House Democrats in Colorado have introduced a bill that aims to dismantle Coloradans' Second Amendment rights by banning the manufacturing, purchasing, or selling of so-called assault weapons.

House Bill 24-1292, titled "Prohibit Certain Weapons Used in Mass Shootings," was introduced by Denver Democratic Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernández, with the support of 14 other House Democrats.

However, the bill currently lacks any sponsors in the Senate, showing the lack of widespread support for this extreme measure.

PRIME SPONSORS

• Rep. Tim Hernández

• Rep. Elisabeth Epps

The bill justifies its assault weapons ban by claiming that such firearms have been consistently used in the deadliest mass shooting incidents in the United States. It goes on to state that these weapons have no place in a civilized society.

However, this rhetoric fails to acknowledge the fundamental principle of the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms for self-defense and protection against tyranny.

The bill's definition of assault weapons includes .50 caliber rifles, semi-automatic rifles or pistols with detachable magazines or the possibility of modification to include one, and semi-automatic rifles or pistols with fixed, large-capacity magazines. Notably, the bill lists dozens of AK, AR, and Thompson models. By targeting these specific firearms, Democrats are effectively disregarding the fact that law-abiding gun owners use them for self-defense and sporting purposes.

Furthermore, HB 24-1292 seeks to ban "rapid-fire trigger activators" and imposes hefty fines of $250,000 for initial violations and $500,000 for subsequent violations.

These over-the-top punitive measures only serve to punish law-abiding citizens who exercise their constitutional rights, while doing little to address the root causes of gun violence or enhance public safety.

This is not the first time Rep. Elisabeth Epps has introduced such legislation. A similar bill failed to make it through the House Judiciary Committee last session.

Pro-gun rights advocacy group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) is actively opposing this legislation and has launched a petition against it. RMGO Executive Director Taylor Rhodes is confident that with the support of the community, they can defeat this draconian policy. The fight to protect Second Amendment rights requires the collective effort of all those who value their constitutional freedoms and believe in the importance of self-defense.

HB 24-1292 applies to the following rifles:

AK TYPE RIFLES

• AK, AK47, 26 AK47S, AK-74, AKM, AKS, ARM, MAK90, MISR, NHM90, NHM91, 27 SA85, SA93, VECTOR ARMS AK-47, VEPR, WASR-10, AND WUM;

• IZHMASH SAIGA AK;

• MAADI AK47 AND ARM;

• NORINCO 56S, 56S2, 84S, 2 AND 86S;

• POLY TECHNOLOGIES AK47 AND AKS;

• SKS WITH A 3 DETACHABLE MAGAZINE

AR TYPE RIFLES

• AR-10;

• AR-15;

• ALEXANDER ARMS OVERMATCH PLUS 16;

• ARMALITE M1522LR CARBINE;

• ARMALITE M15-T;

• BARRETT REC7;

• BERETTA AR-70;

• BLACK RAIN ORDNANCE RECON SCOUT;

• BUSHMASTER ACR;

• BUSHMASTER CARBON 15;

• BUSHMASTER MOE SERIES;

• BUSHMASTER XM15;

• CHIAPPA FIREARMS MFOUR RIFLES;

• COLT MATCH TARGET RIFLES;

• CORE RIFLE SYSTEMS CORE 15 RIFLES;

• DANIEL DEFENSE M4A1 RIFLES;

• DEVIL DOG ARMS 15 SERIES RIFLES;

• DIAMONDBACK DB15 RIFLES;

• DOUBLESTAR AR RIFLES;

• DPMS TACTICAL RIFLES;

• DSA INC. ZM-4 CARBINE;

• HECKLER & KOCH MR556;

• HIGH STANDARD HSA-15 RIFLES;

• JESSE JAMES NOMAD AR-15 RIFLE;

• KNIGHT'S ARMAMENT SR-15;

• LANCER L15 RIFLES;

• MGI HYDRA SERIES RIFLES;

• MOSSBERG MMR TACTICAL RIFLES;

• NOREEN FIREARMS BN36 RIFLE;

• OLYMPIC ARMS RIFLES;

• POF USA P415;

• PRECISION FIREARMS AR RIFLES;

• REMINGTON R-15 RIFLES;

• RHINO ARMS AR RIFLES;

• ROCK RIVER ARMS LAR-15 OR LAR-47;

• SIG SAUER SIG516, M400, AND SIG716 RIFLES;

• SMITH & WESSON M&P15 RIFLES;

• STAG ARMS AR RIFLES;

• STURM, RUGER & CO. SR-556 AND AR-556 RIFLES;

• USELTON ARMS AIR-LITE M-4 RIFLES;

