HB26-1265 • 2026

Law Enforcement National Electronic Tracing System & Share Program

The bill requires each local law enforcement agency to register for the United States bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives national electronic tracing system and transmit to the electr

Firearms

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rep. C. Clifford, Rep. M. Rutinel, Sen. W. Lindstedt, Sen. K. Wallace, Rep. A. Boesenecker, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. S. Camacho, Rep. M. Froelich, Rep. J. Joseph, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. K. Nguyen, Rep. S. Woodrow
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's full text and summary do not provide details on how the information sharing will impact public safety or crime rates.

Law Enforcement Use of National Electronic Tracing System

The bill requires local law enforcement agencies in Colorado to register for and use the ATF's national electronic tracing system, sharing information about recovered or confiscated firearms.

What This Bill Does

Requires each local law enforcement agency in Colorado to join the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' (ATF) National Electronic Tracing System by September 1, 2026.
Directs these agencies to share with the system details about firearms they recover or confiscate within 90 days.
Exempts certain situations where a firearm is voluntarily relinquished or not connected to criminal activity from this requirement.

Who It Names or Affects

Local law enforcement agencies in Colorado
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Terms To Know

National Electronic Tracing System: A system run by the ATF that tracks firearms recovered or confiscated by law enforcement.
Law Enforcement Agency: An organization with authority to enforce laws, including police departments and sheriff's offices.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not apply to agencies that already have a similar system in place.
It is unclear how the information sharing will impact public safety or crime rates.
There are no details on funding for implementing this new requirement.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment requires Colorado law enforcement agencies to register for and use the national electronic tracing system by September 1, 2026, with some exceptions.

Law enforcement agencies in Colorado must register for and opt into the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' National Electronic Tracing System by September 1, 2026.
Agencies that already have a relationship allowing them to use the system or are part of specific state entities like the Colorado State Patrol do not need to register under this amendment.
When law enforcement agencies recover or confiscate firearms, they must transmit relevant information about these firearms to the National Tracing Center's electronic tracing system within 90 days.

The exact details of how the registration process will work are not provided in this amendment text.
Some specific terms and conditions for when agencies do not need to transmit information about recovered firearms are included but may require further explanation.

L.002

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: The amendment adds a condition that if the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' National Electronic Tracing System is found to be illegal, unconstitutional, or repealed, then this section of the bill will automatically be canceled.

Adds a new clause stating that if the tracing system is deemed illegal, unconstitutional, or repealed, the entire section requiring local law enforcement agencies to use it will no longer apply.

The amendment does not specify what happens to data collected before the repeal of the tracing system.
It's unclear how this automatic repeal would affect existing laws and regulations related to the tracing system.

Bill History

2026-04-13 Senate
Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments
2026-04-10 Senate
Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 04/13/2026 - No Amendments
2026-04-07 Senate
Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole
2026-03-12 Senate
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
2026-03-09 House
House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
2026-03-06 House
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
2026-03-05 House
House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
2026-03-02 House
House Committee on State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
2026-02-19 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs

Official Summary Text

The bill requires each
local
law enforcement agency to register for the United States bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives national electronic tracing system and transmit to the electronic tracing system information about each firearm it recovers or confiscates,
subject to certain exceptions
.

