Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed into law four new gun regulation measures.
The laws raise the age to purchase a firearm to 21 from 18, require a three-day waiting period after the purchase of a gun, strengthen the state’s red flag law, and repeal some legal protections for gun manufacturers, allowing victims of gun violence to pursue lawsuits against them, the Associated Press reported. The regulations are the latest of several major victories for Democrats in an increasingly left-leaning state.
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Republicans attempted to block the bills with late-night filibustering but were unsuccessful. Democrats framed the bills as essential to decrease suicides, fight youth violence, and prevent future mass shootings. The bills were propelled by the momentum for calls for gun regulation resulting from last year’s Colorado Springs LGBT nightclub shooting.
However, not all Democratic efforts in pushing forward gun regulations were successful. A fifth proposal of a sweeping ban on semi-automatic firearms, including many pistols, shotguns, and rifles, was defeated with the help of some Democrats.
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The new laws are likely to face challenges in court from gun rights advocates.
Perhaps the most expansive of the four new bills is the strengthening of the red flag law, which allows the confiscation of firearms if the owner is believed to be a harm to oneself or others. The previous version of the law restricted who could petition for the law to be used to mainly law enforcement figures. The bill signed into law by Polis extends the right to petition to doctors, mental health professionals, and teachers.
