A bill aimed at increasing the age requirement for purchasing ammunition from 18 to 21 has narrowly cleared the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee, with one Democrat and all Republicans on the committee voting against it. 

In 2023, the General Assembly increased the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Sponsors of this year’s House Bill 1133 say the bill aligns the state’s ammunition laws with that change.

HB 133 also mandates written notice be provided to delivery drivers transporting boxes of ammunition, requires them to verify the recipient of the ammunition is at least 21, and directs sellers to store ammunition in a secure area inaccessible to customers without employee assistance.

Ammunition is rarely mentioned in conversations about gun violence, but it’s just as important, said sponsor Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. 

“It is the ammunition that causes grievous injuries to shooting survivors, and is equally responsible for so many deaths as the firearms used to propel them,” she said. “While Colorado has enacted numerous strong laws to help prevent gun violence focused on access to firearms, serious gaps in our laws remain regarding ammunition. The bill before you today will help close those gaps.”

Duran pointed out that everyday items like cold medicine and razors are often stored in locked cases, yet some gun stores have ammunition openly displayed on the sales floor with no safeguards in place to deter theft.  

Jane Dougherty, whose sister Mary was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, said there are no federal laws requiring age verification for online ammunition purchases, so state-level requirements are necessary. 

She pointed to Colorado’s history of prolific school shootings, emphasizing that it’s time for the state to regulate ammunition as strictly as it does firearms.

“It would be another layer of deterrent to prevent an individual who would do harm with firearms from accessing ammunition that makes those firearms deadly, like the AR-15 that murdered my sister,” she said. 

Tyler Smith referenced a recent ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that found the federal ban on handguns and ammunition for adults under 21 unconstitutional. If HB 1133 passes, he said, it would likely be challenged in court and could ultimately be overturned.

“If this bill is made into law, how many millions of dollars are we going to blow in court before it’s overturned?” He asked. Smith also referenced data that found women in their late teens and early twenties are more likely to be sexually assaulted than any other age group. Taking away young womens’ ability to carry a gun for their safety puts them at even more risk, he argued. 

National Rifle Association instructor Richard Oliver said the bill was “in search of a problem that doesn’t exist.” If the bill passes, he said, his 18-year-old grandson — who competes on a sport shooting team— wouldn’t be able to purchase ammunition, and Oliver himself could be penalized for buying it for him. What’s more, he argued, teens and young adults could simply make the drive up to Wyoming and purchase ammunition there. 

“You’re attacking the law-abiding citizen and not the criminal,” he said. “What prevents a kid from driving an hour and a half to Cheyenne and getting all the ammo he wants? It’s a moot bill.”

Nora Kraus, a student at Denver East High School and member of Students Demand Action, said she has had more days off due to shootings than for snow days. 

“I have seen too much the impact gun violence has had on communities and have witnessed firsthand how it impacts everyone, especially young people,” she said, adding that guns are the leading cause of deaths for American teens. The devastating impact of gun violence is the result not only of easy access to firearms themselves, but also easy access to ammunition. Preventing gun violence therefore requires not only focusing on firearms themselves, but enacting strong laws to ensure that ammunition does not fall into the wrong hands.”

Grant Cramer, a junior at East High School, said he survived three school shootings during his freshman year. In two of those shootings, the ammunition used was illegally obtained by a minor. For his generation, he said, schools feel more like shooting ranges than sanctuaries. 

“If this bill had been law, there’s a possibility that some of my classmates would still be here today,” he said. “The families would’ve been able to watch them graduate, and they wouldn’t have had to bear the weight of losing a child. As legislators, it is your responsibility to keep your constituents safe. Right now, we are not safe.”

Paul Cherry of Ark Tactical gun shop in Lakewood said the requirements for firearms sellers would impose unnecessary financial burdens on small businesses. He argued that ammunition theft is not a common occurrence in Colorado, and individuals who purchase firearms and ammunition from gun stores already go through background checks through the CBI and FBI to prove that they’re law-abiding citizens.

“Who benefits from this?” He asked. “How does this help the consumer? How does this help small businesses? What is the purpose of this bill?” You promise safety but ignore reality. Rising violence in our state is increasing the demand for gun ownership; your response is to make it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to self-defense.”

The bill received strong opposition from the Business Affairs and Labor Committee’s Republican members, including Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, who is a combat veteran and former police officer. The state needs to stop punishing law-abiding citizens and start going after individuals who commit crimes like stealing firearms, he said. 

“We keep creating more of these laws, disarming and keeping people from being able to purchase firearms, purchase ammunition, a concealed carry permit… all of the things we’re doing in this building create more victims and they kill more businesses,” he said. 

The bill passed on a 7-6 vote with Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, voting with the Republicans in opposition. It is sponsored by Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, in the Senate.