In a near-midnight vote, a Colorado Senate committee late Tuesday gave initial approval to a bill that would ban the sale or purchase of semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines. The measure would cover a large swath of guns that are colloquially known as assault weapons.

Colorado moves into top 10 for strongest gun laws with new legislation, despite opposition from gun advocacy groups. The bill aims to prohibit semiautomatic firearms and promote safety.

A Colorado bill to prohibit most firearms with detachable magazines passed its first Senate committee hearing on a party-line vote.