Colorado’s new age requirement for firearm purchases takes effect Monday
Jenny Goldsberry
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A new age restriction on gun purchases in Colorado will become official on Monday.
As of Aug. 7, only 21-year-old’s will be able to purchase “firearms,” “the frame or receiver of a firearm,” or “a firearm silencer” according to SB 23-169, which was signed into law in April.
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Anyone found guilty of selling gun to someone under the age requirement could be convicted of a class-2 misdemeanor. The state’s previous age limit was set at 18-years-old, and it was also previously a felony to sell to a juvenile.
Exceptions under the new law include family members gifting guns to 18-year-old’s, officers, and active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
State House Majority Leader Rep. Monica Duran was a prime sponsor of the bill. The Democratic representative refers to herself as “a responsible gun owner” on her website, claiming she was “proud” to support the bill.
Attempts by Republicans to block the bills with late-night filibustering but were unsuccessful. The legislation was propelled by increased momentum of calls for gun regulation as a result of last year’s Colorado Springs LGBT nightclub shooting.
The shooter, who killed five people and injured 18 others, was 22 years old at the time and had purchased the guns himself, legally.
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Over 1,000 people in Colorado died of gun-related incidents in 2021, according the CDC’s most recent data. Suicides makes up three-quarters of gun deaths over the years, with those between the ages of 25 and 44 accounting for the largest group of firearm deaths, per Axios.
There are 23 states, including the District of Columbia, that allow 18-year-old’s to purchase firearms in the form of long guns. Colorado now joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont in raising the limit to 21.