DENVER — The state House on Thursday advanced over the objections of the chamber’s Republicans a bill mandating owners of firearms to report to law enforcement within five days if that weapon is lost or stolen.
Rep. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat who sponsored Senate Bill 21-078 in the House, touted the measure as an awareness bill and noted data shows over 60% of Colorado gun owners already report to law enforcement when their weapon is lost or stolen.
“The problem with that is that a majority isn't good enough,” he said. “Firearms are getting into the hands of those who shouldn't have them: felons, those with mental health issues and our youth.”
At least 300,000 privately-owned firearms are stolen every year, according to one survey. An analysis of federal data by the Center for American Progress estimated that 31,848 firearms were stolen in Colorado between 2012 and 2017. A survey of state and federal prisoners in 2016 found roughly one in five reported carrying a gun while committing their crime. Approximately 13% had either stolen the gun or "found it" at the scene of the crime. Nearly half obtained the gun from an unlicensed or "street" source.
Sullivan also highlighted a poll from Keating Research released in January 2019 showing nearly 90% of respondents in both rural and urban Colorado supported the concept.
>9NEWS readers can see the full article at Colorado Politics.
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