Semi-automatic firearms ban passes Colorado House, heads to Senate – Winnipeg Free Press

DENVER (AP) — Colorado's Democratic-controlled House passed a bill Sunday that would ban the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms, a major legislative step after the same bill was quickly killed by Democrats last year.

The bill, which passed by a vote of 35-27, now heads to the Democratic-led state Senate. If it passes there, it could put Colorado in line with 10 other states that have banned semi-automatic weapons, including California, New York and Illinois.

But even in a state plagued by some of the nation's worst mass shootings, such legislation faces headwinds.

Colorado's political history is purple, and more recently, blue. The bill's chances of success in the state Senate are lower than in the House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a 46-19 majority and a large left wing. Governor Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has expressed caution about such a ban.

A similar bill died in committee last year, with some Democratic lawmakers worried about repealing the ban, citing promises the government made to their constituents not to affect gun owners' rights.

Last year, Democrats passed and signed four less gun control bills. These include raising the age to purchase any gun from 18 to 21; establish a three-day waiting period between the purchase and withdrawal of weapons; strengthen the state's red flag law; and roll back some legal protections for the firearms industry, exposing it to lawsuits by victims of gun violence.