Bill toughens penalties on gun-store thieves

Thieves who take guns or ammunition during a burglary in Colorado could face a stiffer prison sentence and heftier fines under a measure that passed a House committee Thursday, with prosecutors, victims of gun violence and lawmakers from both parties backing the legislation.

Currently, firearms theft during a second-degree burglary can be a Class 4 felony, which carries a sentence of two to six years in prison. House Bill 1077 would up that to a Class 3 felony and allow a judge to impose a fine of up to $750,000 and between four and 12 years behind bars.

“These thefts are no ordinary burglaries, and therefore there should be some form for enhanced consequences for theft of deadly weapons,” said Rep. Larry Liston, a Colorado Springs Republican who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Donald Valdez, D-La Jara.

The legislation comes in the wake of a spate of gunstore burglaries in the past two years across the state in which rifles and other powerful weapons were stolen. A handgun stolen during one of the break-ins was used in the accidental 2016 Edgewater shooting of a 13year-old boy, according to federal authorities and police.

Also, 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler testified that he has seen stolen weapons used in homicides and other violent crimes.

“It is the right step to take,” he said of the legislation. “… It gives me, as a prosecutor, another tool in my toolbox to try to distinguish between someone who might steal a laptop and someone who might steal something that could be used to take another person’s life.”

The Colorado District Attorney’s Council, Colorado Ceasefire and gunstore owners also testified in support of the measure. Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex was killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, also spoke for the legislation.

Legislative analysts estimate that each year there would be about 20 cases eligible to face charges under the bill.

House Bill 1077, which passed the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee by a 7-2 vote, with two Democrats rejecting the measure over concerns about not putting enough resources toward preventing gun thefts, now heads to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.