Miami Standard (Denver, CO) – On Tuesday, the Colorado Senate officially approved a bill raising the legal age of purchase for ammunition in the state from 18 to 21.

On its third reading, House Bill 25-1133 was approved by the Senate by a vote of 19 to 16. A handful of Democrats voted against the proposal, siding with Republicans.

Members of the armed forces, those who have finished a hunter education course, and purchases made at shooting ranges are exempt from the age limitations under the measure.

“Differing requirements for purchasing firearms and ammunition create dangerously lax conditions for at-risk youth,” one of the bill’s prime sponsors, Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, said in a statement. “This bill would increase the age to purchase ammunition and strengthen display and delivery requirements to prevent theft and keep ammunition out of the hands of those intent on doing harm to themselves or others.”

Before the Senate floor on Monday, Republican Sen. Scott Bright, who voted against the bill, pointed out that 18-year-olds are legally permitted to purchase rifles and shotguns under federal law.

“We must ask: Does this restriction inadvertently undermine the security of those who need it most?” he said. “I fear it does.”

Sens. Nick Hinrichsen, Kyle Mullica, Dylan Roberts, and Marc Snyder were the Democratic senators that voted against HB 25-1133 on its third reading.

The Senate’s revisions must be approved by the House, which passed the bill last month, before it can be signed into law by the governor.

House Bill 25-1238 was likewise adopted by the Senate Tuesday morning by a vote of 22 to 13. According to the statute, gun show operators must obtain liability insurance and draft a security plan that they can submit to the local police department.

On Monday, Senate Bill 25-003, another contentious gun bill, cleared the House on third reading. However, it needs a Senate concurring vote to become law.

Unless a person obtains a firearm course eligibility card from their local sheriff department and then finishes a qualifying firearm education course, the law prohibits the sale or purchase of the majority of semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines.

Reference: Colorado Senate OKs bill raising age to purchase ammunition