Colorado lawmakers have signed off on a first-of-its-kind crackdown on homebuilt firearms, approving a bill that makes it a crime to use a 3D printer to churn out working guns or certain high-capacity parts. On Monday, March 30, the Senate passed the measure on a 23-12 vote, following earlier House approval, after weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling over just how far the state should go to rein in so-called ghost guns.
What the bill does
House Bill 26-1144 would outlaw using a three-dimensional printer to manufacture or produce a firearm, an unfinished frame or receiver, a large-capacity magazine, or a rapid-fire device. A first conviction for unlawful 3D printing would be a class 1 misdemeanor, with any later offense treated as a class 5 felony, according to the Colorado General Assembly. The Senate signed off on the bill on March 30 by a 23-12 margin.
Veto threat forces last-minute changes
The original version went much further, sweeping in not just printed parts but also the digital blueprints that make them possible. Early drafts would have criminalized possession and distribution of computer-aided design files and similar code that can program 3D printers, but sponsors stripped that language after they said they were warned Gov. Jared Polis would veto the bill if it stayed in, according to The Denver Post. Lawmakers behind the measure told the Post they still hope to revive tougher limits on selling or sharing those files once Polis leaves office in 2027.
Why sponsors pushed the measure
Supporters argue the state had to respond to a steep rise in privately made guns showing up in criminal investigations. Federal figures cited by The Colorado Sun show more than 90,000 ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement between 2017 and 2023. Prime sponsor Sen. Tom Sullivan said the bill is meant to "shore up existing law" and cut off at-home production of untraceable weapons before it gets worse, according to a statement in a release from Senate Democrats, adding that the threat from 3D-printed guns is growing but, in his view, still preventable.
Constitutional concerns and legal risk
Critics warned that trying to ban digital files outright would collide with free-speech protections and likely drag the state back into court. Gun-rights groups have already sued Colorado over its earlier ghost-gun restrictions, as reported by The Associated Press. The current version of HB26-1144 stops short of criminal penalties on files themselves but still treats offering to sell or distribute digital instructions in ways that enable illegal manufacturing as a civil infraction, according to the bill language posted by the Colorado General Assembly.
What’s next
With Senate approval locked in, the measure is expected to move through final procedural steps before landing on Gov. Polis’s desk for a signature or veto, and sponsors say lawmakers could revisit broader limits on digital instructions in a future session. Bill trackers show HB26-1144 continuing to advance through the 2026 Legislature; readers can follow the latest text and vote history on BillTrack50 and on the Legislature’s public portal.
