Colorado’s Gun Bill Tally Hits 10 as Legislature Sends 7 More to the Governor

If you’re a gun owner or firearms industry professional in Colorado, this legislative session has felt like a slow-motion car crash you couldn’t look away from. And it just got a lot worse.

Now seven more firearm-related bills are heading to the Governor’s desk. That brings the total to 10 gun bills passed this session out of 16 introduced.

The session kicked off with SB25-003, the so-called “assault weapons” ban that is now law, despite widespread opposition and being touted as the most aggressive firearm ban in the country. Governor Jared Polis signed it in April. The legislation bans a broad swath of commonly owned firearms including all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine, along with gas operated pistols that can take detachable magazines (with some very nuanced and contradictory language around pistols that could ban almost all semi-auto pistols). It also created a brand-new gun buyer ID card system with multiple burdensome requirements including extensive background checks, sheriff approval, training mandates, and a hefty price tag. We’ve written about that mess here and multiple times on our blog if you want to dive into the details.

Then came HB25-1133, restricting ammunition sales to those 21 and over and enacting new confusing compliance rules for on-site purchases as well as online order delivery. Oh, and it goes after hand reloading supplies too, not just loaded ammo, but also cartridge cases, primers, propellant powder, and projectiles. Shortly after, HB25-1238 targeted gun shows with enough red tape to shut most of them down. Both are now law.

But not every bill sailed through. SB25-086, a deeply concerning social media surveillance bill, would have forced social media companies to strictly monitor gun-related speech and report users to law enforcement if the company felt a user’s speech might be part of an unlawful sale, making social media companies the arbiter of Colorado gun laws. The bill went on to require data collection to be sent to the Colorado Attorney General and imposed hefty consequences for companies that refused. It would have ultimately led to a chilling censorship of firearm related speech. It was rightly vetoed by the Governor, but lawmakers in both parties tried to override that veto. Only after massive grassroots pushback from gun owners and civil liberties advocates did that override effort collapse. That rare win was hard-earned.

Another quiet but critical victory this session was the defeat of HB25-1258, a deceptively framed environmental bill that would have ordered the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to manage land based on vague criteria like “whole ecosystem health” and serving “all Coloradans.” While that may sound harmless on the surface, the real impact would’ve been granting bureaucrats sweeping authority to redefine wildlife priorities, paving the way to restrict or eliminate hunting and fishing in Colorado. It threatened the very foundation of the state’s conservation model, which depends on hunters and anglers. Thanks to swift and overwhelming public opposition, the bill was killed in its first committee hearing.

Here’s what is now heading to the Governor and I fully expect him to support. 

HB25-1314 – Creating a Regulatory Police Force Inside the Department of Revenue

This bill transforms Colorado’s Department of Revenue into a pseudo-law enforcement agency with actual, POST-certified peace officers operating under the Firearms Dealer Division. These new officers are empowered to enforce all laws of the state, not just firearm regulations.

• Who gets POST certified? Investigators, supervisors, directors, and agents in charge from the Firearms Dealer Division.

• What’s wrong with that? These officers are not elected sheriffs or accountable to local communities; they’re bureaucrats given a badge and broad law enforcement powers.

• The power shift: This creates a regulatory enforcement class targeted squarely at gun dealers without the oversight traditional law enforcement carries.

I raised the red flag about HB25-1314 as it was being fast tracked through. Read my write up about it here.

HB25-1225 – Carrying a Gun Is Now “Presumed Intimidation”

The so-called “Freedom From Intimidation in Elections Act” is a civil enforcement bill that presumes you are intimidating voters if you are visibly carrying a firearm (real or fake) near any election-related activity – including simply talking about voting or elections anywhere in the state, a serious free speech infringement. The bill also flips the burden of proof and gun owners are presumed guilty unless they can prove otherwise.

• What’s covered? Voting, ballot drop boxes, canvassing, and even encouraging someone to vote.

• Presumed guilty: Carrying a visible (real or even toy) gun while near these activities makes you presumptively guilty of intimidation unless you prove otherwise.

• Exemptions: Only for on-duty law enforcement and security guards.

• Enforcement: Private citizens and government officials alike can sue you—simultaneously—for alleged intimidation.

• What is already law: Colorado already has two firearm related election laws on the books strictly prohibiting the open or concealed carrying of a firearm within 100 feet of polling locations, ballot boxes, or locations where election work is being done.

Read HB25-1225 here.

SB25-158 – The State Procurement Regulations & Blacklist 

On its face, this bill appears to regulate firearm purchases by the state. But scratch the surface, and it’s clear it’s about creating a backdoor blacklist of firearm dealers.

