CORTEZ, Colo. — Montezuma County Sheriff Steven Nowlin announced Monday that his office will not participate in a new Colorado gun law, citing funding, staffing and constitutional concerns.
Senate Bill 25-003, which took effect Aug. 1, adds new requirements for purchasing certain semiautomatic firearms, including obtaining a five-year eligibility card from a local sheriff's office and completing an in-person safety course.
“As a Colorado Sheriff, and every member of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, each of us has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Colorado, and perform the duties of the Office of Sheriff in Colorado by protecting those rights for all citizens in Montezuma County,” Nowlin said in a news release.
He also said that the new law does not provide funding for the additional personnel and administrative work needed to process eligibility cards.
Additionally, he questioned the law's requirement that prospective buyers complete firearms safety training, arguing that hunter education has historically been tied to hunting and trapping, not firearm purchases.
“Colorado residents who were born before January 1, 1949, are not required to have Hunter Education, but now will be required to attend and complete a 12-hour safety class to purchase or obtain by transfer any of the many specified semiautomatic firearms restricted in Senate Bill 25-003,” Nowlin said.
Nowlin said county residents would be directed to Colorado Parks and Wildlife or participating Colorado sheriff's offices regarding the firearms safety course eligibility cards process.
Supporters of the Democratic sponsored bill, which was signed into law last year, argued that the measure would reduce mass shooting fatalities and curb gun violence.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation reported Monday that its InstaCheck Unit processed a record number of firearm background checks in July, ahead of the new law.
