The latest Senate bill would create an “Illegal Firearms Unit” within CBI, according to a state official.
DENVER — Multiple bills tied to the state’s majority Democrats’ focus on gun control made their way to the state Capitol this week, with the first hearing on what is expected to be at least a half-dozen measures this year.
But in a tight budget year, the bill will be competing with other Democratic priorities for limited dollars needed to pay for new programs.
Senate Bill 3 would allow the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate illegal firearms activity, including failed background checks, illegal firearm transfers, and gun shops and other sellers that sell ammunition magazines that exceed the 2013 law that limits them to 15 rounds.
The bill carries a general fund cost to the state of just under $1.7 million. The amount of discretionary money available for all new bills in the 2024 session is about $15 million, according to Senate President Steve Fenberg.
Witnesses who testified during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week pointed out that most of those potential crimes are misdemeanors and questioned whether it was a good use of state money.
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