DENVER–Governor Jared Polis on Monday signed a pair of gun-related bills intended to crack down on stolen firearms, as well as placing new burdens and potential penalties on licensed firearms dealers.
Senate Bill 25-205, Firearm Serial Number Request Procedure was sponsored in the Senate by Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, and in the house by Cecilia Espenoza, D-Denver and William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield. The bill establishes a procedure for federal firearm licensees to request a required serial number check before purchasing a firearm from an individual. The local Sherriff or police department must complete the check within 72 hours of its request.
If a firearm dealer fails to check the serial number, their license can be revoked if they “reasonably believe, knows or should know, or becomes aware” that the gun was stolen, lost, or involved in an open criminal investigation.
SB 205 passed on a party-line vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate, with seven Democrats joining all Republicans in opposition in the House, where the bill still passed 36-27.
House Bill 25-1062, Penalty for Theft of Firearms was sponsored in the House by Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud and House Majority leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, and in the Senate by Nick Hinrichsen along with Byron Pelton, R-Sterling.
Previously, penalties for gun theft were based on the value of the firearm stolen. HB 1062 makes gun theft a Class 6 felony, punishable by up to 18 months incarceration, regardless of the value, whereas before, jail time would only be possible if the stolen weapon was worth more than $2,000.
Research director of the Independence Institute* and Second Amendment scholar David Kopel, says HB 1062 properly recognizes the serous nature of gun theft over the value of a firearm,
“Because firearms are tools for the inherent right of self-defense, and because a firearm in the hands of a violent criminal is a deadly threat to public safety, the theft of a firearm is a far more serious crime than merely the cost of the firearm,” Kopel told Complete Colorado
HB 1062 passed on a 50-12 vote in the House and a 28-7 vote in the Senate, this after a similar bill was killed last year by a Democrat-controlled committee.
Kopel noted that the bill represented a positive change in legislative decision-making, “It is good the 2025 legislature took a bipartisan and common-sense approach.”
*Independence Institute is the publisher of Complete Colorado.
