{"id":22651,"date":"2025-04-17T11:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T17:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/republicans-in-colorados-legislature-want-trump-ag-to-stop-new-gun-control-law\/"},"modified":"2025-04-17T17:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T17:59:12","slug":"republicans-in-colorados-legislature-want-trump-ag-to-stop-new-gun-control-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/republicans-in-colorados-legislature-want-trump-ag-to-stop-new-gun-control-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans in Colorado\u2019s legislature want Trump AG to stop new gun control law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"House
House Republicans, speaking from the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to investigate the constitutionality of the state's latest gun-control law, which was signed by Gov. Jared Polis last week. (Lucas Brady Woods\/KUNC via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Less than a week after Gov. Jared Polis signed Colorado\u2019s latest gun-control law, Republicans in the legislature announced Wednesday they have asked the federal government to investigate whether the measure infringes on the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

Republicans in the Colorado House of Representative say they have sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to review the law\u2019s constitutionality through the Department of Justice\u2019s newly-created Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen state leaders ignore constitutional concerns and refuse to even allow a resolution requesting judicial review, federal oversight becomes not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary,\u201d Rep. Ryan Armagost, a Berthoud Republican, said at a news conference Wednesday at the Colorado Capitol.<\/p>\n

The law, Senate Bill 3, makes it illegal to buy, sell and manufacture a wide range of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, pistols, as well as some semiautomatic handguns, that use detachable ammunition magazines.<\/p>\n

While the manufacturing prohibition has no workarounds, people may buy the otherwise banned weapons if they get a special permit. To obtain a permit, buyers would have to go through up to 12 hours of safety training and get approval from their local sheriff.<\/p>\n

The ban goes into effect in August 2026.<\/p>\n

Supporters, including almost all of the legislature\u2019s Democrats, say the law will help limit the carnage caused during mass shootings.<\/p>\n

House Republicans argue the legislation is unconstitutional because it undermines the Second Amendment. In their letter, they called the law\u2019s passage \u201can emergency\u201d for Coloradans\u2019 self-defense and that they \u201care calling on the federal administration to aid our efforts in challenging the constitutionality\u201d of the measure.<\/p>\n

They were joined for Wednesday\u2019s announcement by several county sheriffs who support involving the federal government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to do anything and everything we can to find out if there\u2019s a way to overturn this,\u201d said Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams, a Republican. \u201cIf we really want to focus on preventing crime, we need to focus on how to hold criminals accountable and keep them in jail and prison longer for the crimes that they commit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An
An AR-15 with a detachable magazine at Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colorado, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

State Senate Republicans did not sign onto Monday\u2019s letter to Attorney General Bondi, nor did they join their House colleagues during Wednesday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

Democrats said they are confident the law will stand up to any test because they consulted regularly with the state\u2019s attorney general while crafting the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that whatever is being done in the state of Colorado, it\u2019s being thoroughly reviewed, and we continue to do things the right way,\u201d said Senate President James Coleman, D-Denver.<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, called House Republicans\u2019 letter politically motivated rather than based in actual policy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unusual for lawmakers to directly petition the U.S. Justice Department to review a freshly signed state law. Traditionally, disputes over a state law\u2019s constitutionality are worked out in the courts.<\/p>\n

Republicans\u2019 letter said state-level legal challenges will be forthcoming, but not from them.<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, center, hands a pen he used to sign Senate Bill 3 into law to state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat on the left. Sullivan\u2019s son was murdered in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. The bill signing happened on Thursday, April 10, 2025, in the governor\u2019s office at the Colorado Capitol. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe as House Republicans are not going to use taxpayer money to file a lawsuit,\u201d said Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs. \u201cI\u2019m sure there are plenty of organizations and citizen right groups that may do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, Ian Escalante, said Wednesday the group is actively working with lawyers to prepare a lawsuit, but that filing may have to wait because the law doesn\u2019t go into effect until next summer.<\/p>\n

Bondi was appointed to the top law enforcement position in the country by President Donald Trump. She launched the Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force last week to \u201cto advance President Trump\u2019s pro-gun agenda and protect gun owners from overreach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans said they had not received a response from Bondi as of Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, journalist-owned news outlet exploring issues of statewide interest. Sign up for a newsletter and read more at coloradosun.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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