Colorado House Passes HB 1144 to Close Dangerous Loophole Allowing Spread of 3D-Printed Gun Loopholes; Bill Heads to Senate

DENVER — Today, the Colorado House passed HB 1144, critical legislation to expand Colorado’s existing ghost gun law and address the growing threat of 3D-printed firearms and illegal gun parts and accessories. The bill now advances to the Colorado Senate. HB 1144, sponsored by  Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist,  builds on Colorado’s 2023 ghost gun law by prohibiting the use of 3D printers and CNC milling machines to manufacture firearms, unfinished frames and receivers, high-capacity magazines, and rapid-fire devices, and by regulating the distribution of digital design files used to produce these weapons. The bill now heads to the Senate chamber.

“Colorado has led the nation in passing strong gun safety laws, but we can’t let emerging technology unravel that progress,” said Susan Long, lead with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Right now, anyone with a 3D printer can manufacture untraceable firearms and illegal gun parts at home, bypassing background checks and skirting the very safeguards that protect our families. That’s unacceptable. HB 1144 closes these dangerous loopholes and makes clear that Colorado will not allow criminals to exploit technology to put our communities at risk. We are deeply grateful to the bill sponsors for their leadership and to the House lawmakers who voted to stand with survivors, families, and law enforcement. Now it’s time for the Senate to finish the job and send this critical bill to the governor’s desk.”

“Our generation has grown up practicing active shooter drills and watching lawmakers debate our safety,” said Carter Ferris, a volunteer with the Regis Jesuit Students Demand Action group. “We’ve seen what happens when loopholes are ignored. Innovation in technology is not mutually exclusive with protecting public safety. HB 1144 is about refusing to let dangerous technology outpace common sense. We’re calling on the Senate to build on Colorado’s progress, protect our generation, and pass this life-saving bill without delay.”

HB 1144 ensures that emerging technology cannot be used to bypass background checks and other safeguards designed to keep communities safe. Law enforcement across Colorado have already recovered 3D-printed firearms and hundreds of illegal rapid-fire devices produced using this technology. In 2022, the shooter who killed five people and wounded 19 others at Club Q had begun building 3D-printed firearms prior to the attack.

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 has long been a national leader in passing strong gun safety laws. As technology evolves, HB 1144 ensures those laws remain meaningful, enforceable, and effective in protecting families, schools, and communities across the state.