Currently it is illegal to buy or sell an ammunition magazine that holds more than 15 rounds.
Republican Sen. John Cooke, who was Weld County’s sheriff when the law passed, told his colleagues the law is unenforceable because it grandfathered in millions of high capacity magazines already owned by Coloradans. And he questioned its impact on public safety.
"Who are we to tell people how many rounds they need to defend themselves?" Cooke said.
Most of the Senate’s Democrats want the high-capacity magazine ban to stay in place. They argue people have been able to escape or incapacitate mass shooters when the attacker stopped to reload.
Senate Minority Leader Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, started her testimony by reading out the names of the victims of 2012’s Aurora movie theater attack.
"No one thinks we can bring anyone back, but we can save others," Carroll said.
The high-capacity magazine ban repeal faces one more vote in the state Senate before heading to the House, where it is almost certainly doomed. Democrats control that chamber.
