Colorado Background Checks Surge 300 Percent Before New Semiautomatic Law

Steamboat Springs —The air inside the shooting ranges in Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs grew thick with the scent of cordite and hot metal last month, a sharp, familiar perfume that signals both leisure and vigilance. It was the kind of humidity that clings to your skin, mixing with the dry heat of the Western Slope summer, as gun owners lined up not just to shoot, but to prove they were ready for what was coming.

In July, background checks in Colorado surged to record-breaking levels, nearly 60,000 of them, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations. This figure is almost triple what it was in July of the previous year, a massive spike that suggests neighbors across the valley were rushing to secure their rights before a new law took effect. The state does not track firearms sales directly, but because background checks are required for most firearm transactions, this data offers a clear window into the behavior of local gun owners.

The law in question, SB25-003, was passed back in 2025 but did not go into effect until August 1. It targets semiautomatic firearms, specifically those that use detachable magazines. To purchase one of these weapons now, people must complete a safety course and pass a test, and sheriffs have been given the ability to block certain individuals from accessing them.

For Eileen McCarron, co-founder of the gun safety advocacy group Colorado Ceasefire, this was a necessary evolution. She told The Center Square that if you’re going to purchase one of these weapons, "you need to be highly trained and particularly concerned about safety and knowing state laws." McCarron argued that while semiautomatic weapons are not the most common cause of general gun violence, they are the most frequently used in mass shootings. "We, unfortunately, in Colorado are too familiar with massacres," she said, noting that the confusion surrounding the law was proof of its intent to keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands.

But not everyone agreed that confusion was a feature, rather than a bug. Huey Laugesen, executive director of the Colorado State Shooting Association, called it "the worst piece of anti-second amendment legislation that has ever been passed in Colorado." Laugesen argued that the law’s complexity showed a lack of firearm knowledge among its supporters. The firearms rights group filed a lawsuit, Del Toro V. Polis, ahead of the law’s implementation as part of an ongoing effort to overturn it. "It’s unconstitutional and that’s why we are suing to overturn it," Laugesen said, challenging the state’s authority to impose these new layers of regulation.

There was some initial bewilderment about exactly which guns were affected, with speculation running high that popular models might be banned. However, it became clear that one of the most popular firearms, the Glock pistol, is not subject to the new law, despite early rumors. The law does not impact semiautomatic firearms already owned in Colorado, meaning those who had already purchased their rifles and handguns before August 1 were largely unaffected by the new training requirements.

As the weekend of August 1 approached, the tension between proponents and opponents played out in county clerk offices and gun shops alike. Some saw it as a vital step toward public safety, while others viewed it as an overreach that would drive up costs and restrict access. The surge in background checks suggests that many locals chose to act, paying the fee for training and testing to ensure they could keep shooting.

The final tally of those 60,000 checks remains etched in the state’s records, standing as proof of a community that is both deeply rooted in its traditions and willing to adapt to new rules. Outside the ranges, the sun set over the Rockies, casting long shadows across the parking lots where trucks sat idling, their owners debating the merits of the law over cold beers and warm conversations.