Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs two gun measures in law nearly a month after Boulder shooting

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Both measures were introduced before the mass shootings took place on March 22 at a grocery store, but the tragedy added to public pressure and the urgency to act on the legislation, lawmakers said.

Democrats, who control both the Colorado House and Senate, passed both bills this month without Republican support for either House.

Senate Bill 78, renamed Isabella Joy Thallas Act in honor of a 21-year-old woman shot and murdered in Denver last summer, requires the owner of a gun to report his gun. fire lost or stolen within five days or subject to fines. Thallas was shot dead in June 2020 with a stolen weapon that was never reported, according to CNN affiliate KCNC.
“While, of course, this legislation cannot bring back any of our Colorado colleagues who are no longer with us, we know that this can not only prevent the loss of lives in the future, but can also be part of the healing the Thallas family, etc. many others affected by gun violence by means of a stolen weapon, ”Polis said in statements Monday before signing the bills.
House Bill 1106 requires gun owners to store their weapons “responsibly and securely” when not in use to prevent minors and other unauthorized users from accessing them. It also requires an authorized gun dealer to provide a blocking device with each sale or transfer of firearms.
“This bill means fewer families are losing children to gun-related accidents and suicide, thanks to the use of $ 8 triggers or cable locks that any family can afford. It’s a simple solution. , effective and evidence-based to keep our children safe “State Senator Jeff Bridges, one of the sponsors of the bill, said in a statement last week after the bill was passed in the Colorado Senate .

Republicans tried unsuccessfully to amend the bills to limit their scope and create exceptions in certain cases, such as for victims of assaults who are unable to immediately report missing firearms.

Isabelle Daigle, a spokeswoman for Colorado State Republicans, said the measures “attack the basic rights of the Second Amendment in Colorado.”

“These bills do not have a common-sense purpose to provide solutions to real problems. Instead, they are just a step on a slippery slope in trying to pursue an arms control agenda rather than looking for the root causes. of the problem, “he said. dit. “We presented solutions and amendments to legislation that would have reigned under control, but Democrats refused at every step.”

After the Boulder shooting, Democrats began discussing additional legislative proposals they believe will prevent gun violence, including the mental health measures Republicans are pushing for rather than more restrictive measures.

In a statement, Republican State Sen. John Cooke criticized Democrats as “focused on playing with the strip instead of sitting with stakeholders and addressing the real issue: mental health.”

Regarding HB 1106, Cooke said, “If someone breaks into your home and you have to respond quickly, you are at a serious disadvantage if the firearm is locked with a government-approved device or in a safe.”

Another state Republican senator argued that the lost or stolen firearms law “punishes the victim.”

“If your home is stolen and a weapon has been stolen from you, now your government can be victimized again if the intrusion stresses you and you do not report this specific article to the police,” Senator Paul Lundeen said in a statement , adding that police will not be able to “stop a gun crime with the simple knowledge of the serial number of a stolen firearm.”

The United States is facing a recent series of mass shootings that have shaken communities, including the Boulder shots and the March 16 shots at three spas in the Atlanta area. Eight people died Thursday at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, at least half a dozen more massive shootings took place over the weekend and at least one person died Tuesday at a grocery store in Long Island, New York.

This story has been updated with more reaction.

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