• What it does: Requires any gun dealer bidding for a government contract to comply with a sprawling “verification process,” including disclosing trace requests, thefts, violations, and their internal security protocols.

• The problem: This doesn’t just guide responsible procurement—it punishes and stigmatizes federally licensed dealers for complying with federal law

• What was amended out: In its original form, this bill mandated the destruction of retired service weapons, surplus, buyback guns, surrendered firearms, and any other gun not tied to an active case. This was removed from the legislation but bill sponsors promised to bring it back next year.

Read SB25-158 here.

SB25-205 – FFL Serial Number Checks

Creates a process for FFLs to conduct serial number checks before purchasing secondhand firearms and mandates reporting of any gun found to be stolen or under investigation. Many FFLs want a streamlined way to access the lost and stolen guns database, but this bill turned that simple request on its head.

• What it does: Requires law enforcement to work with FFLs to check used guns against the stolen firearm database before purchase or consignment.

• Layered bureaucracy: Creates burdensome new regulations for FFLs who use the system.

• Penalty: Puts in place penalties on FFLs for not properly following the new regulations, including, but not limited to, revocation of their state dealer permit.

Read SB25-205 here.

HB25-1250 – Gun Control in Disguise as “Education”

This bill requires K-12 schools to send “gun violence prevention” materials home to every parent, every year. The materials come from the Colorado Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

• Indoctrination alert: The state picks the narrative, schools become messengers.

• Opt-out? Not allowed. And who defines what “prevention” looks like? The same office known for pushing one-sided views on firearms.

Read HB25-1250 here.

SB25-034 – The Voluntary “Do Not Sell” List

This one lets people voluntarily ban themselves from buying a firearm. On its face, it sounds harmless—even well-meaning for suicide prevention. But it comes with unnecessary penalties, barriers to removal from the list, and could be abused.

• What’s concerning: The state keeps a registry (confidential, for now) and denies transfers based on it. Revoking the waiver? You’ll have to wait 30 days.

• How it could be abused: Pressure from therapists, medical professionals, and others could lead to this being less than voluntary. We also question the lax ID requirements to self-add yourself to the list.

• Penalty for trying to buy while on the list? A civil infraction and $25 fine.

Read SB25-034 here.

HB25-1062 – All Gun Theft Is Now a Felony

This bill is straightforward and actually useful: it makes all firearm thefts a felony, regardless of the dollar value of the firearm.

• Current law flaw: Theft under $2,000 could be a misdemeanor.

• What this bill changes: Steal a gun? That’s a felony, period. Steal more than one? Each one counts separately.

• Why it matters: It’s one of the few pieces of legislation this year that targets criminals instead of lawful gun owners

Read HB25-1062 here.

And the Pro-Gun Bills? All Killed on Arrival

A few strong, pro-Second Amendment bills were introduced this year, but not a single one made it to the Governor’s desk. All three were swiftly killed in committee—no debate, no compromise, just rejection.

• HB25-1164 – Constitutional Carry: Would’ve ended the requirement for concealed carry permits.

• HB25-1055 – Repeal of 2024’s State Licensing Scheme: Targeted the licensing bill that created excessive red tape for firearms dealers.

• HB25-1232 – Self-Defense Liability Protections: Would have held property owners liable for harm suffered by disarmed individuals prohibited from defending themselves on the premises.

And Then There’s What’s Coming…

One bill everyone was expecting, often referred to as the “Armory Bill”, never showed up this session. But don’t relax just yet. We fully expect it to drop when the legislature reconvenes in January 2026. If passed, it would bring the most aggressive gun registry and ownership cap we’ve ever seen.

Based on drafts and insider chatter, it’s expected to:

• Define what constitutes an “armory” in private homes

• Limit the number of firearms an individual may purchase or own

• Require the registration of all firearms stored in one location

My Final Thoughts

The 2025 legislative session ends May 7th. Out of 16 firearm-related bills introduced this year, ten passed. One was vetoed and nearly resurrected. Three pro-gun bills were smothered. Only one targets actual crime. The rest? They target YOU.

Colorado’s elected Democrats didn’t just go after “scary black rifles” or magazines this session. They targeted firearm dealers, discouraged self-defense, erased long-standing traditions like gun shows, and quietly advanced the biggest cultural shift in state firearm policy in a generation.

This wasn’t about public safety. It was about power.

And unless something changes, we’re not even close to the end. The 2025 legislative session may be ending but the 2026 session will be firing back up in January – and with all the same players.