Colorado
Colorado House of Representatives passes ban on sale of assault weapons
Colorado’s House of Representatives passed HB 1292 Sunday by a vote of 35-27. The bill bans the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms within the state and will now head to the state senate.
The bill prohibits people from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell or transferring ownership of an “assault weapon.” The bill defines an assault weapon as a semiautomatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine or can be “readily modified” to do so and has one or more of a list of specific characteristics. Some of these characteristics include a pistol grip or thumbhole stock, a folding, telescoping or detachable stock, a muzzle brake, a functional grenade launcher or flare launcher, a shroud attached to the barrel or a threaded barrel.
The bill’s assault weapon definition also contains a list of specific firearm types. The list includes AR-15s, which opponents like the NRA characterize the banning of as being unconstitutional, viewing it as an infringement on Second Amendment rights.
The bill also includes a list of individuals who are exempt from it. This list includes members of the military, peace officers, public museums and licensed gun dealers who sell their remaining inventory to an out-of-state resident. Individuals already in lawful possession of assault weapons are allowed to keep their firearms. The bill penalizes a person in violation with a first-time penalty of $250,000 and $500,000 for each subsequent violation.
The bill cites data that a federal assault weapon ban expired in 2004, leading to a place where “gun massacres skyrocketed by approximately one-hundred and eighty-three percent.” In 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen that New York’s “proper cause” requirement to carry a concealed weapon violated the Fourteenth Amendment and thus struck the state’s law down, which helped bolster gun advocates. The Fourteenth Amendment requires states to follow the Second Amendment.
The state legislature introduced several bills after a shooting in Boulder, but these bills fizzled out and did not become law. Last week, Representative Elisabeth Epps said on X (formerly Twitter) before the bill passed, “Guns used in public mass casualty shootings have no place in society. We need a federal ban. But we can’t afford to wait on [C]ongress. Saving lives >>>saving seats.”
Multiple gun regulations were signed last year, like raising the age to 21 in Colorado after the most recent shooting at a nightclub. Colorado is where the 1999 Columbine mass shooting occurred, marking one of the first large-scale shootings in the US.
UPDATE: SUNDAY 4/19/2026 7:12 p.m.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Northbound Powers Boulevards is back open at Palmer Park Boulevard, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). However, the center and right northbound lanes as well as the right turn lane remain closed south of Constitution Avenue. Law enforcement asked the community to avoid the area if possible, and drive carefully.
ORIGINAL STORY: CSPD: Major crash closes northbound Powers
The northbound lanes of Powers Boulevard are closed at Palmer Park Boulevard for a major crash at Powers and Constitution as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
According to FOX21 News crew who spoke to an officer at the scene, the crash involved at least two cars and two motorcycles, and multiple people have been taken to the hospital.
Multiple agencies are responding, according to the FOX21 News crew, and the Major Crash Unit may be called in. Reports indicate that no one has died as of 5:30 p.m.
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
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