Sadly, on Friday, April 25, Gov. Jared Polis failed Colorado’s sportsmen community by siding with gun-control advocates. Gov. Polis signed three bills into law that are not about stopping crime and protecting communities or wildlife, but about cratering the freedom of law-abiding hunters throughout Colorado.
SB23-168 repeals the current law limiting product liability actions against manufacturers of firearms and ammunition to situations in which there was a defect in the design or manufacture of a firearm or ammunition and authorizes the Attorney General and others to sue firearms manufacturers for the violent acts of third parties.
SB 23-169 raises the age to purchase or possess a firearm to 21 with a list of confusing exemptions that will lead to many 18- to 20-year-old law-abiding citizens being stripped of their right to hunt, shoot and defend themselves.
HB23-1219 imposes an arbitrary three-day delay on gun owners taking possession of their firearms and makes this delay longer or indefinite if authorities fail to complete a background check during that time.
Lawsuits have been filed and the governor is not concerned with the state paying to fight to restrict firearms from law-abiding sportsmen.
Colorado’s legislative session is due to adjourn later this week and the Sportsmen’s Alliance will continue to monitor the session.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.