Bill extending concealed-carry rights to all Colorado gun owners passes committee vote

DENVER – A bill that would extend concealed-carry rights to gun owners in Colorado without a permit cleared its first hurdle in a Senate committee Wednesday.

Senate Bill 116 passed the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee by a 3-2 partisan vote, with the committee’s three Republicans voting to pass the bill to the Senate Finance Committee.

Though Colorado law prohibits gun registration in the state, local sheriff’s offices are currently in charge of issuing concealed weapons permits. A concealed-carry permit is not necessary when a person is in a private car.

In Denver, the sheriff’s department requires people to complete an information packet and several other forms, and must show deputies a handgun training certificate showing they are trained in proper gun usage.

People must also have a valid Colorado ID and must pay a $152 fee for the permit in Denver, which has to be approved by the sheriff’s department.

Under the proposed law, anyone aged 21 and over with a legal gun would be able to conceal their gun in public without having taken a training class or obtained a permit.

However, the same rules that concealed-carry permit holders have to operate under would apply to everyone under the law, meaning unless they are permitted to do so, people would not be able to carry the concealed weapon on K-12 campuses.

The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.