2024 is already proving to be a tough year for the Second Amendment in Colorado. A number of firearm related bills have been passed that will unfortunately have broad, negative impacts on our local communities. These excessive regulations create unnecessary burdens for law abiding citizens and will have a devastating impact on many small businesses in Colorado. Plus they will likely lead to higher taxes for all Coloradans.
Before diving into one of the bills, I’d like to share a few facts. All firearms dealers throughout the United States are required to have a Federal Firearms License (FFL). This involves an application process, permitting fees, fingerprinting and a federal background check. This licensing is up for renewal every three years. Dealers must have a secure facility to store firearms. All FFL’s are required to grant the ATF access to their business at any time, day or night, upon request. In addition, FFL’s are subject to both remote and physical spot checks, without prior notification. Currently, under the Biden Administration, there is a zero tolerance policy and all FFL’s are under a microscope – some licenses have even been revoked for clerical errors.
Despite all of the existing regulations, House Bill 1353 was passed in the House and Senate and is currently sitting on Governor Polis’ desk awaiting signature. Under this bill, Colorado Firearms dealers will be bombarded with extra requirements and fees to obtain a state permit. They will also be subject to random and regular inspections by the state – who will fund these inspections and who exactly will conduct them is unclear, though all of the requirements in this bill will supposedly be organized by Colorado’s Department of Revenue. The state will also impose yearly education requirements for gun shop employees as well as background checks every 3 years. Who will conduct the classes? Where will they be held… in Denver? What is the cost associated with developing and implementing that? Who designs the curriculum? I’m honestly not opposed to requiring employee background checks, in fact most reputable FFLs already do them upon hiring, but I dislike the fact this will be yet another financial burden for gun shop owners or for the employees themselves. This bill also requires dealers to “secure each firearm in a manner that prevents a customer or other member of the public from accessing or using the firearm, except when the firearm is being shown to a customer, repaired, or otherwise worked on”. How do they define the word “secure”? Is smash-proof glass case considered secure? Behind a counter? Can they be tethered or must they be locked individually? If they are to be locked, are there specific types that are prohibited? All of these questions are reasonable to ask, yet no answers are laid out in the bill. Aren’t these the kind of questions our representatives should have asked and answered before approving it? Ultimately, any changes will negatively impact sales for firearms dealers and also lead to additional costs.
It is important to recognize that this bill will cause significant hardships for many small business owners in Colorado and will negatively impact thousands of employees and their families as well as farmers, ranchers and hunters in our state, as they rely on those small business. Think specifically about our area – we don’t have the big corporations, just local stores run by friends and neighbors – and those are the people who will be affected the most.
Please call Governor Polis (303) 866-2471 and request that he veto this bill as it will have significant negative impacts on our local communities.
Jenna Victoria
Jenna is the Social Media, Public Relations & Training Manager for Salida Gunshop. Prior to that, she worked in law enforcement in Connecticut for over a decade. During her career as a police officer, she held a variety of roles including Negotiator, Crisis Intervention Officer, and School Safety Officer.
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