Bipartisan gun bill passes committee at Colorado State Capitol
Auto thefts have dropped in Colorado since the legislature made it a felony to steal a car. Now, some lawmakers want to use the same approach to reduce gun thefts.
The House Judiciary Committee took up a bill that makes it a class 6 felony to steal a gun.
Right now, the penalty for gun theft is based on the value of the gun stolen.
Chris Jandro, owner of Hammer Down Firearms in Wheat Ridge, says he's had 34 attempted break-ins at his place alone.
Police say 1,220 guns were reported stolen in the City and County of Denver in 2023.
"Guns when they are stolen are not used for putting food on the table; they are used in violent crime. They are used typically by people that can't buy a firearm legally. And the vast majority of crimes committed in Colorado, in the 90% of those gun crimes, those guns used are acquired illegally," said Republican state Rep. Ryan Armagost.
Armagost and Democratic state Rep. Monica Duran are sponsors of the bill. They say stolen guns are nine times more likely to be used in those crimes.
All of Colorado's 23 elected district attorneys support the bill that passed committee 6-5.
