Unconstitutional Gun Bill SB25-003 Advances from Committee as an Amended Financial Disaster for Parks & Wildlife

On Friday, SB25-003 (Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices) passed through the House Finance Committee despite clear constitutional, fiscal, and logistical concerns. The bill, which seeks to criminalize the future ownership, sale, transfer, and purchase of many common semiautomatic firearms and accessories, is not only a blatant violation of the Second Amendment but also a reckless financial burden on a state that is already drowning in a $1.4 billion (and growing) budget deficit.

As if the bill itself weren’t problematic enough, an amendment (L.055) was added to strip funding from Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) - an agency funded not by general tax dollars, but by hunters, anglers, and park visitors who pay for the conservation and recreational programs that sustain our state’s outdoor economy.

This amendment does nothing to reduce the financial burden of the bill but instead drains resources from conservation efforts, leaving Parks & Wildlife underfunded while still leaving taxpayers with an unpaid $2 million price tag for the bill’s implementation.

A Financial Disaster in the Making

The original fiscal note on SB25-003 estimated that its implementation would cost taxpayers $4 million - money that does not exist within our already strained budget. Recognizing this, Democrats in the Finance Committee did not reconsider the bill itself but instead hacked together an amendment that redirects CPW funding to pay for a bill that the state cannot afford.

Even after gutting funds from a self-sustaining agency, the bill still requires $2 million in state resources, despite no clear funding mechanism.

Colorado is in the midst of a $1.4 billion budget shortfall - a deficit that is growing as spending priorities spiral out of control. Even putting aside the constitutional violations, how does it make any fiscal sense to pass a bill that costs millions when the state cannot pay for it?

The Appropriations Committee has a responsibility to reject any legislation that is financially unsustainable, and if they do their job without political hackery, they will cut this bill based on cost alone.

A Direct Attack on Law-Abiding Gun Owners

Make no mistake - SB25-003 is not about public safety; it is about control. This bill seeks to criminalize the future transfer of common firearms and firearm accessories used by millions of law-abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and sport shooting. The so-called “rapid-fire devices” language is dangerously vague, opening the door to criminalizing any firearm modification that increases the efficiency of a legally owned weapon. The bill’s sweeping nature overreaches into lawful gun ownership, treating responsible citizens as criminals while doing nothing to address actual violent crime.

Furthermore, the committee members who voted in favor of this bill know full well that funding is not available to implement it. Rather than acknowledging this reality, they have chosen to raid conservation funding, defund Parks & Wildlife, and still leave a $2 million cost for SB25-003, according to the updated fiscal note.

The Path Forward: Stop SB25-003 Before It’s Too Late

Now, SB25-003 moves to Appropriations, where fiscal reality should take precedence. If lawmakers care about the budget, about the state's financial health, and about responsible governance, they will reject this bill outright. It cannot be paid for, it bankrupts a self-sustaining state agency, and it tramples the constitutional rights of law-abiding Coloradans.

Governor Polis must be held accountable for allowing such reckless, unfunded legislation to proceed. Now is the time for action - contact the Governor’s Office and demand he refuse to sign this bill into law. Tell him Colorado cannot afford this financial or constitutional disaster.

I have fought against this bill at every turn and will continue to stand against unconstitutional overreach and fiscal irresponsibility.