By Makenzie O’Keefe

DENVER (CBS4) – State lawmakers were debating looser guns laws in Colorado on Monday.

One bill up for debate is SB18-097, Concealed Handgun Carry with No Permit. This would allow a person who legally possesses a handgun to carry a concealed handgun in Colorado without a permit.

The bill would require the same laws, carrying rights and limitations as a person who holds a permit. For example, it would continue to be illegal for a person to carry a concealed firearm on public school grounds.

Those in opposition of this bill worry that without requiring a conceal carry class more people will have a handgun on them, without the proper knowledge to use one safely.

State Sen. Tim Neville, a Republican who represents Golden, and state Rep. Kevin Van Winkle, a Republican from Douglas County, are the sponsors of this bill. They say the recent political climate is making more people want to defend themselves and that this is something some areas of the state already allow.

The bill will be reviewed by the Senate on Monday.

Anti-violence advocates have been discussing gun laws and the proposals with lawmakers. They believe being proactive about gun legislation is how to help prevent more tragedies from happening.

“We want to have this conversation, we don’t want to have legislators hide and be afraid to talk about gun legislation. We’ve had, I think, some difficult times in the past when we tried to proactively engage in some gun safety bills and I think it’s been quieting our representatives and senators over the last several years and also given a lot of confidence for folks to keep bringing bad bills forward,” said Amy Chambers with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.

Makenzie O’Keefe joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2017. Read her bio, follow her on Twitter at @makenziepokeefe or email her your story ideas.