Colorado Governor Signs 4 Gun Control Bills Into Law

Colorado Governor Signs Four New Gun Control Bills

On Friday afternoon, Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed four new gun control bills into law, adding measures to restrict gun purchases and imposing new legal liabilities on the gun industry.

The New Gun Control Measures

• Bill to raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm in the state to 21 years old
• Bill that will make firearms purchasers wait an additional three days after clearing a background check before a firearms seller will give them the product they purchased
• Bill that expands on the list of people who can petition a court to impose an extreme risk protective order (ERPO)
• Bill that allows victims of gun violence or the Colorado state attorney general to sue a member of the firearm industry for damages

“Today we are taking some important steps to help make Colorado one of the ten safest states, and building upon the ongoing work to make Colorado communities safer,” Polis said in a press statement Friday. “Last year, I was proud to sign a comprehensive public safety plan of action into law to put Colorado on track to becoming one of the ten safest states in the nation, and this legislation today will improve public safety and reduce gun violence.”

Gun Rights Activists Raise Challenges

Shortly after Polis signed the raft of gun control bills, gun rights groups filed lawsuits to stop the bills raising age limits and waiting periods for gun purchases. Other states have faced lawsuits over similar gun control measures.

Earlier this month, a federal judge struck down a Minnesota law prohibiting 18- to 20-year-olds from obtaining permits to carry handguns in public. Judge Katherine Menendez cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last June in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in her decision to rule against the Minnesota law.