As the Colorado General Assembly moves forward with multiple bills further restricting firearm access in the state, gun advocates are pushing back.

The Colorado State Shooting Association, the official state association of the National Rifle Association, spoke with The Center Square in an exclusive interview, highlighting some of its key concerns with the trends in Colorado.

“A lot of this legislation just comes after the very lowest crime segments of the population and the people who handle firearms and ammunition the most responsibly,” said Huey Laugesen, executive director of the Colorado State Shooting Association. “I think that a lot of responsible and law-abiding gun owners in Colorado are really starting to feel like this legislature just wants to come after them.”

Though more have been filed, two 2025 bills have received particular attention.

The first is House Bill 25-1133, also known as “Requirements for Sale of Firearms Ammunition.” This bill would prohibit the retail sale of ammunition to a person who is younger than 21, with a few exceptions.

Laugesen argued this, and other recent legislation, is in violation of the Second Amendment.

“The legislature, in recent years, passed a law that changes it so adults in that age group cannot purchase rifles or shotguns anymore. They have to wait until they are 21 years old,” he said. “These are adults who have a right to vote. They could be drafted into the military and sent overseas to carry arms on behalf of the United States government. They ought to have the right to keep their arms here in the homeland as well.”

House Bill 25-1133 would also require that ammunition sold in retail stores be “not accessible” without the assistance of an employee, practically requiring its storage in an enclosed display case or behind a counter.

“We don’t think the way ammunition sales are done now is a problem,” Laugesen said. “It seems like just another example of anti-gun politicians in the name of trying to reduce gun violence, going after the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”

He added that business owners, especially small mom-and-pop shops, could be harmed by the additional strain these requirements would put on them, particularly in light of “all of the regulation that they have to contend with.”

Following heated testimony from both supporters and opponents during its committee hearing, the bill successfully passed the state House on Tuesday on a vote of 38-27, with a few Democrats joining Republicans in opposition to the bill. It is now waiting to be taken up by the Senate.

Laugesen said the association plans to take the bill to court if it passes the Senate.

“I do think it has a high likelihood of passing through both chambers and being signed into law by Gov. (Jared) Polis,” he said. “It could still be defeated in the courts if it is signed into law, and that’s certainly something that our organization will explore.”

Senate Bill 25-003 is the second piece of legislation concerning many pro-firearm advocacy groups. It originally banned the sale or purchase of any semi-automatic rifles, shotguns or gas-operated handguns that take detachable magazines, exempting firearms with “permanently fixed” magazines.

Following the amendment process, it would still ban the purchase or sale of the applicable semi-automatic weapons, but now creates exemptions for individuals who complete a firearm safety course and are vetted by law enforcement.

“We are definitely opposed to Senate Bill 3, which we are calling the semi-automatic firearm ban and gun owner registry,” Laugesen said. “The whole thing is a massive infringement on the Second Amendment.”

He highlighted concerns about how it could also discourage certain at-risk populations from buying firearms.

“It really disproportionately affects poor and minority communities in Colorado. The process that the legislation outlines for permission to purchase these arms is very lengthy,” he said. “So it sort of bans all of these common firearms for a segment of the population that has a special need for the proper tools to defend themselves from criminals.”

Senate Bill 25-003 successfully passed the Senate earlier this month and is now awaiting a committee hearing in the House. Laugesen said the association plans to take the bill to court if it is signed into law.

This legislation is just another part of an anti-firearm trend in Colorado over the past few years, which Laugesen said law-abiding gun owners in the state are “getting really fed up with.”

Considered one of the top states in the nation for “gun law strength,” in the last five years, Colorado has enacted over 30 different gun laws.

Yet, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention group, gun violence in the state remains higher than the national average. Nationally, there are 13.7 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. In Colorado that number is 16.6.

Laugesen said ultimately this increase in laws will drive businesses out of Colorado to states with fewer restrictions.

“A lot of them feel like they have no other option but to leave the state,” he said. “It becomes increasingly difficult to do business successfully when there’s just more and more regulations they have to contend with.”

Elyse Apel is a writer for The Center Square.

Reprinted with Permission from Just The News – By Elyse Apel

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.