Two gun-control bills passed by Colorado’s Legislature were sent to Gov. Jared Polis who is planning to sign them into law.
One bill, known as Senate Bill 78, would require state residents to report a lost or stolen firearm within five days of realizing it went missing. If not, owners would be punished via a $25 fine and a subsequent offense would be a Class 3 misdemeanor which would require jail time.
The second bill, known as House Bill 1106, would require firearms owners to use a trigger lock or would have to store their guns in a safe if they know a child or someone who can’t possess a firearm could get access to the gun. If not, owners could face a Class 2 misdemeanor, including jail time and a fine.
A spokesperson for Polis said the governor “intends to sign them,” according to the Colorado Sun.
The bills were introduced before a mass shooting at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket that left 10 people dead.
Meanwhile, a major push to ban “assault-style” weapons in Colorado hit a snag this week as a top state Democratic lawmaker said it doesn’t look possible.
“It diverts all of the attention,” Democratic Rep. Tom Sullivan told NPR. Sullivan said that after the mass shooting in Boulder in March, other gun-control initiatives are needed including bans on so-called “ghost guns” and 3D printed guns.
“They work around it, with printers at home, or ordering piece by piece, that has no serial number on it,” he told the broadcaster. “And they manufacture something that could be deemed an assault weapon.”
President Joe Biden announced an executive order on banning “ghost guns,” or firearms that can be manufactured with kits at home, and orders on other measures last week.
Sullivan said that if Democrats try to push assault weapons ban bills too quickly, they might not receive support.
“It’s a slow process, again, like all of the major changing legislation that is gripping our country, from voters rights and women’s rights … those all take a lot of time. And, you know, I believe that we’re on the right path,” he said.
Gun Owners of America (GOA), a top gun-rights group, wrote on April 8 that it will fight against Biden’s orders, asserting the president “is seeking to unilaterally regulate firearms that gun owners currently own. And he’s doing this via executive action—bypassing the constitutional requirements which give Congress the authority to pass legislation.”
