NRA Focused on the Fight as Colorado Governor Signs Unconstitutional Gun Control Bill into Law

Stomping out the Second Amendment freedoms of law-abiding gun owners, hunters and shooters seems to be the head-scratching solution to fighting crime in Colorado where Gov. Jared Pollis signed unconstitutional Senate Bill 25-003 into law on April 10. Very telling was the fact the bill—dubbed “one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country”—was signed at an invitation-only ceremony with gun control advocates, perhaps gathering in secret in the hope of increasing their power while patting themselves on the back.

Standing with gun owners in Colorado and across the country, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) immediately issued a statement condemning Gov. Pollis for disregarding the freedoms of Coloradoans. Signing the bill into law in the name of curbing gun violence ignored the many months of letters, emails and other communications from tens of thousands of Centennial State residents vowing to protect their freedoms and once again demonstrated that America’s Second Amendment is of no importance to him.

“Behind closed doors, Governor Polis cowardly signed into law the most anti-gun, anti-freedom bill in Colorado’s history,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford. “Instead of respecting the individual liberties of gun owners and hunters in his state, he bent the knee to the radical gun control element of his party.” Putting the move into perspective, Commerford added, “If this proposal was popular with his citizens, it would not need to be enacted in secret.”

As Commerford shared, S.B. 25-003 essentially requires residents to get a “Polis permission slip” to exercise their constitutional rights and establishes a “permit-to-purchase” scheme for banned semi-automatic firearm platforms. Before applying for a permit, Coloradoans will need to complete a 12-hour educational course. The new law mandates that training requirements and the permitting process fall under the jurisdiction of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the state wildlife agency, and entails placing burdens on local sheriff's departments. It also requires CPW to maintain a database of all who pass the training course, which seems like the first step toward creating a government registry of gun owners.

Fortunately, there is still one more month to go in Colorado’s legislative session before it adjourns. For more good news, NRA-ILA will explore all legal options to fight this law, which is set to go into effect in August 2026. The NRA and other sportsmen-backed groups have vowed to file a lawsuit challenging the new law’s constitutionality that could prevent it from taking effect.

In the meantime, NRA-ILA is grateful to all legislators who voted against this egregious measure. It advises Colorado gun owners, hunters and shooters to expect the anti-gun extremists in the General Assembly to become even more emboldened and to continue their attacks on the Second Amendment.

Please check the NRA-ILA website and this NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum hunting news site for updates as this legislative session progresses.