Colorado governor signs tighter gun restrictions following Boulder shooting

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed tighter gun restrictions into law on Monday following a shooting at a grocery store in Boulder that left 10 people dead.

Polis signed two measures are aimed at tightening the rules around reporting lost or stolen guns, as well as how to store firearms.

Both of the measures were introduced before the shooting at King Sooner’s Grocery Store a month ago, but the shooting put pressure on lawmakers to act urgently, CNN reported.

“Bringing more accountability to the process of reporting loss and stolen guns, and best practices for responsible gun ownership is really common-sense across Colorado,” Polis said during a news conference. 

Polis signed the measure on Monday, which increases punishments for failing to report the loss or theft of a firearm within five days of discovering that it is gone.

A person would be charged with a civil infraction, rather than a petty offense, the first time they fail to report and could face a $25 fine. Subsequent offenses would be a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum $500 fine.

The five-day reporting requirement does not apply to licensed gun dealers.

The bill is named for Isabella Joy Thallas, who was killed last year after she was shot with a stolen weapon that wasn’t reported, Colorado’s House Democrats said in a statement.

He also signed a state House measure, which requires firearms to be stored when they are not used in a way that would prevent access by unauthorized users or unsupervised juveniles.

The measure makes it a class 2 misdemeanor to store a firearm in a manner that a person knows, or should know, that a juvenile can get to it or someone that is unauthorized to hav a gun has one.

Ten people died, including a police officer, after a gunman opened fire in a King Sooper’s grocery store in Boulder. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the suspect in the shooting, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.

Several high profile shootings within the last month have pushed Democrats to pass tighter gun laws in the state. Prior to Boulder, a shooting at three Atlanta-area spas last month left eight people dead including six Asian Americans.

And just last week, a shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis left another eight people dead.

President Biden has called on Congress to pass gun reform measures, and has unveiled executive actions on the issue.