The law enforcement agency is required to share with the Colorado bureau of investigation all information shared with and received from the electronic tracing system.
(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REVISED
This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
on Second Reading in the Second House
LLS NO. 26-0787.02 Owen Hatch x2698 HOUSE BILL 26-1265
House Committees Senate Committees
State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY 'S USE OF THE UNITED101
STATES BUREAU OF ALCOHOL , TOBACCO , FIREARMS , AND102
EXPLOSIVES' NATIONAL ELECTRONIC TRACING SYSTEM.103
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires each law enforcement agency to register for the
United States bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives
national electronic tracing system and transmit to the electronic tracing
system information about each firearm it recovers or confiscates.
The law enforcement agency is required to share with the Colorado
SENATE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 13, 2026
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
March 9, 2026
HOUSE
Amended 2nd Reading
March 6, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Rutinel and Clifford, Boesenecker, Brown, Camacho, Froelich, Joseph, Lindsay, Nguyen,
Woodrow
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Wallace and Lindstedt,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
bureau of investigation all information shared with and received from the
electronic tracing system.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
finds and declares that:3
(a) Effective law enforcement often depends on the timely4
exchange of reliable information among agencies in different5
jurisdictions. This is especially true in gun crime investigations, where6
firearms regularly move across city and state lines before being recovered7
by police. Comprehensive tracing data enables investigators to track8
firearm movement, identify sources of illegal diversion, and respond to9
rising trafficking activity.10
(b) Strengthening investigative tools available to law enforcement11
by requiring agencies to utilize the United States bureau of alcohol,12
tobacco, firearms, and explosives' electronic tracing system, participate13
in its collective data-sharing features, and submit identifying information14
for firearms recovered or confiscated in connection with criminal activity15
is crucial as a means for law enforcement agencies to quickly share16
reliable information;17
(c) Standardizing the reporting and sharing of information about18
firearms connected with criminal activity will improve real-time19
collaboration among local, state, tribal, and federal partners, enabling20
investigators to detect crime patterns, link related cases, and identify21
trafficking networks and cross-jurisdictional offenders more efficiently;22
and23
(d) Public safety is enhanced by supporting evidence-based24
policing, improving coordination among law enforcement agencies, and25
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ensuring that investigators have access to critical tracing and intelligence1
data needed to solve gun crimes and hold offenders accountable.2
3
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 29-11.7-106 as4
follows:5
29-11.7-106. Law enforcement use of a national electronic6
tracing system for recovered firearms - definitions.7
(1) (a) O N OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2026, EACH LAW8
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN THE STATE SHALL REGISTER FOR THE UNITED9
STATES BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES10
NATIONAL ELECTRONIC TRACING SYSTEM AND SHALL OPT IN TO THE11
SYSTEM'S COLLECTIVE DATA-SHARING FEATURE.12
(b) T HIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT13
AGENCY THAT HAS A PREEXISTING RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER LAW14
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY THAT ALLOWS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY15
TO SUBMIT A FIREARM TO THE ELECTRONIC TRACING SYSTEM, INCLUDING16
THE SYSTEM'S COLLECTIVE DATA-SHARING FEATURE, THE COLORADO17
STATE PATROL, OR THE COLORADO BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.18
(2) (a) W HEN A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RECOVERS OR19
CONFISCATES A FIREARM, THE AGENCY SHALL, AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE,20
BUT NO LATER THAN NINETY DAYS AFTER THE AGENCY RECOVERS OR21
CONFISCATES THE FIREARM , TRANSMIT THE RELEVANT INFORMATION22
REGARDING THE FIREARM TO THE NATIONAL TRACING CENTER 'S23
ELECTRONIC TRACING SYSTEM.24
(b) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY THAT RECEIVES A25
VOLUNTARILY RELINQUISHED FIREARM OR RECOVERS A FIREARM THAT THE26
AGENCY DETERMINES IS NOT CONNECTED WITH A CRIMINAL27
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INVESTIGATION OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY DOES NOT NEED TO TRANSMIT THE1
RELEVANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE FIREARM TO THE ELECTRONIC2
TRACING SYSTEM.3
(3) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE4
REQUIRES:5
(a) "LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY" MEANS A LAW ENFORCEMENT6
ENTITY HAVING ORIGINAL JURISDICTION OVER A FIREARMS -RELATED7
CRIME INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING:8
(I) A MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENT;9
(II) A SHERIFF'S OFFICE OF A COUNTY OR CITY AND COUNTY;10
(III) A CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENT;11
(IV) A TOWN MARSHAL'S OFFICE; AND12
(V) A POLICE OFFICER EMPLOYED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 9 OF13
TITLE 32.14
(b) "RECOVER OR CONFISCATE" MEANS:15
(I) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OBTAINING AN ITEM FROM A16
CRIME SCENE OR AN ITEM IN CONNECTION WITH A CRIMINAL17
INVESTIGATION;18
(II) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SEIZING , OR A PERSON19
FORFEITING TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, AN ITEM IN CONNECTION20
WITH A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING, INVESTIGATION, OR CONVICTION;21
(III) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SEIZING, OR A PERSON22
FORFEITING TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, AN ITEM IN CONNECTION23
WITH A CRIME THAT HAS AN UNDERLYING FACTUAL BASIS OF DOMESTIC24
VIOLENCE, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 18-6-800.3 (1);25
(IV) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY ACQUIRING AN ABANDONED26
OR DISCARDED FIREARM; OR27
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(V) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OTHERWISE OBTAINING AN1
ITEM BELIEVED TO BE CONNECTED WITH A CRIME.2
SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act3
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the4
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August5
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a6
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the7
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act8
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect9
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in10
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the11
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.12
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