'Libertarian' Gov. Jared Polis Signs 'Restrictive' Gun Law and Booze Ban

Is the small-government Democrat beefing up state power?

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis identifies as a "libertarian Democrat" and is known for saying things like "government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary" and that the state income tax rate "should be zero." Especially among Democratic politicians, he is known as an advocate for making it easier to build housing and reduce red tape. In 2022, I even asked whether he was the most libertarian governor in America. But a couple of new laws he's signed about guns and booze call his small-government bona fides into question.

Last week, he signed legislation that gives Colorado "one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country," according to CBS News. The new restrictions, pushed by a state senator whose son was killed during the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting, make it "illegal to buy, sell and make most semi-automatic firearms without background checks and training." The law requires purchasers to get a background check from their county sheriff, who will have the discretion to deny permission if the purchaser is deemed a "danger." After that initial check, the purchaser will then have to pass a 12-hour training course, have their names entered into the state database, and pass a second check by a firearms dealer. The new law also bans bump stocks, which allow semiautomatics to mimic fully automatic weapons.

A spokesman for the Colorado State Shooting Association told CBS News that the law is unconstitutional and that the gun rights group plans to sue. Polis has long supported other restrictions on gun ownership, such as red flag laws that allow law enforcement to temporarily suspend gun rights for individuals deemed a threat to themselves and others without due process.

Also last week, Polis signed legislation stopping the ability of grocery stores and big-box retailers to sell distilled spirits (or hard liquor). Currently, about three dozen supermarkets and big-box retailers are allowed to sell spirits like tequila, whisky, and vodka. Senate Bill 33 halts the expansion of grocery stores that can sell hard liquor as a way of protecting the state's independent alcohol retailers, who have struggled to compete. In a signing statement, Polis said that he didn't like the way the law "puts the state government in the position of picking winners and losers" and limits consumer choices, but signed it anyway, noting the overwhelming support in both houses of the state legislature.

Polis' willingness to sign a bill simply because the vote for it was lopsided is worrying, especially since the Colorado legislature just overwhelmingly passed S.B. 25-086, a social-media law that would force platforms to create "public policies for their platform and remove a user who violates them." Polis has spoken out against such laws and his office released a statement today saying he "is not comfortable with the government forcing private social media companies to act as law enforcement."

Yet S.B. 25-086 passed with similarly lopsided support as the bill governing liquor sales bill, suggesting that Polis may well sign it out of deference to the majority.