Richardson - Colorado HD56 Representative

SB25-003: A Complicated New Barrier to Purchasing Common Fi****ms

Beginning August 1, 2026, Coloradans seeking to purchase many common semiautomatic fi****ms will face an entirely new system of government authorization, mandatory training, testing, fees, background checks, and administrative approval. What began as a very bad piece of legislation is becoming a easily foreseen implementation nightmare.

SB25-003 applies to a broad category of fi****ms, including many semiautomatic rifles that accept detachable magazines, certain semiautomatic shotguns, and some gas-operated semiautomatic handguns. These are not rare or unusual fi****ms. Available ownership data suggest that hundreds of thousands, and potentially more than one million, covered fi****ms may already be lawfully owned by Colorado citizens.

The law does not ban continued possession of fi****ms acquired before August 1. Existing owners are not required to register those fi****ms or complete the new training simply to keep them. However, purchases and transfers occurring on or after August 1 will generally be subject to the new requirements.

The implementation process is concerningly complex. The state’s application system is not scheduled to open until 9:00 a.m. on July 20. This is just twelve days before the law takes effect. Applicants must obtain authorization through the sheriff’s process, pay required fees, complete a background review, locate an approved instructor, and complete either a four-hour course or a 12-hour course conducted over at least two days. They must then pass the required examination and practical component, and the instructor must enter the completion into the state system before the purchase can proceed.

Even a law-abiding citizen who begins the process the moment the portal opens may encounter delays caused by sheriff processing times, limited instructor availability, full classes, travel distances, technical problems, or delays in reporting course completion. Some rural residents may face particularly significant challenges.

The effective date also creates a trap for purchases made immediately before August 1. The law applies not only to the purchase, but also to the transfer of a covered firearm. Therefore, paying for or beginning a transaction before August 1 may not be enough if the firearm is not actually delivered until August 1 or later.

Anyone already considering the lawful purchase of a covered firearm should act soon. To allow time for Colorado’s three-day waiting period and dealer processing, purchasers should begin the transaction no later than July 27, 2026, and earlier would be safer, so the firearm can be lawfully transferred and taken into possession before August 1.

For more information check with your Sheriff’s Office and/or the CPW website at: https://buff.ly/e2mIztE

Specified Semiautomatic Fi****ms Starting August 1, 2026, you must complete a fi****ms safety course before purchasing or transferring a Specified Semiautomat

Today we celebrate birthday of the United States Army and Flag Day. The stars and stripes our Soldiers have carried, defended, and raised in every generation.

In America’s 250th year, we remember that freedom is not inherited by accident. It is preserved by patriots.

God bless our flag.
God bless the United States Army.
And God bless the United States of America. 🇺🇸

I’m proud to have earned an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association for my defense of the Second Amendment and Coloradoans’ right to self-defense.

Our right to keep and bear arms is constitutional, fundamental, and worth protecting — and I will continue standing strong for responsible gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen across House District 56.

Another great Elizabeth Stampede is in the books!

A heartfelt thank you to the countless volunteers, stock contractors, sponsors, contestants, rodeo royalty, first responders, vendors, and fans who make this event one of the highlights of the year. Events like the Stampede don't happen by accident. They happen because dedicated people invest their time, talent, and hard work to create something special for our community.

The Elizabeth Stampede is more than just a rodeo. It is a celebration of the values that built the American West: hard work, personal responsibility, courage, faith, family, and a deep connection to the land. Rodeo preserves a way of life that remains vital to Colorado's rural communities and agricultural heritage.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in continuing this proud tradition. Your efforts help ensure that future generations can experience and appreciate the western heritage that has shaped our communities for generations.

See you next year at the Elizabeth Stampede! 🤠🐎🇺🇸

This week’s Richardson Report focuses on the issues that matter most to House District 56, protecting rural Colorado, standing up for taxpayers, strengthening our local economy, and pushing back when state government moves in the wrong direction. As I continue traveling the district and listening to employers, workers, families, veterans, and local leaders, one thing remains clear: Colorado needs common-sense leadership rooted in accountability, affordability, and respect for the people we serve.

Read the full Richardson Report here: https://buff.ly/ubR9JRI

🇺🇸 D-DAY: COURAGE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD 🇺🇸

Eighty-two years ago today, thousands of brave young Americans, alongside Allied forces, stormed the beaches of Normandy and faced impossible odds in the defense of freedom.

