Colorado’s Democratic majority continued to plow through Second Amendment protections on Sunday. The House passed a controversial measure to ban the sale and transfer of semi-automatic weapons over the objections of law-abiding gun owners.

The 35-27 vote meant the bill now advances to the Senate, which is also in the grip of Democrats. Its fate there, however, is far from a certainty.

Nearly the same bill was torpedoed last year by the Democratic majority. If it clears legislative hurdles this time around, Colorado would join its like-minded brethren in California and continue its trend of following in the gun control footsteps of the Golden State.

Despite left-wing control of the Senate and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in charge, there may still be issues with Colorado becoming the 11th state to enact such a ban.

The House is far more extreme in its liberalism than the Senate, and Polis previously indicated concerns over the sweeping nature of the measure.

Colorado House passes semiautomatic firearm ban that faces uphill battle in State Senate https://t.co/Amy0TwyTMw

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) April 15, 2024

In 2023 it was Democratic worries over government overreach that prompted the bill to die an early death in committee. 

The state has only recently shifted to the left, and much of the constituency remains conservative with a strong allegiance to the Second Amendment.

The new majority pushed through a package of gun control bills in 2023, though none drew the ire of gun owners like the current proposed ban on so-called “assault weapons.

Lawmakers enacted a three-day waiting period, raised the minimum age for purchasing any weapon from 18 to 21, expanded the existing red flag law and removed part of the liability shield from weapons manufacturers.

To be sure, these measures faced strong opposition from gun rights advocates and some were immediately challenged in court. But none were as far reaching as banning popular sporting rifles from the law-abiding public. 

Opponents charged that the measure is at best misguided. The issue, they declared, is one of people who have no regard for human life and the obvious mental health crisis.

These are areas where lawmakers should be focused, not erasing gun rights from upstanding citizens who respect the law.