Colorado Proposes to Ban All Guns with Detachable Magazines

Colorado’s Senate Bill 25-003, which aims to ban semi-automatic handguns and rifles with detachable magazines, is the latest example of politicians making knee-jerk decisions without thinking through the consequences. Combine this with the state’s current 15-round magazine limit, and you have a recipe for punishing law-abiding gun owners while doing absolutely nothing to stop crime or mass shootings.

Instead, the proposal seems tailored to help Senator Julie Gonzales and Representative Meg Froelich bolster their standing within their party. Passing or failing doesn’t matter as much as the political capital they hope to gain.

A Poorly Conceived Plan

The bill’s lack of understanding of firearms is glaring. For instance, it classifies 30-round AR magazines as “high capacity,” even though they are standard across most manufacturers. This shows a clear disconnect between lawmakers and reality. AR-platform rifles are among the most popular firearms in America, and labeling their standard magazines as “high capacity” feels more like a political statement than an informed decision.

These missteps highlight the broader issue: politicians drafting laws about issues they clearly don’t understand. If they were allowed to do it, these politicians would ban all types of firearms outright, probably even including black powder muskets and air guns.

Why It Won’t Work

Banning guns based on any mechanical feature or accessory is both misguided and stupid. Look no further than the SKS rifle. It doesn’t even use detachable magazines (it uses a fixed internal magazine with stripper clips), so technically, it skirts around this bill. Yet, it’s been used in multiple mass shootings. Here are just a few examples:

• Melrose Park, Illinois (2001): A gunman used an SKS to kill four people and wound four others.

• Geneva County, Alabama (2009): Ten people lost their lives to a shooter wielding an SKS.

• East Oakland, California (2009): Two dead, five injured—again, with an SKS.

• Pike County, Ohio (2016): An SKS was used to kill eight family members in a brutal ambush.

• Congressional Baseball Game Attack (2017): The gunman brought an SKS to ambush Republican members of Congress practicing for a charity baseball game.

• Springfield, Missouri (2020): A shooter killed four people, including a police officer, using—you guessed it—an SKS.

This list proves one thing: the guns themselves aren’t the problem. A determined killer doesn’t care what laws are on the books. They’ll use whatever is available, legal or not. So, banning guns based on magazine types or configurations is just political theater. It’s a lazy, ineffective approach designed to make lawmakers feel like they’ve “done something,” while completely ignoring the real issues.

Only the Law-Abiding Suffer

Gun bans like this one leave criminals unaffected but create barriers for responsible citizens. Criminals, by definition, don’t care about gun bans. They’ll still find ways to arm themselves. And with neighboring states not enacting the same nonsense, what’s stopping someone from picking up a gun in Wyoming or Kansas and bringing it back to Colorado? Absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, the rest of us—gun owners who just want to protect our families, hunt, or enjoy shooting sports—are left holding the bag. And for what? So politicians can pat themselves on the back?

It’s a Constitutional Train Wreck

Not only is this bill useless, but it’s also unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has already ruled in cases like District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago that Americans have the right to own commonly used firearms for self-defense. Semi-automatic rifles and handguns are some of the most popular guns in America, used by millions of law-abiding citizens. Good luck defending this bill in court when the lawsuits start rolling in. Taxpayers are the ones who’ll foot the bill when it gets struck down.

Here’s the Real Danger

With Democrats holding the majority in Colorado’s state legislature and senate, this bill has a real chance of passing. And that’s terrifying. Instead of addressing the root causes of violence—like mental health issues, illegal gun trafficking, or gang activity—they’re throwing out these broad, feel-good bans that won’t do a damn thing to make anyone safer.

What We Should Be Doing Instead

If the goal is actually reducing gun violence (and not just grandstanding), here’s where we should be focusing:

1. Mental Health: Invest in real resources for people who need help. Many mass shooters have untreated mental health conditions.

2. Enforce Existing Laws: We already have plenty of gun laws on the books. How about enforcing them?

3. Target Criminals, Not Citizens: Focus on stopping illegal gun trafficking and cracking down on gang violence, instead of making life harder for everyday Americans.

Wake Up, Colorado

This bill is an insult to common sense. It won’t stop criminals, it won’t prevent mass shootings, and it won’t make anyone safer. What it will do is alienate responsible gun owners, waste taxpayer money on legal battles, and make criminals’ jobs easier by disarming potential victims.

Colorado residents need to push back hard on this. Call your representatives. Write letters. Show up at hearings. Don’t let politicians punish law-abiding citizens just to score political points.

Enough is enough.