State senators debate a gun bill at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on l March 08, 2013.
State senators debate a gun bill at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on l March 08, 2013. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Whether it's a purchase from a big-box outdoor supply store or a swap between close friends, Coloradans should have to undergo a background check when they sell and transfer a firearm, the state House and Senate decided Friday.

The universal background checks measure now moves to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has indicated he will sign it into law. It would take affect July 1.

Prior to Friday's vote, House Bill 1229 had passed through both chambers, but because of minor amendments, each chamber had to recast votes.

All House and Senate Republicans voted against the bill, with Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, and Rep. Ed Vigil, D-Fort Garland, joining them.

Current law in Colorado requires background checks for the retail sale of guns, not private sales among individuals.

Democrats have said the measure will close a private sale loophole and prevent criminals from buying firearms.

In House floor debate, Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver, challenged the Republican argument that the bill does not prevent criminals from getting a gun.

"Are we going to stop all criminals," asked McCann. "I don't know, but are we going to put a barrier there to make it more difficult? Yes."

Meanwhile, Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, who is the bill's Senate sponsor, said no law has 100 percent compliance. "But we do detect violent offenders in this process of doing background checks. We will close a loophole and in fact keep guns out of the hands of felons — not all, who try and purchase and possess a gun, but some," Carroll said.

Senate Democrats amended the House version of the bill to exempt immediate family from undergoing background checks in a gun transfer. The bill also allows an individual to loan a gun for up to 72 hours without a background check — as long as no one legally barred from owning a gun is involved.

Republicans have assailed the measure as burdensome and an infringement on the rights of law-abiding citizens. On Friday, several Republicans said they feared young people involved in Colorado 4-H programs could be targeted because some use loaned guns for longer than 72 hours.

"It leads to a system of regulation that violates the Second Amendment of the Constitution because of all the bureaucratic and expensive processes put in place to bear arms in Colorado," said Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud. "This is one of the worst bills we've seen this year."

Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, said he was "ashamed" at the chamber voting in favor of the bill that he described as "doing nothing" to prevent crime.

Since the start of 2013, the number of criminal background checks for gun purchases in Colorado jumped 112 percent over the same period last year.

Between January to February 2012, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation processed 48,780 background checks, compared with 103,381 this year.

Democratic-sponsored gun control measures that limit ammunition magazines and require Coloradans to pay a fee for background checks are awaiting Hickenlooper's approval.

The governor on Thursday night tweeted that his office received 1,165 calls that day related to the gun bills.

Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, or

Staff writer Ryan Parker contributed to this report.



Increase in criminal- background checks in Colorado for firearm purchases since Jan. 1, compared with the same period in 2012. How they break down:

2012: 48,780

2013: 103,381