Colorado bill says gun barrel purchases to be made at dealers

Senate Bill 26-043, which was introduced last week, would also ban the possession of any firearm barrels “with the intent to sell or transfer” and add criminal penalties for violation.

“It is unlawful for a person to sell or transfer a firearm barrel, unless the person selling or transferring the firearm barrel is a federally licensed firearm dealer and the sale or transfer occurs in person,” reads the legislation, which was introduced by state Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, and Reps. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, and Kyle Brown, D-Louisville.

The bill is similar to legislation signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. 

“A firearm barrel … shall not be sold or transferred unless that transaction is completed in person by a firearms dealer licensed,” states the California law, which requires a background check for barrel purchases.

Proponents of the California legislation argued it will “help curb the proliferation of ghost guns.”

The Colorado bill also requires firearm dealers to keep records of barrel sales or transfers for a minimum of five years and directs the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to “create a form for retail record keeping.” 

Gun rights groups like the Colorado State Shooting Association say the legislation amounts to “another data-harvesting operation.”

“It is designed to collect and keep records on more of Colorado's millions of responsible gun owners by mandating a paper trail, not merely for firearm purchases, but also for the simple replacement of components,” CSSA Executive Director Huey Laugesen told The Center Square in an email.

Sullivan and a spokesperson for Senate Democrats did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.

Sullivan and Froelich are also sponsoring Senate Bill 26-004, which would expand the state’s “Red Flag” law by adding a list of “institutional petitioners” that could petition a court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order.

SB 26-004 was advanced by the Senate Committee on State, Veterans and Military Affairs last week.

Sullivan and Froelich sponsored legislation that passed last session creating a permit system to purchase most semi-automatic rifles that take detachable magazines.