Bill to ban semiautomatic guns to die in committee

DENVER (KDVR) — A bill to ban the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms in Colorado will die in a Senate committee on Tuesday.

State Sen. Julie Gonzales, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said she would request that the State Veterans and Military Affairs committee postpone the so-called “assault weapons” ban bill indefinitely.

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“After thoughtful conversations with my Senate colleagues, I decided that more conversations need to take place outside of the pressure cooker of the Capitol during the last weeks of the legislative session,” the statement reads. “In that spirit, I look forward to renewing and continuing those discussions over the interim. It is clear that survivors of devastating gun violence, responsible gun owners and local and national policy advocates remain committed to doing the work necessary to save lives — and an assault weapons ban will do just that.”

Other prime sponsors include state Reps. Tim Hernández and Elisabeth Epps. Epps sponsored a similar bill last year, but it died in committee.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a gun rights advocacy group, celebrated the news and touted the group’s campaign to oppose the measure. Executive director Taylor Rhodes said their supporters made around 65,000 calls and sent more than 150,000 emails to lawmakers, and they also gathered around 210,000 petition signatures urging legislators to vote against the bill.

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The bill cleared the House in April with a 35-27 vote, the furthest such legislation has advanced in Colorado.

“Make no mistake! We WILL defeat as many House members as we can who are on record voting for this garbage!” Rocky Mountain Gun Owners posted on social media.

Ten states have prohibitions on semiautomatic guns, including California, New York and Illinois.

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