Colorado to set limits on ammunition magazines, expand background checks for firearms

DENVER (AP) - Colorado's governor will sign legislation on Wednesday that sets limits on ammunition magazines and expands background checks for firearms, marking a Democratic victory in a state where a debate over gun rights has played out in the wake of two mass shootings.

The measures proposed are some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, and their passage comes after weeks of tense legislative battles.

Republicans and gun rights supporters put up a major fight against the measures in this politically moderate state, while Democrats made them the centerpieces of a package of legislative proposals drafted in reaction to shooting rampages at a suburban Denver movie theatre and a Connecticut elementary school last year.

"I think it will make it more difficult for people to get guns who shouldn't have them, and that's really the goal," said Democratic Representative Beth McCann on the expanded background checks.