Colorado

Colorado bill restricting sale of certain semiautomatic guns clears first House committee after notable tweaks

Published

12 months ago

March 12, 2025

Colorado bill restricting sale of certain semiautomatic guns clears first House committee after notable tweaks

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.

An AR-15 with a detachable magazine at Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colorado, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. The Colorado legislature is considering a bill that would ban the manufacture, purchase and sale of semiautomatic rifles and shotguns that are capable of accepting detachable ammunition magazines, as well as some semiautomatic pistols and handguns. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)

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.

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Colorado

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Published

9 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.

“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.

The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.

Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.

In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.

Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.

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Colorado

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Published

21 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (43-10-9)

8 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After back-to-back shootout victories, the Avalanche concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 2022 Avs team that won the Stanley Cup and defeated the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Tuesday’s game is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 9-1 in Edmonton on November 8th, and they’ll play in Alberta on April 13th.

Sunday Success

The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy both scored for Colorado while Nazem Kadri posted an assist in his second Avs debut. In net for Colorado, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. MacKinnon opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his 43rd goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Kadri, who began the play with an interception below the offensive-zone goal line. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota with a power-play goal at 4:17 of the third period when his pass from the right circle deflected into the net. The Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:01 of the third period when Nico Sturm scored a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game at 12:39 of the third period when Nicolas Roy scored his first goal as an Av and sixth of the season via a net-front deflection on Brett Kulak’s slap shot. In the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado in the first round, Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the second round and MacKinnon tallied the winner in the fourth round.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (43) while ranking second in points (104) and third in assists (61).

All Hail Cale

Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for second in points (66) while ranking fourth in goals (19) and assists (47).

Marty Party

Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (76).

Series History

In 135 regular-season games against the Oilers, the Avalanche has a record of 74-49-6-6. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals in five games and the 2022 Western Conference Final in four contests.

Sunday in Sin City

The Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. In the second period, Trent Frederic opened the scoring for Edmonton at 3:21 before Vegas’ Noah Hanifin tied the game at 13:09. The Oilers took a 3-1 third-period lead after goals from Vasily Podkolzin at 2:34 and Leon Draisaitl at 11:53. Jack Eichel cut the Golden Knights’ deficit to one with a shorthanded goal at 16:43 of the third period. Edmonton took a 4-2 lead when Kasperi Kapanen scored an empty-net goal at 18:03 of the third period.

Producing Offense Against the Oilers

MacKinnon has posted 39 points (13g/26a) in 29 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in four playoff contests.

Makar has registered 13 points (5g/8a) in 13 regular-season contests against Edmonton, in addition to nine points (2g/7a) in four playoff games.

Kadri has recorded 25 points (12g/13a) in 30 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to four points (1g/3a) in three playoff contests.

Edmonton’s Elite

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (108), goals (35) and assists (73).

Draisaitl is second on the Oilers in points (92), goals (34) and assists (58).

Evan Bouchard is third on the Oilers in points (73) and assists (55) while ranking fourth in goals (18).

A Numbers Game

34

The Avalanche are 34-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.

85

Colorado leads the NHL with 85 second-period goals this campaign.

.806

The Avalanche’s .806 points percentage at home this season is the best in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Emotional seeing the support I get here. It’s absolutely incredible. It makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”

— Nazem Kadri on the support he received from Avalanche fans at Sunday’s game

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Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.

Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.

Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.

On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).

Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”

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