House Appropriations advances amended gun-sale permit bill after debate over costs, background checks and cash fund

The House Appropriations Committee voted 7-4 to send Senate Bill 3, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole after a lengthy debate over implementation costs, who would perform background checks and how the program would be funded.

The bill’s fiscal note changed substantially between March 3 and March 14, prompting Representative Taggart to ask, “what in heaven's name happened?” He said the earlier fiscal note estimated roughly $4,000,000 in costs and a TABOR impact, while the later note showed about $1,400,000 and no TABOR effect.

The difference, bill sponsor Representative Bassenacker said, stems primarily from amendments adopted in the Judiciary Committee that removed a CBI-administered fingerprint background-check requirement. That change, he said, eliminated both the fingerprint revenue stream and the TABOR exposure because Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) — which the bill relies on to administer the program — is TABOR-exempt.

Sponsor Representative Froelich clarified the bill “is explicitly not about possession,” meaning enforcement would target the regulated transactions the…