Congressman Crow Reintroduces Legislation to Close the ‘Colorado Loophole’ on Out-of-State Gun Sales

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), combat veteran and member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, reintroduced the Closing the Loophole on Interstate Firearm Sales Act (Colorado Loophole Act), legislation that would close the loophole that allows out-of-state buyers to purchase long guns and shotguns without a background check from their home state. 

“Four years ago, a Florida woman obsessed with Columbine legally purchased a shotgun in Colorado, causing statewide panic about our kids’ safety. The Colorado Loophole Act takes a commonsense step to treat shotguns and rifles the same way we treat handguns,” said Congressman Crow. “Our kids should be safe in schools, and we should all feel safe going to the store, mall, or movies. I’ll continue working to pass commonsense gun violence prevention legislation to make our communities safer.”  

Under current law, a federal firearms licensee (FFL) is prohibited from directly selling or transferring a firearm to someone outside their state. Instead, the seller may ship a firearm to an FFL in the buyer's home state, where a background check will be conducted. This law only applies to handguns. Long guns and shotguns are exempt, allowing individuals to purchase them outside their home state, provided the transaction occurs in person and complies with both the buyer's home state and the seller's state laws.

"For too long the 'Colorado Loophole' has needlessly put lives at risk by allowing individuals to obtain rifles and shotguns when traveling out of state even if they are prohibited from doing so in their own state. This common-sense legislation would close this dangerous loophole and create consistency in our gun laws, reduce confusion among gun sellers and ensure that all gun purchases are subject to the same rigorous background check process. We applaud Rep. Crow for his leadership in better protecting American families,” said Kris Brown, President of Brady: United Against Gun Violence. 

Crow has been a champion of gun violence prevention legislation, including first introducing the Closing the Loophole on Interstate Firearm Sales Act in 2019, a month after the Columbine-inspired gunman caused statewide-panic. Crow also co-led efforts to ensure proper implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation he helped pass into law in 2022 and the first comprehensive gun safety reform package in nearly 30 years.