A view of the Colorado Capitol on March 13, 2024. (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
A bill that would ban the concealed carrying of firearms in universities across Colorado, as well as a number of other public places, advanced on party lines at its second appearance in front of the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The amended bill now heads to the floor of the state Senate for a full vote.
SB24-131, sponsored by Democratic senators Sonya Jaquez Lewis and Chris Kolker, bans carrying firearms in government buildings, legislative assemblies, polling places, preschools, K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
“This [bill] gives us that immediate action that I think so much of Colorado is asking for,” Jaquez Lewis said during the hearing.
It was written in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to ban carrying firearms in some “sensitive places.”
Amendments introduced by the sponsors cut large swaths of the original bill, which originally was set to also ban the practice in other public places like bars, parks and hospitals. Its current version greatly reduced the number of places listed.
Resistance from members of the committee, and concerns over the original bill’s viability in court, prompted Jaquez Lewis and Kolker to condense the list.
“We’re [amending the bill] because it gives us a bit more firm legal standing,” Jaquez Lewis told the CU Independent on March 20. “Since we have lawyers on the committee that are very interested in having that, we are working with them to make that happen.”
Sen. Dylan Roberts, vice chair of the Judiciary Committee, helped to amend the original bill and bring it more in line with the explicit list of places laid out in Justice Clarence Thomas’ majority opinion in 2021. The amendments also addressed a number of concerns members of the committee and the public raised at the last committee hearing.
On and off-duty police, military members and security guards would all be exempt from the restrictions. Those bringing firearms into courthouses as evidence, or carrying a firearm in the parking lot of a school, would also be exempt. Local governments can supersede the restrictions listed in the bill as well.
The pro-gun advocacy group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners said it would sue the state if the bill was passed as originally written, but didn’t commit to any legal action once the amendments were introduced.
In a video posted Tuesday evening, RMGO Director of Operations Ian Escalante told the group’s X, formerly known as Twitter, followers to call and demand members of the committee vote against the bill.
“Bans like this don’t work because individuals with criminal intent are going to carry out heinous acts,” Escalante told the CU Independent on March 20.
There was no public comment on the bill this week, as lawmakers took just 13 minutes to ask questions about the amendments and send it to the full Senate. Three Democrats voted for the bill, with both Republicans on the committee voting no.
Last week, lawmakers heard more than five hours of public testimony on the bill. All three Boulder County commissioners testified in support, as well as the Boulder and Denver district attorneys, gun control advocates and dozens of University of Colorado students.
Some students, several gun rights advocates, representatives from rural police and sheriff’s departments and the vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party testified against it.
Another attempt to ban campus concealed carry at the University of Colorado’s four campuses is underway at the Board of Regents. Regent Wanda James announced her intention to bring the measure forward at the next full regent meeting on April 11.
Jaquez Lewis said she was in favor of Regent James’ attempt to ban concealed carry at CU.
“We’ll have an answer to where this bill is going to land by the end of session,” she said. “I would encourage any regent, any administrative folks at any of the college campuses to keep going.”
Contact CU Independent Special Investigations Editor Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
