a specified semi-automatic firearm to an heir, an individual residing in another state or to a federally licensed firearm dealer. (Apparently, these guns are OK for residents of states other than the People’s Republic of Colorado.)
“Unlawful manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale or purchase of a specified semi-automatic firearm is a class 2 misdemeanor, except that a second or subsequent offense is a class 6 felony,” the bill summary states. “The Department of Revenue shall revoke the state firearms dealer permit of a dealer who unlawfully manufactures, distributes, transfers, sells or purchases a specified semiautomatic firearm.”
The definitions in the bill highlight the variety of common rifles, pistols and shotguns that the measure would prohibit if it is approved and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
“‘Detachable magazine’ means an ammunition feeding device that is not permanently attached to a firearm and may be removed from the firearm without rendering the firearm incapable of accepting any magazine,” the bill states.
Take a quick look through your gun safe(s) and see how many guns that involves. I did just that, and along with all of my AR-style rifles, three of my deer hunting rifles also have detachable magazines.
Also, according to the legislation, “‘Gas-operated semi-automatic handgun’ means any semi-automatic handgun that harnesses or traps a portion of the high-pressure gas from a fired cartridge to cycle the action.”
That definition, of course, takes in everything from my 1911s to Glocks to FNs to my EDC Springfield Hellcat. In fact, I’m not sure there is a semi-automatic handgun that doesn’t harness a portion of the gas from the fired shell to rack the slide and recharge the chamber.
Ultimately, this may be the most restrictive gun ban proposal ever—well beyond the so-called AWB bans that prohibit AR-style rifles and other semi-auto rifles with disqualifying features. Unfortunately for Colorado gun owners, a report from gjsentinel.com states that the bill has 18 original cosponsors in the Senate, including all but five Democrats in the chamber. It requires 18 votes to pass the Senate.
If the bill passes the Senate, which is the Legislature’s more politically moderate chamber, it will almost certainly receive approval from the House, where it has 24 original cosponsors, and reach the governor’s desk, according to that report.
If the measure is passed and signed into law by the governor, gun rights groups will likely sue the state over the law. Given recent court precedents, such challenges are very likely to succeed, although they will almost certainly be costly.
Not to defend the bill, but aren’t 1911s and Glocks are recoil operated? I think the bill is more concerned with handguns that resemble ARs but with short barrels and no stock.
“Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used to implement locked-breech autoloading firearms. Recoil operated firearms use the energy of recoil to cycle the action, as opposed to gas operation or blowback operation using the pressure of the propellant gas”
“Glock is a brand of polymer-framed, short-recoil-operated, striker-fired, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H.”
“The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.”
While they make be recoil operated they still have a detachable magazine.
Oh, I see its gas operated with detachable mag. My bad.
Mud, I thought that myself. Then again, I wouldn’t be shocked to find that “gas operated” covers pretty much anything that uses cartridge energy to cycle the action, at least in the minds of these leftist anti-constitutionalists.
Of course, this assumes they understand the terms “cartridge,” “cycle,” and “action,” which history suggests is probably not the case. Since they are bloated sacks of reeking hot air (i.e. politicians), I assume they must at least be familiar with the term “gas…”
This is how they are defining “gas operated firearms” in the law.
Copy, pasted straight from the filing.
TLDR They are counting blowback of any kind as gas operated.
(c) “GAS-OPERATED SEMIAUTOMATIC HANDGUN” MEANS ANY
26 SEMIAUTOMATIC HANDGUN THAT HARNESSES OR TRAPS A PORTION OF THE
27 HIGH-PRESSURE GAS FROM A FIRED CARTRIDGE TO CYCLE THE ACTION
-3- SB25-003
1 USING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
2 (I) A LONG-STROKE PISTON SYSTEM IN WHICH GAS IS VENTED FROM
3 THE BARREL TO A PISTON THAT IS MECHANICALLY FIXED TO THE BOLT
4 GROUP AND MOVES TO CYCLE THE ACTION;
5 (II) A SHORT-STROKE PISTON SYSTEM IN WHICH GAS IS VENTED
6 FROM THE BARREL TO A PISTON THAT MOVES SEPARATELY FROM THE BOLT
7 GROUP SO THAT THE ENERGY IS IMPARTED THROUGH A GAS PISTON TO
8 CYCLE THE ACTION;
9 (III) A SYSTEM THAT TRAPS AND VENTS GAS FROM EITHER THE
10 BARREL OR THE CHAMBER TO DIRECTLY STRIKE OR IMPINGE THE BOLT,
11 BOLT CARRIER, OR SLIDE ASSEMBLY, TO UNLOCK AND CYCLE THE ACTION;
12 (IV) A HYBRID SYSTEM THAT COMBINES ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM
13 DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (1)(c)(I) OF THIS SECTION WITH A SYSTEM
14 DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (1)(c)(II) OR (1)(c)(III) OF THIS SECTION TO
15 CAPTURE GAS VENTED FROM THE BARREL TO CYCLE THE ACTION; OR
16 (V) A BLOWBACK-OPERATED SYSTEM THAT DIRECTLY UTILIZES
17 THE EXPANDING GASSES OF THE IGNITED PROPELLANT POWDER ACTING ON
18 THE CARTRIDGE CASE TO DRIVE THE BREECHBLOCK OR BREECH BOLT
19 REARWARD.
Once again Gun Control an agenda History Confirms is Rooted in Racism and Genocide tramples The Second Amendment. Perhaps someone in the CO legislature could pen legislation that calls out Gun Control and all its baggage? Instead pushback will amount to crickets peeing in the wind.
