DENVER – After 75 years, consumers in Colorado will once again be able to purchase liquor on Sundays after Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill into law on Monday. The new law applies to liquor stores across the state and will be in effect starting July 6, the Summit Daily News reports.

“This is a law whose time has finally come,” said Ritter in a statement at the signing. “The ban on Sunday sales was an antiquated law that long ago outlived its usefulness and relevance. Everything we know about modern consumer demand says the people of Colorado want conveniences, options and choices this law will bring.”

Three years ago, Colorado liquor store owners opposed such a bill, but this year, they instead worked to defeat another bill that would have allowed grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and high-alcohol beer. “Sunday is my only day off, but if that is what the consumer wants we will do it,” said Frisco Liquors owner John Davis.

With the passing of the bill, Colorado becomes the 35th state to allow Sunday liquor sales. Since 2006, Alabama, Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island and Washington changed laws allowing Sunday liquor sales or permitted communities to decide about selling alcohol on Sundays.

“This is a terrific victory for consumer convenience, market modernization and free enterprise,” said Distilled Spirits Council of the United States President Peter Cressy.

Meanwhile, Mark Larson, executive director of the Colorado/Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association, told NACS Daily that the bill is “nothing more than a ‘legislative takings’ that gives a monopoly to liquor stores.”

“Conveniences stores in Colorado are regulated by the same 75-year-old statutes that this bill repealed. Unfortunately, the legislature and the governor chose to pick winners and losers without addressing the antiquated 3.2 ‘prohibition beer’ statutes as well,” said Larson. He noted that the state association actually endorsed the elimination of the Sunday sales prohibition, but that “simply handing $65 million in 3.2 beer sales to them [liquor stores] is unconscionable.”

“There are no other licenses available to convenience stores that would allow them to compete for the very customers they have honed all these years while marketing 3.2 beer. The liquor lobby had their way with the legislature this year but we are exploring other options and will not let this rest,” Larson said.