(The Center Square) – The Colorado Senate Tuesday gave its final approval to legislation that ups the age to purchase ammunition in the state from 18 to 21.
The Senate passed House Bill 25-1133 on its third reading in a 19 to 16 vote. Some Democrats sided with Republicans in the minority and voted against the legislation.
Under the bill, members of the military, individuals who have completed a hunters education course and purchases made at shooting ranges are exemptions made to the age restrictions.
“Differing requirements for purchasing firearms and ammunition create dangerously lax conditions for at-risk youth,” one of the bill’s prime sponsors, Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, said in a statement. “This bill would increase the age to purchase ammunition and strengthen display and delivery requirements to prevent theft and keep ammunition out of the hands of those intent on doing harm to themselves or others.”
Sen. Scott Bright, a Republican who voted against the bill, noted Monday before the Senate floor that federal law allows 18-year-olds to legally purchase rifles or shotguns.
“We must ask: Does this restriction inadvertently undermine the security of those who need it most?” he said. “I fear it does.”
The Democratic senators who voted against HB 25-1133 on third reading were Sens. Nick Hinrichsen, Kyle Mullica, Dylan Roberts and Marc Snyder.
The House, which passed the bill last month, must approve amendments made by the Senate before the bill goes to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
The Senate also approved House Bill 25-1238 in a 22 to 13 vote Tuesday morning. The legislation requires gun show operators to have liability insurance and create a security plan for a show that must be submitted to local law enforcement.
Another controversial gun bill, Senate Bill 25-003, passed the House on third reading on Monday and must pass a concurring vote in the Senate before it can be signed into law.
The legislation bans the sale or purchase of most semi-automatic firearms that take detachable magazines, unless an individual secures a firearm course eligibility card from their local sheriff department, then completes a qualifying firearm education course.
