Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a pair of laws requiring gun owners to report missing firearms within five days and store their weapons in locked containers to prevent access by unauthorized users. File Photo by Bob Strong/UPI |
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April 20 (UPI) -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a pair of bills increasing regulations surrounding the tracking and storage of firearms.
Polis on Monday signed Senate Bill 78, which requires a gun owner to report their lost or stolen firearm within five days or face fines, and House Bill 1106, which requires gun owners to "responsibly and securely" store their firearms when not in use to prevent access from unauthorized users and requires a licensed gun dealer to provide a locking device during a firearm sale or transfer.
The Senate measure was renamed the Isabella Joy Thallas Act after a 21-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a stolen rifle belonging to a Denver police sergeant.
"While of course this legislation can't bring any of our fellow Coloradoans back who are no longer with us, we know that this not only can prevent future loss of life, but can also be part of the healing for the Thallas family and so many others impacted by gun violence by a stolen gun," Polis said in a press conference before the signing.
The law, which is slated to take effect in mid-September, institutes a $25 fine for failing to report a stolen firearm and a maximum fine of $500 for a second offense.
Law enforcement who receive reports of lost or stolen firearms will also be required to enter available information describing the weapons into the Colorado Bureau of Investigations Crime Information Center Database.
The second law will take effect on July 1 and requires weapons to be stored in a gun safe or with a trigger or cable lock when the owner is aware that a "juvenile or a resident who is ineligible to possess a firearm can gain access to the firearm."
Antique firearms are exempt and owners are not required to store their firearms this way if they are carrying the weapon or place it in a "secure container which a reasonable person would believe to be secure."
Violations could result in a class 2 misdemeanor offense including the potential for fines and jail time in rare cases.
Both laws were introduced before a shooting last month at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder that left 10 people, including a police officer, dead.
Other gun control measures are expected to be debated in the state's legislature later in the year.
