Coloradans who’ve been repeatedly convicted of auto theft will now be prohibited from possessing a gun under new regulations signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Monday.
House Bill 1171 adds first-degree motor vehicle theft to the state’s list of felony offenses that carry with them a loss of firearm rights. To be charged with first-degree auto theft, a person must have already been twice convicted of vehicle theft or unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The law allows a person who’s lost their ability to possess a gun because of HB-1171 to petition a court to reinstate their rights, but only after 10 years have passed.
The bill was sponsored by Democratic Reps. Shannon Bird and Andy Boesenecker and Sens. Nick Hinrichsen and Dafna Michaelson-Jenet. The bill had both bipartisan support and opposition, and the debate made for strange bedfellows: Some gun-control advocates joined with the county sheriff’s lobbying group to support it, while a prominent gun-rights group and criminal defense attorneys opposed it.
In a statement, Polis said the law keeps “guns out of the wrong hands.”
“I am proud of our work to improve public safety in Colorado,” he wrote, “and with this bill signed into law, I look forward to continuing our bold progress to protect Coloradans and our communities.”
The state’s possession of a weapon by a previous offender law — or POWPO — otherwise generally applies to crimes that involve the use of a deadly weapon, along with arson or burglary.
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