They charged into machine gun fire, crossed open beaches under relentless enemy attack, and sacrificed everything so future generations could live free. Many never returned home. Others carried the scars of that day for the rest of their lives.

The freedoms we enjoy today were not given to us. They were earned through extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty by what has rightly been called the Greatest Generation.

As we remember D-Day, let us pause to honor those heroes who stepped off those landing craft and into history. Let us remember the families who waited anxiously at home, the fallen who rest forever in foreign soil, and the veterans who carried the memories of Normandy long after the guns fell silent.

Freedom is never free. It is secured by ordinary men and women willing to do extraordinary things when their nation calls.

Today, I ask everyone to join me in offering our deepest gratitude to those who fought on the beaches of Normandy and to all who have worn the uniform in defense of liberty.

May we always be worthy of their sacrifice.

God Bless our veterans, God Bless our military, and God Bless the United States of America.

🇺🇸

COLORADO'S WOLF EXPERIMENT IS FAILING THE TEST
CPW’s newest report shows rising livestock losses, poor wolf survival, and costs far beyond what was predicted

Today, legislators received the 2026 Reintroduction of Species Grey Wolf Annual Report (See Link Below). Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s report confirms what many rural Coloradans warned from the start: this was a flawed experiment forced onto a working landscape that was never prepared to absorb the damage.

The clearest failure is livestock predation. CPW confirmed 43 wolf depredations in one year: 19 cattle, 23 sheep, and one working dog. Direct compensation totaled $43,275.06, but that barely scratches the surface. CPW also approved $709,629.05 for missing livestock, reduced weights, lower conception rates, and ratio claims tied to confirmed wolf kills. That puts acknowledged predation-related costs at more than $752,000 for the year.

That number is staggering compared to what the public was originally told. Early estimates suggested first-year livestock losses and related prevention costs would be only $10,000 to $20,000. Later, the compensation fund was built around $175,000 in FY 2023-24 and $350,000 per year after that. The actual cost is now more than double the annual compensation fund and roughly up to 75 times higher than the original first-year estimate.

Livestock producers warned the risk was much greater. They were right.

The survival numbers are just as troubling. CPW estimated adult wolf survival at only 61%, below the plan’s 70% trigger for review, with 10 known wolf deaths during the reporting year. Yet CPW brushed off a deeper review by saying the deaths were not caused by “capture, transport and release protocols.” That is a bureaucratic dodge, not serious management. The deaths included human-caused losses, entrapment, vehicle strike, lethal control by CPW, a capture-related death during collar replacement, and three deaths still under investigation.

And this is not just a Western Slope problem. CPW says no collared wolves have crossed I-25, but wolves are moving broadly, and CPW’s public mapping only reflects collared wolves in recorded watersheds, not every uncollared wolf on the landscape. For rural livestock-producing districts east of the Front Range, that should be a serious warning. Wolves do not respect county lines, legislative districts, or promises made in Denver.

CPW lists plenty of activity: range riders, scare devices, site visits, trainings, outreach, and fladry, fencing or flagging used to scare wolves away from livestock. But activity is not success.

This report shows predictable predation, poor survival, rising costs, eastward risk, and a refusal to conduct the deep review Coloradans deserve.

Find the Report Here: https://buff.ly/2S1L7VZ

The Legislature may be out of session, but oversight does not stop.

This week’s Richardson Report looks at Colorado’s major OIT restructuring and asks a simple question: if poor service to government agencies demands bold action, why doesn’t poor service to Colorado citizens demand the same?

I’ll be digging into these issues throughout the legislative off-season.

Read the full report here:

News and Updates for HD56 “It’s an honor to serve the hardworking citizens of Colorado’s central Eastern Plains. This weekly newsletter is my way of keeping you informed, engaged, and empowered as we work together to protect our values, our freedoms, and our way of life.” 

When Protection Becomes Overreach
New law risks silencing therapists and limiting adult patient choice.

The Governor’s press release (see link below) frames HB26-1322 as a compassionate response to real concerns about harmful or coercive therapy. I do not dismiss those concerns. No licensed professional should abuse a patient’s trust, engage in fraud, or inflict harm under the banner of mental-health care.

But good intentions do not make a flawed bill good law.

