GUN BILLS

in Colorado to 21. The new law also makes it illegal to sell any gun to someone younger than 21.

“It’s just the truth that young people are far more likely to commit gun violence than their older counterparts,” said Sen. Jessie Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat and prime sponsor of the bill.

It was already illegal for people under 21 to purchase handguns.

The new law makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to buy a gun if you are younger than 21 or for a private dealer to sell a firearm to someone who is younger than 21. Licensed dealers who sell to someone younger than 21 could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The law has exceptions for members of the military and law enforcement.

The measure originally also would have banned possession of firearms for those under 21. That provision was removed in March. The bill also originally would have allowed people under 21 with a hunting license to purchase some firearms, but that element was also dropped.

The bill’s other prime sponsors were all Democrats: Sen. Kyle Mullica, Rep. Monica Duran and Rep. Eliza Hamrick.

Three-day waiting period

House Bill 1219 requires that people wait three days after purchasing a gun before they can take possession of the weapon. The measure is aimed at preventing heat-of-the-moment suicides and homicides.

If a background check takes longer than three days, purchasers would have to continue waiting to access their weapon until the check is complete. Violations are punishable by a fine of $500 for the first offense and increase to $5,000 for subsequent offenses.

The legislation also allows local governments to impose longer waiting periods for gun purchases.

Nine states and the District of Columbia already have waiting periods for gun purchases, according to Giffords, a group that pushes for tougher firearm regulations, though the policies differ from state to state.

Republicans in the legislature attempted to amend the bill to exempt victims of assault and attempted homicide from the waiting period, but those proposed changes were rejected. There are exceptions for antique firearms and for military members soon being deployed who are selling a firearm to a family member.

The bill’s prime sponsors were Democrats Rep. Meg Froelich, Rep. Judy Amabile, Sen. Tom Sullivan and Sen. Chris Hansen.

“Our waiting periods bill puts distance between emotional distress and access to a firearm,” Froelich said during the bill signing event.

Making it easier to sue the gun industry

Senate Bill 168 rolled back the state’s extra protections for gun and ammunition manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits.

A 2000 Colorado law — passed about a year after the Columbine High School massacre — granted the firearm industry some of the toughest civil legal protections in the nation. It required plaintiffs to pay defendants’ attorneys’ fees in all dismissed cases, and only allowed people to bring product liability lawsuits against gun makers, sellers and importers.

Senate Bill 168 eliminates the requirement that plaintiffs automatically pay the legal fees of gun-industry defendants when cases are dismissed, and it makes the industry susceptible to lawsuits under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the catchall policy governing business in the state.

“We finally, after 23 years of waiting, can open up Colorado courtrooms to gun violence victims and survivors seeking justice,” said Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Boulder County Democrat and a prime sponsor of the bill.

The bill initially included a specific code of conduct for gun manufacturers and sellers.The code would have required the gun making industry to “take reasonable precautions” to ensure its products aren’t sold to a retailer that “fails to establish and implement reasonable controls.” It also would have required that gun makers don’t create or market products that can be easily modified into something illegal or something that is targeted toward minors or people who are barred from purchasing a gun.

The governor’s office asked for that part of the bill to be removed, and it was taken out at their behest.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media