Be On The Record
BlogSign inSubscribe
HearingsBillsAlerts
← Hearings

Colorado Senate 2026 Legislative Day 045

Friday, February 27, 2026·▶ Watch / Listen

The Colorado Senate passed SB 26-043, regulating firearm barrel sales and transfers through federally licensed dealers, on a 18-10 second-reading roll call vote after defeating eight minority amendments; the session also included budget orientations for the Fire Prevention Commission, DEL DOT, and DHSS covering FY2027 requests.

Key Actions

·SB 26-043 – Firearm Barrel Sales RegulationPassed

+ 14 more actions

Controversies

Whether SB 26-043 addresses a genuine public safety problem or infringes on Second Amendment rights

Senator Sullivan argued the bill is needed to address ghost-gun-related suicide, citing a study finding 'for every 20 ghost guns recovered per 100,000 people, the firearms suicide rate increased by 6%,' and stated 'We need this yesterday. People are killing themselves and they're using ghost guns and their access to barrels to do that.' Senator Zamora Wilson countered: 'This is not about safety. This is about control. Suicide. As a veteran, yes, this hits close to home. But this is not going to fix it.' Senator Carson noted the fiscal note showed only one prosecution statewide under a comparable existing offense over multiple fiscal years.

+ 3 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“Ghost guns are now being found at the site of suicides. 22 veterans take their lives every single day in the United States. Thirteen of them with firearms. I've had veterans in my office come to talk about what can we do to help protect our veterans from themselves. And telling me about the times that they went over to their friend's house who they hadn't heard from in a couple of days to find them in their bedrooms with a shotgun underneath of their chins, and they've blown their heads off.”

Senator Sullivan — Senator Sullivan, the bill's sponsor, defending SB 26-043 against Amendment L001, which would have exempted veterans and active military from the firearm barrel transfer requirements.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Amendment L001 to SB 26-043 (veterans and active military exemption)No Vote
Amendment L002 to SB 26-043 (current and former law enforcement exemption)No Vote
Amendment L003 to SB 26-043 (rural county exemption by dealer count)No Vote
Amendment L009 to SB 26-043 (remove in-person requirement)No Vote
Amendment L012 to SB 26-043 (family member transfers using ERPO statutory definition)Passed
Amendment S001 to SB 26-043 (tribal nations exemption, Senate floor roll call)No Vote
SB 26-043 second reading passage (roll call requested by Senator Rod Pelton pursuant to Senate Rule 25F)Passed
Yes (14)Amabile (Judy Amabile), Ball (Matt Ball), Bridges (Jeff Bridges), Cutter (Lisa Cutter), Danielson (Jessie Danielson), Exum (Tony Exum), Kolker (Chris Kolker), Marchman (Janice Marchman), Mullica (Kyle Mullica), Rodriguez (Robert Rodriguez), Sullivan (Tom Sullivan), Wallace (Katie Wallace), Weissman (Mike Weissman), Coleman [transcript: 'Coleman's Eyes (James Coleman)
No (8)Bright (Scott Bright), Catlin (Marc Catlin), Kirkmeyer (Barbara Kirkmeyer), Pelton B. (Byron Pelton), Roberts (Dylan Roberts), Simpson (Cleave Simpson), Snyder (Marc Snyder), Zamora Wilson (Lynda Zamora Wilson)
Absent (6)Baisley [STT? — transcript: 'Bazley'] (Mark Baisley) — Excused, Carson (John Carson) — Excused, Daugherty [transcript: 'Daugherty'] (Lindsey Daugherty) — Excused, Frizell [transcript: 'Frizzell'] (Lisa Frizell) — Excused, Liston (Larry Liston) — Excused, Rich [transcript: 'Rich is'] (Janice Rich) — Excused
Committee of the Whole report adoptionPassed
No (5)Zamora Wilson, Kirkmeyer, Bright, Pelton R., Pelton B.
Unlock the full summary

Subscribe to see all key actions, controversies, quotes, and what's next.

Sign in to subscribe
TranscriptPreview
Members, please take your seats. On today's agenda, we will start with orientation for fire. That includes the fire school, the Fire Prevention Commission, as well as the fire marshal. Then we will have orientation for del.del. will be heard after lunch and then after the del. Hearing. Before we break for the day, we will do the orientation for dhss. No, we're going to do the orientation for DHSS this morning as well, just after Fire or Delta and we'll do DHSS orientation. Okay, let me, let me restate that. We will actually do the orientation for DHSS after we complete the orientation for DEL dot. And just as a reminder to everyone here today and anyone who is tuning in, the Joint Finance Committee will be meeting on Monday beginning at 9am so with that, Mr. Smith, please kick off the orientation starting with fire. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So we will be under tab 75. 00 in your binders for the Fire Prevention Commission. The Fire Prevention Commission is made up of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Delaware State Fire, the State Fire Commission for fiscal year 2026. The base budget contains 28.5 ASFF…
Continue reading

Subscribe to unlock the full transcript, summary, and search across all Colorado committee hearings.

Sign in to subscribe