Colorado Senate OKs universal gun checks

A bill to require universal background checks on gun sales was approved in the Colorado Senate on Friday and headed to the state House. It is the latest in a series of proposed legislation to tighten gun laws in the state.

The last several days have been marked by many hours of emotional debate over the proposed laws.

Earlier this week a bill that bans the purchase of ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds was passed. It now awaits the governor’s signature.

The legislation requiring universal background checks, House Bill 1229, was passed last week but was returned to the Legislature so it could be amended to define how certain organizations, such as gun trusts, would act during gun transfers. The amended bill passed the Senate on a 19-14 vote.

The state has been thrust into the national spotlight as a debate over gun control rages in the aftermath of the shooting deaths in December of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

Colorado, a battleground state where many revere gun ownership, has also been roiled by two of the largest mass shootings in U.S. history, at Columbine High School and at a movie theater in Aurora, which left 12 people dead and 70 injured.