Legislation restricting firearm ammunitions sales in Colorado successfully passed the state House on Tuesday.
It now moves to the Senate for its consideration.
House Bill 25-1133, “Requirements for Sale of Firearms Ammunition,” passed on a vote of 38-27, with a few Democrats joining Republicans in opposition to the bill.
“Colorado is facing a crime wave, but instead of going after criminals, Democrats are making it harder for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves,” said Colorado House Republicans in a statement. “HB 25-1133 lacks common sense!”
Set to go into effect July 1, 2026, the bill would prohibit the retail sale of ammunition to a person who is younger than 21. The House added a number of exceptions to that age restriction for those who are over 18 and meet one of the following requirements:
• U.S. military or Colorado National Guard member.
• Anyone who has a protective order out against someone.
• Anyone who has obtained a hunter education certification.
The bill would also require that ammunition sold in retail stores be “not accessible” without the assistance of an employee, practically requiring its storage in an enclosed display case or behind a counter.
Bill sponsors argued in committee that the later requirement would help prevent theft of ammunition from retail stores.
“It is far too easy for someone to simply walk out of the store with hundreds of rounds of ammunition,” said Democratic Rep. Monica Duran, a bill sponsor, during committee testimony. “This bill establishes basic security standards for ammunition sellers to prevent theft.”
The bill narrowly made it out of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee last week with a vote of 7-6. During the committee, dozens testified both in opposition and support of the legislation.
The Colorado State Shooting Association told The Center Square that they plan to take the bill to court if it successfully passes the Senate.
“I do think it has a high likelihood of passing through both chambers and being signed into law by Gov. (Jared) Polis,” Huey Laugesen, executive director of the association, told The Center Square. “It could still be defeated in the courts if it is signed into law, and that’s certainly something that our organization will explore.”
The bill would also change restrictions on shipping ammunition to the state. It would require a person shipping ammunition to give written notice to the ammunition deliverer that the package contains ammunition.
In addition, delivery drivers delivering ammunition would be required to verify that the person receiving the delivery is 21 or older and obtain written acknowledgment of receipt from the recipient. Failure to do so could result in a class 1 misdemeanor for the driver.
“Colorado Ceasefire strongly believes that sales of both guns and ammunition should be strongly controlled — these are not like other consumer products,” Eileen McCarron, Colorado Ceasefire legislative director, told The Center Square.
