(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The first of the gun proposals introduced during the 2024 Colorado legislative session, which would track gun and ammunition purchases through payment networks, is heading to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk. It comes as a slew of different bills addressing gun violence prevention are making their way through the legislative process.

Supporters of Senate Bill 24-066, which cleared the House on Monday, April 8, said the biggest impact of this proposal will be felt behind the scenes, although it still plays a hand in preventing more acts of violence. Under the proposal, credit card companies would provide a code for gun and ammunition purchases at retailers in the state, which is not current practice in Colorado.

“So you find out that someone has expressed intent to commit a crime, law enforcement can then see that that person has, in the case of the Aurora theater shooting, bought almost $20,000 worth of guns, ammunition, and other things in planning his assault on the movie theater,” said state Rep. Meg Froelich, a prime House sponsor of the bill.

Opponents disagree, saying the measure will not stop the issue.

“If we are billing this as something that’s going to be able to preventatively interdict and stop a pattern of violence, then I would expect to see this being something that law enforcement would advocate for,” explained state Rep. Gabe Evans, a former police officer and opponent of the bill. “I don’t see them advocating for it, which makes me question its usefulness.”

Melissa Flanell, co-owner of Dragonmans Firearms in Colorado Springs, is opposed to the bill and believes the local gun store has found a solution if the measure is signed into law.

“People may not want to purchase from smaller firearm retailers out of fear of using their credit card,” Flanell explained. “I think you’re going to be seeing a lot more cash purchases and a lot more ATMs at these establishments.”

Small firearm retailers believe they are the ones who will be most impacted.

“I don’t know how they’re going to fully be able to notice the difference between someone who has a good intention spending a lot of money and someone who has bad intentions spending a lot of money,” Flanell said.

Sponsors said police have used these codes to crack down on crimes in other areas.

“Human trafficking, for example — and you see the purchase of five hotel rooms, $200 at a women’s clothing store and $300 at McDonald’s, law enforcement can investigate that and put those pieces together and go after those folks. That’s really where these merchants codes have come into play before,” Froelich said.

Unlike some of the other gun proposals, opponents say they probably will not pursue legal action against the measure if it’s signed into Colorado law. It now awaits the governor’s approval.