'Isabella Joy Thallas Act': Bill Requiring Owners To Report Stolen Guns Passes Colorado House

DENVER (CBS4) -- Colorado lawmakers in the House passed a bill requiring gun owners to report to law enforcement within five days of realizing their firearms have been lost or stolen. The bill was renamed the Isabella Joy Thallas Act, after the Denver woman who was murdered last summer with a stolen weapon that was never reported.

"Bella Thallas' young life was cut short in a tragic, senseless and random act of violence," said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver. "I'm proud that we were able to honor her life with this small gesture."

"Lost and stolen firearms end up in crime scenes across the country every day," said Rep. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial. "By requiring that lost or stolen guns be reported in a timely way, this bill will give law enforcement the information they need to prevent crime and track down perpetrators when crimes are committed."

The bill requires a law enforcement agency that receives a report to enter information about the lost or stolen firearm into the National Crime Information Center database and report the information to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

The bill passed by a vote of 41-24.

Thallas was murdered on June 10, 2020 while she and her boyfriend were walking their dog outside of their apartment in Denver's Ballpark neighborhood.

Michael Close, 36, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting that killed Isabella and seriously injured her boyfriend, Darian Simon.

According to the Denver Police Department, Close, a friend of a Denver police officer, took the rifle from the officer's home without the officer's knowledge or permission. Upon learning his rifle was missing and that it may have been used in the homicide, the officer notified investigators that the rifle belonged to him.