HB26-1322 goes far beyond addressing clearly abusive conduct. It creates an open-ended civil liability scheme against current and former licensed mental-health professionals, allowing claims to be brought at any time without limitation. That is an extraordinary departure from ordinary malpractice law and even from the limitation periods applied to many serious crimes.

The bill also raises serious constitutional concerns. The U.S. Supreme Court has already made clear that Colorado cannot avoid First Amendment scrutiny simply by labeling therapeutic speech as professional conduct. A law that creates civil liability based on conversations in a counseling session remains vulnerable when it burdens protected speech, viewpoint, conscience, and patient-directed discussion.

One of the most troubling flaws is that HB26-1322 fails to protect the autonomy of adults seeking counseling for detransition. If an adult patient says, “I transitioned, I regret it, and I want professional help pursuing detransition,” the bill provides no clear safe harbor for that patient-directed goal. Its broad language against any “predetermined” gender-identity outcome could place the therapist at legal risk simply for helping the patient pursue the outcome the patient freely chose.

Detransition clearly exists. Its prevalence is uncertain, but this population has documented psychological, medical, emotional, and social-support needs. Colorado law should not chill therapists from helping adults who voluntarily seek counseling related to detransition, transition regret, faith, family, identity distress, or recovery from difficult medical decisions.

The bill also lacks meaningful damages limits, does not clearly bar class-action attempts, and allows claims to survive a patient’s death, creating potential estate litigation years or decades later.

Protecting vulnerable Coloradans matters. But protection must be precise, constitutional, and fair. HB26-1322 fails that test. Regardless of subject matter, it adds yet another legal risk to businesses seeking to provide services in Colorado. It did not deserve a celebration, it deserved a veto.

Governor's Press Release: https://buff.ly/Sl6pXey

Colorado Roads Need More Than More Money

Prop 175 reflects public frustration, but taxpayers also deserve real reform inside CDOT

Colorado taxpayers are frustrated with the condition of our roads, and that frustration is exactly why citizen-led efforts like Proposition 175 are gaining traction. Proposition 175 reflects a simple demand: taxes and fees already paid for roads should actually support roads. People across this state can see the reality for themselves: worsening congestion, deteriorating pavement, aging bridges, and growing difficulty moving people and commerce efficiently across Colorado.

But taxpayers must also demand something else: better management, clearer priorities, and measurable results.

Colorado ranks near the bottom nationally in rural interstate pavement condition despite years of new fees, federal infrastructure dollars, and increasing transportation revenues. CDOT’s own planning documents show the state struggling to maintain existing infrastructure while population growth and traffic demands keep increasing.

At the same time, CDOT leadership has embraced a “cutting edge” transportation philosophy centered on greenhouse gas reduction, reduced vehicle miles traveled, transit expansion, and mode-shift policies. Transit may make sense in dense urban corridors, but Colorado remains heavily dependent on highways for agriculture, freight, tourism, emergency response, and daily commuting. Coloradans are right to ask why basic road conditions are falling behind while leadership pursues theories about how people should travel.

The Governor’s recent restructuring of the Office of Information Technology is instructive. The stated reason was performance failure, not simply budget cutting or AI replacement. OIT had received negative feedback from the State Auditor, legislative oversight, and customer agencies. Its customer-satisfaction scores reportedly improved only from 31% to 36%, far short of the former director’s 67% goal. That was enough to trigger major leadership change, layoffs, restructuring, and a new operating model.

That same political will needs to be applied to CDOT.

CDOT has also faced repeated audit concerns involving project oversight, procurement, transparency, consultant dependence, contract administration, and cost control. Prior reviews have identified weak risk management, incomplete documentation, delayed project closeouts, inconsistent project management practices, and potential savings through better oversight alone.

If poor performance at OIT justifies a serious operational reset, poor performance in transportation should not be excused. Roads and bridges are core infrastructure for families, businesses, farmers, ranchers, tourists, emergency responders, and every taxpayer who depends on Colorado’s economy functioning.

If citizens approve additional transportation funding through Proposition 175 or any future measure, that money must be paired with real reform. Taxpayers deserve proof that every additional dollar is improving road quality, safety, congestion relief, and infrastructure durability.

Coloradans are willing to invest in transportation. But they deserve more bang for the buck, stronger accountability from conception to completion, and a CDOT focused first on delivering safe, reliable roads and bridges for the people paying the bill.