• WINDHAM WEAPONRY AR RIFLES;

• WMD GUNS BIG BEAST;

• YANKEE HILL MACHINE COMPANY, INC. YHM-15 RIFLES;

• BARRETT M107A1;

• BARRETT M82A1;

• BERETTA CX4 STORM;

• CALICO LIBERTY SERIES;

• CETME SPORTER;

• DAEWOO K-1, K-2, MAX 1, MAX 2, AR100, AND AR 110C;

• FABRIQUE NATIONALE OR FN HERSTAL FAL, LAR, FNC, 308 MATCH, L1A1 SPORTER, PS90, SCAR, AND FS2000;

• FEATHER INDUSTRIES AT-9;

• GALIL AR AND ARM;

• HI-POINT CARBINE;

• HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, HK-PSG1, AND HK USC;

• IWI TAVOR AND GALIL ACE RIFLE;

• KELTEC SUB-2000, SU-16,RFB, AND RDB;

• SIG AMT, SIG PE-57, SIG SAUER SG 550, SIG SAUER SG 551, AND SIG MCX;

• SPRINGFIELD ARMORY SAR-48;

• STEYR AUG;

• STURM, RUGER & CO. MINI-14 TACTICAL RIFLE M-14/20CF

THOMPSON RIFLES

• THOMPSON M1SB, THOMPSON T1100D, THOMPSON T150D, THOMPSON T1B, THOMPSON T1B100D, THOMPSON T1B50D, THOMPSON T1BSB, THOMPSON T1-C, THOMPSON T1D, THOMPSON T1SB, THOMPSON T5, THOMPSON T5100D, THOMPSON TM1, AND THOMPSON TM1C

OTHER RIFLES

• UMAREX UZI RIFLE;

• UZI MINI CARBINE, UZI MODEL A CARBINE, AND UZI MODEL B CARBINE;

• VALMET M62S, M71S, AND M78;

• VECTOR ARMS UZI TYPE;

• WEAVER ARMS NIGHTHAWK;

• WILKINSON ARMS LINDA CARBINE;

• CZ SCORPION RIFLE AND CZ BREN RIFLE

AK TYPE PISTOLS

• CENTURION 39 AK PISTOL, CZ SCORPION PISTOL, DRACO AK-47 PISTOL, HCR AK-47 PISTOL, IO INC. HELLPUP AK-47 PISTOL, KRINKOV PISTOL, MINI DRACO 16 AK-47 PISTOL, PAP M92 PISTOL, AND YUGO KREBS KRINK PISTOL

AR TYPE PISTOLS

• AMERICAN SPIRIT AR-15 PISTOL;

• BUSHMASTER CARBON 15 PISTOL;

• CHIAPPA FIREARMS M4 PISTOL GEN II;

• CORE RIFLE SYSTEMS ROSCOE PISTOL;

• DANIEL DEFENSE MK18 PISTOL;

• DOUBLESTAR CORPORATION AR PISTOL;

• DPMS AR-15 PISTOL;

• JESSE JAMES NOMAD AR-15 PISTOL;

• OLYMPIC ARMS AR-15 PISTOL;

• POF USA AR PISTOLS;

• ROCK RIVER ARMS LAR 15 PISTOL;

• USELTON ARMS AIR LITE M-4 PISTOL

OTHER PISTOLS

• CALICO PISTOLS;

• DSA SA58 PKP FAL PISTOL;

• ENCOM MP-9 AND MP-45;

• HECKLER & KOCH SP-89 PISTOL;

• INTRATEC AB-10, TEC-22 SCORPION, TEC-9, AND TEC-DC9;

• IWI GALIL ACE PISTOL AND UZI PRO PISTOL;

• KELTEC PLR 16 PISTOL;

• SIG SAUER P556 PISTOL;

• SITES SPECTRE;

• THOMPSON TA5160D AND THOMPSON TA5

• MAC-10, MAC-11;

• MASTERPIECE ARMS MPAA930 MINI PISTOL, MPA460 PISTOL, MPA TACTICAL PISTOL, AND MPA MINI TACTICAL PISTOL;

• MILITARY ARMAMENT CORP.INGRAM M-11;

• VELOCITY FIREARMS VMAC;

• ALL UZI-TYPES, MICRO-UZI

Democrats in the Colorado legislature have not stopped at the proposed firearms ban. They have also introduced bills to create stricter concealed handgun training requirements, require merchant category codes for firearm and ammunition purchases, and mandate gun owners to obtain liability insurance. These additional measures only serve to burden law-abiding citizens and infringe upon their rights, while doing little to address the underlying causes of crime and violence.