Laughing in supermajority that couldn’t give a fuck about your racism or genocide.
But you didn’t say she was wrong. Because she’s not wrong.
I don’t feel sorry for the Coloradians I probably should but I don’t.
Keep electing Democrats.
At some point we’re going to have to reconquer Colorado in the name of America.
I’m okay with that. Actually, looking at the voter registration rolls and banning any registered Democrat from voting ever again would be good. They have proven themselves incapable of managing anything.
And also in the name of Colorado. Natives there aren’t happy about this.
Time will only tell just how unhappy they are. I suspect they’re not all THAT unhappy.
I mean, really…to start de-electing people from their legislature in the next primaries?
I doubt that populated places like Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs will suddenly develop a red streak. Hell, they can’t even shoot at gophers who dig holes that cattle later step into and break their legs; necessitating they be put out of their misery.
Politicians don’t care how much their policies cost you. They are just going to do what they do.
I have no sympathy for Coloradans … or Californians. Let them both burn down — they’re getting what they deserve.
Might as well include NM, NV, AZ, OR, & WA. The disease is spreading exponentially in TX & MT; “Houston we have a problem!”
Your right. Normally I think oh the city folks are at it again but Colorado doesn’t have so many huge urban areas that they have a good excuse. They do have all the liberals from all over the country that move there for the mountains though (not that I blame them for that part).
Actually, city folks ARE the problem. Nearly 85% of the state population lives along the I25 corridor between Pueblo and Boulder. Just four cities, all of which are liberal progressive re-settlement centers……..and that’s what carries the elections and makes up the government. The entire rest of the state refuses to play along or enforce the idiocy, but they are only 15% or so of the total population.
Johnny
“Let them both burn down” — ?
Those people got to live somewhere.
Oh wont you be my neighbor is a song I do not want to sing
Like nearly every other state, the majority of it’s citizens are controlled by the liberal voting blocs in the large cities. In Colorado’s case, Denver and the Ski Country, which are littered with west coast transplants escaping their former high tax, nothing permitted shackles – and then voting for the same parasites that they fled from.
That’s the sad truth. I don’t understand how someone could leave California due to the stupid liberal (but I repeat myself) policies, then turn around and vote for the same bullshit that caused it.
You and the myth of Democrats conducting fair elections.
Speaking for family in Colorado. They didn’t vote for this, anymore than I voted for the Chicago democrats anti-gun everything. There’s hope tho, Cenk Uygur’s sidekick, Ana Kasparian has changed her mind about a few things, after she was attacked by homeless man.
Oh, so THAT was the instigating factor. Wow, I did not know that!
At what point do legislatures and governors lose their immunity?
If a legislature and governor passed a law declaring that it is a felony for a married couple to have consensual sex, does the legislature and governor still enjoy immunity for depriving married couples of their right to have consensual sex?
As long as the ‘Courts’ Allowing them to have it. Remember qualified immunity was/is a made up rule put in place by the Supreme Court. “The concept of qualified immunity originated in 1871 with the Civil Rights Act, specifically Section 1983, which was designed to combat violence against African Americans by the Ku Klux Klan; however, it wasn’t until the 1967 Supreme Court case “Pierson v. Ray” that the doctrine of qualified immunity was formally established, granting “good faith” protection to public officials facing lawsuits under Section 1983; the landmark case “Harlow v. Fitzgerald” in 1982 further refined qualified immunity, establishing the current standard where officials are protected unless they violate “clearly established” constitutional rights that a reasonable person would know about.”
Your example is apt, though if they passed such a law people simply wouldn’t comply. The issue is that there would be so many cases where things are less clear cut. Completely removing any kind of immunity from legislators and other elected officials, and even many bureaucrats, would leave them completely open to lawfare. And we’ve seen how much the collectivist authoritarians of the radical left love there lawfare. Completely getting rid of immunity could backfire. Horribly. I’m not saying there are not possibilities to discuss, but it seems to me that it would best be approached with some caution.
The best way to protect h-o.m”os:exu;a;ls in Colorado is to disarm the state civilian population. So says the elected married with children gay Colorado governor.
Who was elected by that same Colorado civilian population.
It’s only twenty seven words long for a reason.
While it may mean something to you it means nothing to others who were led to believe Gun Control is sugar and spice and everything nice. Read the replies and thank those who fight Gun Control with hot air.
Like you?
^^^^^ which translates to “shut the eff up Debbie you broken -record crone”
There are Very few actual “gas operated” conventional handguns. A few that come to mind are: Desert Eagle pistols in .357, .41, .44 and 50AE calibers, HK P7 & PSP models, Steyr GB, Walther CCP, some South African Vektor models, The Wildey and the M&P 5.7. This is clearly directed to AR & AK style handguns.