Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a pair of bills this week, increasing prohibitive gun control regulations in the state. One places fines on those that fail to report stolen or lost guns according to a new prescribed timeline. The second bill requires guns be kept under lock and key any time minors, or anyone who can’t own a gun, are on the premises.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Signs 2 Gun Control Bills Into Law
Polis signed Senate Bill 78 Monday, reported UPI. It requires guns owners report any lost or stolen gun within five days. The bill alleges to require guns owners “responsibly and securely” store firearms not in use. It further requires all licensed gun dealers provide locking devices for every sale or transfer. The measure eventually took the name “Isabella Joy Thallas Act,” honoring a 21-year-old woman shot and killed with a stolen rifle belonging to a Denver police sergeant, reported UPI.
“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, reported UPI.
The law takes effect in September. It will levy a $25 for first offense. A second offense to report a lost or stolen gun jumps to $500. The law also requires law enforcement officers enter reported firearm data into the Colorado Bureau of Investigations Crime Information Center Database, reported UPI.
Required Gun Storage
The second law looms potentially even more troubling. It requires all weapons stored in a gun safe or trigger or cable lock anytime a gun owner is aware a “juvenile or a resident who is ineligible to possess a firearm can gain access to the firearm,” reported UPI. Violations could constitute a class 2 misdemeanor, possibly including fines and jail time.
We understand some minors should not be left with firearms unattended. But some continually prove capable. Take the 2015 incident in South Carolina. A 13-year-old boy grabbed his mother’s gun when two suspects allegedly attempted to force themselves inside the home. The boy fired several times, and shots found their mark. One suspect died from his wounds.
Now in Colorado, that same 13-year-old boy won’t have the same chance to fight back. The innocent has been turned into an automatic victim, or his parent a criminal.
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