A bill that would ban the manufacture and restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms  in Colorado cleared its first committee Tuesday in the state House after being tweaked.

Senate Bill 3 was amended to ease the vetting process for buyers seeking to purchase semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines that would otherwise be outlawed by the measure.

County sheriffs would still be responsible for the vetting, but buyers would no longer have to get fingerprinted as part of an additional background check that would be required to purchase a weapon targeted by the measure. Instead, they would have to fill out an application, provide a photo ID and submit the results of a name-based state and national background check.

Another change would give sheriffs broad power under Senate Bill 3 to deny an application if they have a “reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to themself or others.” A sheriff’s office could also revoke purchasing permissions under the same standard.

Would-be buyers, should they pass the vetting, would then have to go through four or 12 hours of training, depending on whether they already have a hunter safety certification, and pass a test to get a five-year pass to purchase a banned firearm. They would have to renew their training after five years if they wanted to buy more banned weapons.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife would come up with the application, set the course requirements and determine the applicant fees for the process. 

Senate Bill 3 was approved by a party-line vote of 7-4 by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday after 12-plus hours of testimony. It next heads to the House Finance Committee before reaching the House floor, where Republicans are likely to battle against the legislation for hours — if not days. 

The Democratic sponsors of the legislation originally planned Tuesday to move the vetting process under the umbrella of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, but they opted against that change when the state’s sheriff’s association said they wouldn’t drop their opposition to the legislation even if that change happened. 

“(Sheriffs) currently do a process that is very similar in relation to concealed carry,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat and lead sponsor of Senate Bill 3. “And so we do feel like they actually have the expertise and experience necessary to do this.”

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee complained that sheriffs would be burdened by the vetting. 

“These small departments barely have enough budget to hire officers to do everyday patrol work,” said Rep. Ty Winter, R-Trinidad. 

The measure would let sheriffs impose fees for the vetting to cover their costs.

The statehouse GOP is uniformly opposed to Senate Bill 3, but Republican state lawmakers can only delay passage of the legislation in the Democratic-controlled Capitol. They are mostly powerless to stop the measure, which is on track to reach the governor’s desk.

The measure was significantly watered down last month in the Senate from its introduced version. At first, the bill would have banned outright the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and some pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines.

The paring back of the bill was done to appease Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who has signaled he will now sign the measure.

Senate Bill 3, even in its weaker form, would still represent one of the biggest changes to Colorado gun policy in state history. It would affect AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, as well as their long list of popular variants. It would also affect tactical shotguns and a small portion of handguns.

The bill, which would go into effect in September, wouldn’t affect possession of the targeted weapons.