Colorado House passes bill banning so-called assault weapons [Video]

DENVER — Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives passed a bill on Sunday that would ban so-called assault weapons.

House Bill 1292 passed largely along party lines on a 35-27 vote. It now heads to the state Senate.

HB24-1292, which is sponsored by State Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernandez, would define “assault weapon” and ban the manufacture, import, sale, or purchase of such weapons in Colorado.

The bill would also ban the possession of rapid-fire trigger activators, which are devices that can be attached to a gun to increase the speed at which it fires.

Hernandez said Friday his background as a teacher and as the first Colorado state lawmaker from Gen Z (the generation born between 1997 and 2012) provides him with a perspective on guns that differs from most of his colleagues.

“We have been living with mass shootings for my entire life. We have been doing active shooter drills for my entire life. We …