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DENVER, CO– The House today advanced a bill to promote responsible gun ownership and the safe storage of firearms when children are present in order to save lives and prevent accidental deaths on Second Reading.
“As an ER nurse, a gun owner, and the father of young children, I’m convinced that this common sense gun safety bill will prevent tragedies and save lives,” said Representative Kyle Mullica (D-Northglenn). “Asking all gun owners in Colorado to safely store their firearms the way the majority of responsible gun owners already do is not a tall order, but it could go a long way towards preventing accidental deaths, injuries, and suicides involving firearms.”
“In the middle of a pandemic, as children are home more often than ever and mental health issues skyrocket, we’re taking steps to keep our kids, teens and communities safe,” said Representative Monica Duran (D-Wheat Ridge). “On average, every week in Colorado a child dies at the hands of a firearm and every day a child is injured by one. A simple and affordable lock on a firearm could prevent a family from being ripped apart by the type of tragedies that have become all too common in our state.”
HB21-1106 seeks to promote responsible gun ownership by creating an educational campaign that will encourage gun owners, especially those with children in the home, to properly store their firearms. The bill also requires licensed firearms dealers to provide a locking device at the time of sale or transfer of all firearms. Federal law already requires that handguns sold by licensed dealers be sold with locking devices. Finally, the bill would create the charge “unlawful storage of a firearm” when a firearm is not stored safely and a juvenile or someone who is ineligible to possess a firearm is present, making it a class 2 misdemeanor.