As the 2025 Legislative Session Begins, Colorado Lawmakers Need to Prioritize Legislation to Close the State’s High-Capacity Magazine Ban Loophole

While Colorado Already Has A Ban On High Capacity Magazines, High-Capacity Magazines Are Legally Sold In Every Single State Neighboring Colorado

DENVER —  As the Colorado General Assembly convenes for the start of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers will have the opportunity to build on the gains made over recent sessions and pass critical gun violence prevention legislation, including closing a dangerous loophole in the state’s existing ban on high-capacity magazines. Senate Bill 25-003 would build on the state’s magazine ban by also banning the purchase and sale of military-style firearms that accept detachable magazines will save Coloradan lives.

Coloradans continue to be re-traumatized from deadly mass shootings, and it’s time Colorado lawmakers take decisive action to prevent these senseless acts of mass violence,” said Pat Rottschaefer, fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network and volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Military style weapons with detachable magazines are responsible for devastating gun violence and are the gun of choice in the deadliest mass shootings. By closing the loophole in Colorado’s magazine ban, which is already over a decade old, Colorado lawmakers can show their dedication to providing a future for our state different from our history of deadly mass shootings.”

“There’s no reason a person would own these kinds of weapons and devices if their intent wasn’t to kill as many people as possible,” said Norah Krause, co-president of the Denver East High Students Demand Action chapter. “Young people like me have worked too hard to reduce gun violence to not have our existing gun safety laws fully enforced in Colorado. Closing this loophole is literally common sense and our lawmakers have a responsibility to support this bill.” 

Semi-automatic, military-style weapons are responsible for some of the deadliest acts of gun violence in Colorado — in Aurora, the use of one of these devices resulted in 12 dead and 70 wounded in Aurora. 5 died and 19 more were wounded at Club Q. In 2021, 10 people were shot and killed at a King Soopers in Boulder where the shooter legally purchased a semiautomatic pistol and paired it with high-capacity magazines. According to law enforcement, there is no evidence that the shooter’s high-capacity magazines were purchased illegally, suggesting that the shooter purchased them across state lines to circumvent Colorado law. At least eight out of the 10 of the deadliest mass shootings involved a military-style firearm with a high-capacity magazine. 

High-capacity magazines make shootings more lethal by increasing the amount of ammunition that can be fired before a shooter needs to pause to reload. In 2013, Colorado wisely enacted a law prohibiting magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition. 

While Colorado already has a ban on high capacity magazines, high-capacity magazines are legally sold in every single state neighboring Colorado and the high-powered, military style firearms that are compatible with high-capacity magazines are currently legal to purchase in Colorado. This makes the current ban incredibly weak because someone can easily just go buy a magazine in a neighboring state. Legislation to amend the state’s high-capacity magazine policy to also ban the purchase and sale of military-style firearms that accept detachable high-capacity magazines would close this loophole and save lives. 

Colorado continues to be a leader in gun violence prevention. Colorado ranks 11th in gun law strength in the nation. During the 2024 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed six gun safety bills, including in the last hours of the session passing a critical gun safety bill instituting a state dealer permitting system. Additionally, in November, Coloradans voted to pass a ballot initiative to create an excise tax on gun manufacturers and retailers in Colorado to be allocated for funding for mental health services, school safety measures, gun violence prevention programs, and support services for victims of violence. Colorado is the second state in the country to pass this type of policy.

In an average year, 977 people die and 1,392 are wounded by guns in Colorado. Guns are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado, and an average of 84 children and teens die by guns every year. Gun violence in Colorado costs $2,039 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Colorado $11.7 billion each year, of which $156.1 million is paid by taxpayers. 

More information about gun violence in Colorado is available here.

To speak with a volunteer from Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, or a policy expert from Everytown, please reach out to [email protected].