Colorado lawmakers debate bill limiting who can buy ammunition based on age
A controversial bill limiting who can buy ammunition in Colorado was expected to get initial approval in the State House on Friday.
The bill narrowly made it out of a committee and was heavily amended before debate on the floor even started.
The original bill raised the age to buy ammunition from 18 to 21 to align with a law passed two years ago that raised the age to buy firearms from 18 to 21 in Colorado.
The bill sponsors brought amendments exempting those between 18 and 21 who are in the military or National Guard, those who have a hunter education certificate, and those who are buying and using the ammunition at a shooting range.
They also grandfathered in those who turned 18 by Jan. 28.
Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, one of the bill sponsors, argued the bill would save lives, noting bullets have killed more than a million people in the United States over the last 20 years: "We know that when states pass common sense gun violence prevention laws lives are saved. This bill is one of those common sense solutions."
Republican state Rep. Carlos Barron argued the bill is unconstitutional and doesn't get at the cause of gun deaths: "We have got to stop blaming other objects -- guns, ammo -- for horrific events, and let's get down to what the root cause is; that we have a mental illness problem."
The bill also targets online sales by requiring anyone delivering ammunition to verify the buyer's age and requires gun store owners to keep ammunition in a secure location.
