Colorado lawmakers could be closer than ever to passing legislation outlawing certain semiautomatic guns after two years of failed attempts. 

Senate Bill 3 would prohibit the sale, purchase and manufacture of semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable ammunition magazines. That would include AR-15 and AK-47 rifles as well as AR and AK-style pistols, according to an analysis by The Colorado Sun. 

The bill overcame its first key test at the Capitol Tuesday after a Senate committee voted 3-2 to advance it to the Senate floor shortly before midnight. The vote was along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. 

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Despite Democrats’ strong majorities in both the Senate and House, not all members of the party have been in support of previous efforts to pass broader bans on what lawmakers defined as “assault weapons.” This year’s bill has more widespread support from the party with 17 Democratic sponsors in the Senate. It needs 18 votes to pass the chamber. 

Western Slope lawmakers have given mixed reactions to the legislation, with some raising concern around Second Amendment rights and others expressing cautious optimism that this could be the year a major gun control bill passes. 

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Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, opposes the bill, which he labeled an affront to constitutional rights. He said the state’s past gun safety measures — which include laws aimed at temporarily removing firearms from at-risk individuals and banning gun sales for those under the age of 21 — have done more than enough to limit firearm use in the state. 

“We just keep taking away pieces of people’s rights, and I think that’s dangerous,” Catlin said. 

As a member of the House last year, Catlin voted against the assault weapons ban. While that bill passed the House, it later died in a Senate committee hearing before it could get to the floor. 

While Republicans are expected to remain uniformly opposed to this year’s bill, Catlin expects it will pass based on the support from Democrats who were more divided over previous measures. 

Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, is one of six Senate Democrats who have not signed onto the bill as a sponsor. He said he hasn’t taken a position since he believes the bill could face future amendments. 

Senate Bill 3 has already been amended to exempt hunting guns that accept tube-style magazines and prop guns used in films. Law enforcement officers who need to buy their own guns would also be exempt from the ban. 

Roberts has not voted before on previous gun ban proposals because the idea has never made it to the Senate floor, but he has raised skepticism over other gun control measures and has been seen as a potential swing vote on certain bills. 

Last session, Roberts forced amendments to a bill banning guns in designated “sensitive spaces.” The changes removed a slew of areas like bars, churches and hospitals from the gun ban but retained government-related spaces and schools. Roberts at the time said the narrower scope would give the legislation, which ultimately passed, better legal standing. 

Should Senate Bill 3 move to the House, it will likely face an even greater margin of support. Last year’s assault weapons ban passed the House by a 35-27 vote, and Democrats currently hold a 43-22 majority in the chamber. 

“We’ve been having this conversation, at least, for three years,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, a House sponsor of Senate Bill 3. “I do think that the sponsors have done a lot of work to thread the needle and get to good policy.”

Velasco voted in favor of last year’s assault weapons ban, but the measure failed to gain the support of key Senate Democrats like Tom Sullivan, who represents parts of Arapahoe and Douglas counties. 

Sullivan, whose son Alex was killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, has advocated for many of the gun safety measures passed by the legislature in previous sessions. But he’s been skeptical of a statewide assault weapons ban, which he believes should be dealt with at the federal level.

Sullivan is a prime sponsor of this year’s Senate bill, which he sees as less of a ban and more a way to better uphold current state law on ammunition magazines. 

Under a 2013 law, Colorado prohibits magazines that hold more than 15 rounds even as the sale of guns capable of carrying high-capacity ammunition is legal. Gun safety advocates say banning the sale and manufacturing of those guns — like AR-15 and AK-47 rifles — will help the state better enforce its magazine law. 

It “will not impact a single firearm you presently own,” Sullivan said during Tuesday’s bill hearing. “This will be about the next one — possibly the first one for the next mass shooter in our state.” 

Velasco said having Sullivan’s support this year gives her more hope for the bill’s prospects. She continues to view gun control measures as a way of making communities safer in a state that has seen some of the most high-profile mass shootings in the country.

“We continue to see those types of situations on the rise, especially when it comes to our schools and our kids,” Velasco said. 

Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, did not take a stance on the bill, saying in a text message that she is “reviewing the bill closely and speaking with members of my community to guide my decision-making process.” 

As a teacher, Lukens said she shares “the fear felt by many Coloradans that our community could the sight of the next mass tragedy” while adding she is “committed to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Coloradans as we consider efforts to prevent gun violence and save lives.” 

Lukens voted against the 2024 assault weapons measure when it came to the House floor. Asked about her decision last year, Lukens cited the Second Amendment and voiced concern about whether a ban would lead to more people leaving Colorado to buy illegal firearms in neighboring states.

House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, said she also doesn’t have a position yet on Senate Bill 3 and plans to give it “rigorous evaluation.” 

“I want to be able to hear from my district and certainly learn more about the bill,” McCluskie said. “It’s a big one, and it’s important that my vote be right.” 

McCluskie also expects there may be changes to the bill if it passes the Senate. McCluskie voted for the assault weapons ban last session, which she called “a really hard decision.” She said her personal view is that assault weapons shouldn’t be in civilian hands. 

“I support our hunters and sportsmen, I am certainly in favor of responsible gun ownership, but we’re talking about a type of weapon that can do different things,” McCluskie said. “I am simply trying to vote for the voices I hear from so many people about gun violence and trying to vote in a way that will stop the gun violence we’ve seen in this state.” 

The bill is currently pending in the Senate. It will need to pass a second and third reading before it makes it to the House.