JOINT RELEASE: ICYMI: CO Dems’ Bill to Prohibit 3D Printing of Ghost Guns is Now Law
HB26-1144 strengthens Colorado’s law to crack down on ghost guns
DENVER, CO - Governor Jared Polis yesterday signed a gun violence prevention bill into law. HB26-1144 will help prohibit the three-dimensional printing of firearms, large-capacity magazines or other firearm components.
“Three-dimensional printing technology has become much more accessible in recent years, which has been taken advantage of by bad actors who print firearms and firearm parts to avoid background checks and other gun violence prevention laws,” said Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, D-Denver. “3D printed guns and gun components are an increasing threat in our communities because they lack identification that law enforcement can use to track the weapon back to a suspect, and they undermine life-saving guardrails like background checks and waiting periods. Our law cracks down on this illegal practice to protect our communities from gun violence and save lives.”
“The rise in 3D-printer technology has introduced a new front in our fight to prevent gun violence in the United States,” said Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Aurora. “It is imperative that we act right now to shore up existing law to prevent the at-home production of ghost guns, saving countless lives before they are threatened.”
“We’re being responsive to new technology that threatens the safety of our communities by creating a new law to ensure that everyone must adhere to Colorado’s laws before they can access a firearm,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins. “I proudly passed Colorado’s ghost gun ban in 2023, which helped prevent unserialized guns and gun parts from terrorizing our communities. This law strengthens our 2023 law to keep ghost guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and protect Coloradans from gun violence.”
"In Colorado, three lives are lost to gun violence every single day. This new law is an intervention in that violence and in the growing threat of untraceable, 3D printed firearms," said Sen. Katie Wallace, D-Longmont. "The threat of 3D printed weapons is growing, but it is also preventable. This law will close loopholes in existing law to prevent gun violence and make Colorado safer.”
HB26-1144 prohibits the use of a three-dimensional printer, or similar devices, to make a firearm or a firearm component. An initial violation of this provision is a class 1 misdemeanor, and any subsequent violation is a class 5 felony.
Since 2016, the number of ghost guns used in crimes throughout the country increased by 1000 percent, yet over 99 percent of those guns cannot be traced back to a user, owner or producer. Between 2016 and 2021, law enforcement reported recovering over 45,000 privately-made firearms, including in nearly 700 homicide or attempted homicide investigations. When an untraceable gun is used in a crime, it can be impossible for a gun violence victim and their family to seek accountability.
Colorado Democrats passed the original “ghost guns” law, also sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Boesenecker, in 2023, which prohibited the possession, sale or transfer of unserialized firearms, frames and receivers.