New law mandates secure firearm storage in vehicles

(COLORADO) — Governor Polis signed a new law on Wednesday, May 15, that will prevent firearms from being stolen from vehicles. The new law requires firearms to be secured while unattended in a vehicle.

HB24-1348 requires all handguns to be stored in a locked, hard-sided container that is out of plain view to help prevent them from being stolen. Other firearms left in an unattended vehicle must be stored in a hard or soft-sided container.

“When someone steals a firearm, they bypass the protections we’ve put in place that consider factors like mental health struggles and a history of domestic violence before they’re handed a gun,” said Unincorporated Adams County Representative Lorena Garcia. “Gun thefts from vehicles are on the rise, putting our communities at risk of preventable gun crimes. By requiring guns to be securely stored in vehicles when they are unattended, this law will prevent gun owners from losing their weapons to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands and keep our neighborhood kids safe.”

The newest law also requires the Office of Suicide Prevention to include information for safe storage on its website and include vehicle safe storage information that must be displayed at gun stores.

There are exclusions to the law, such as antique firearms, peace officers, military service members, and people engaged in hunting activities. Recreational vehicles and non-handgun firearms in vehicles on a person’s private farm or ranch are also exempt.

According to the Denver Police Department, 846 of the 1,221 guns that were reported stolen were taken from vehicles. Of those firearms, 61 percent were stolen without taking the vehicle itself.

Data from 2020 shows that Grand Junction, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs had the highest rates of gun thefts from cars in Colorado.

The new legislation will promote responsible gun ownership and safe storage. Other laws that Governor Polis signed on Wednesday, May 15 have to deal with improving investigations of illegal firearm activity, public safety, road safety, and crime prevention.

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