Lights, Camera, Hypocrisy: Hollywood Exempt from Colorado’s New Gun Ban

In a blatant display of double standards, Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis has signed SB25-003 — an assault weapons ban on steroids and one of the most sweeping and draconian gun control laws in U.S. history — while at the same time carving out a special loophole for, of all people, Hollywood movie producers.

That’s right. While regular Coloradans will soon face criminal charges for trying to buy or sell many common semi-automatic firearms, movie studios will be allowed to manufacture, sell, transfer, and use these very same “dangerous” weapons — as long as they’re using them to make a movie. Because apparently, guns are only “too dangerous for civilians” when they’re not being glamorized on the big screen.

Thanks to Amendment L.002, the manufacture, distribution, sale, or rental of a banned semi-automatic firearm capable of firing blanks is fully exempt — if it’s being done for a film prop. In other words, if you want to own one of these guns to protect your home and family? You’re a criminal. But if you’re shooting the next John Wick sequel? You’re golden.

It’s a loophole so absurd it would be funny — if it weren’t such a grotesque insult to every law-abiding gun owner in Colorado.

Here’s a short version of what the rest of SB25-003 does to the average person who doesn’t happen to have a film crew in tow. You can read of more detailed version here:

• Starting August 2026, it will be illegal to manufacture, sell, or buy most semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and gas-operated pistols that accept detachable magazines.

• Only pistols that use a recoil operation might be exempt, but even that is left to the state Attorney General’s “clarification.”

• Firearms with fixed magazines welded, soldered, or epoxied to a 15-round limit are technically allowed — a type of gun that, for all practical purposes, doesn’t exist on the civilian market and would make for an insanely dangerous self-modification.

• Rapid-fire trigger devices like bump stocks are banned immediately — possession alone is now a felony with no grandfather clause.

• Manufacturers can still produce these firearms if they’re selling to the military, police, prison guards, armored-vehicle businesses, or movie producers. Regular citizens? Not so much.

• Colorado citizens wanting to buy a banned gun must first obtain a Firearm Safety Course Eligibility Card. Here’s brief synopsis of what that entails:

  • Pass a sheriff’s examination of your complete state and national background check (and sheriffs can deny you if they think you might be a “risk”). Don’t forget to tip your sheriff for their time after you pay for your own background check and pay the application fee.

  • Complete up to 12 hours of government-approved training over two days, unless you’ve taken a Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) hunters safety course within 5 years, then an additional basic firearms safety course will suffice. Now you get to pay your trainer and CPW too if you do the hunter safety course.

  • Pass a yet-to-be defined test with a score of 90% or higher. Gotta pay to take the test.

  • Get your Firearm Safety Course Eligibility Card. Yes, you’ll be expected to fork out some cash yet again to buy your new license to exercise your constitutional rights.
  • Be entered into CPW’s new “gun buyers registry”. I’m sure you’ll pay for this too.

  • Renew the card every five years by completing the steps above. Pay it all again.

  • You’ll still be required to fill out a form 4473 and pass both a NICS and CBI background check, as well as be subjected to a 3-day waiting period, when you finally get to purchase your desired banned firearm.

• Penalties for violating SB25-003 are no joke, again, unless you’re an extra special movie producer:

  • A first offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor — up to 120 days in jail and a fine.

  • Subsequent offenses become Class 6 felonies — up to 18 months in prison.

  • Possessing a bump stock or other rapid-fire device is even harsher — a Class 5 felony on first offense, and Class 4 felony after that.

Oh, and if you already own one of the now-banned guns? You can keep it — for now. 

Meanwhile, if you’re a Hollywood executive filming a bloody shoot-em-up where the good guys mow down dozens of bad guys with AR-style rifles? Welcome to Colorado. We’ve rolled out the red carpet just for you.

The hypocrisy is stunning. The same politicians who argue that these firearms are “too dangerous for civilian ownership” are bending over backwards to make sure they stay available for violent entertainment purposes. So apparently, it’s not the guns themselves that are evil — it’s just the idea of regular people having them.

Gun rights groups have already vowed to challenge this travesty in court, and rightly so. SB25-003 is bad policy all the way around: unconstitutional, elitist, and embarrassingly out of touch with the reality that the Second Amendment isn’t about Hollywood fantasy — it’s about real people’s right to defend themselves.

But hey, as long as the cameras are rolling, who cares if the peasants are disarmed, right?obta