Gunowners’ rights organizations promised a fight after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a new law that infringes on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in his state. The law takes full effect in August 1, 2026.
Gov. Polis signed SB25-003 into law, and it bans the sale of the AR- and AK-style rifles unless Coloradans obtain approval from their county sheriff. The permit-to-purchase affects semiautomatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines.
Ian Escalante, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a state affiliate of National Association for Gun Rights, said, “Jared Polis is leapfrogging California by signing SB-003 and subjecting Coloradans to a ‘buy back your rights’ permit-to-purchase scheme, opening the door to mandatory gun registration and confiscation.”
RMGO is petitioning U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to have her Second Amendment task force investigate Colorado’s legislators for passing this gun control bill, among other restrictive anti-gun bills in the past four years.
“This law is unconstitutional on its face. It is a gun-control-group-spurred attack on the Second Amendment rights of those who follow the law,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s senior vice president and general counsel. “Colorado lawmakers who claim Gov. Polis’ gun ban will make their state safer have yet to offer legislation that would hold criminals accountable for the criminal misuse of firearms. Instead, they violate the rights of those who obey the law.
According to NSSF, Colorado’s SB25-003 makes Second Amendment rights in Colorado only permissible with a state-approved permission slip. It is an attack on the lawful sale of the most popular-selling centerfire rifles in America – the MSR or AR-15 – of which there are over 30 million in circulation today. Those firearms are used for lawful purposes daily, including recreational target shooting, hunting and self-defense.
SB25-003 also bans the sale of semiautomatic shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable magazines, unless lawful purchasers obtain similar approval from county sheriffs and obtain a permit-to-purchase, NSSF said.
A statement from Ray Elliott, president of the Colorado State Shooting Association (CSSA), said, “Governor Jared Polis has dealt a heavy blow to our freedoms by signing Senate Bill 3 into law. This oppressive permit-to-purchase scheme is a direct attack on our Second Amendment rights, afflicting Coloradans with bureaucratic hurdles to block our God-given liberties.”
Under Colorado’s SB 25-003, the sale of semiautomatic firearms capable of accepting a detachable magazine is banned unless those purchasing the firearms are vetted by a local sheriff and complete a firearm certification course, an NSSF statement explained. Sheriff approval to apply for a permit-to-purchase is based on subjective criteria, which was expressly rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2022 Bruen decision that struck down New York’s unconstitutional concealed carry permitting law.
County sheriffs can deny an application if they have a “reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the application makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to themself or others.” Sheriffs could also revoke purchasing permissions under the same standard. The criteria for the required training course is yet to be established.
That is all before a purchaser must complete and be approved for a purchase through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Elliott, CSSA president, said, “The Colorado State Shooting Association is actively exploring every legal option to challenge this unconstitutional law. Our legal team is preparing to contest Senate Bill 3, and we are committed to pursuing justice through every available avenue.”
