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Subcommittee backs allowing courthouses to offer voluntary firearm storage
Summary
The Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 7-0 to send House Bill 23-76 to full judiciary; the bill would permit sheriffs or counties to install firearm storage at courthouses so individuals may secure weapons before entering buildings that house judicial proceedings.
Chairman Doggett told the subcommittee that state law currently bars carrying firearms into buildings that house judicial proceedings and that some rural courthouses also house other public services such as tax assessor and county clerk offices. He said the bill would make it permissive—not mandatory—for sheriffs or counties to install storage so individuals carrying firearms could store them before entering the building.
"No person shall... carry a firearm into any building that is housing judicial proceedings," Doggett said in explaining the current law and the bill's intent to allow local storage options. The committee voted to send House Bill 23-76 to the full judiciary committee, with the clerk reporting a 7-0 tally in favor.
The measure does not mandate a specific storage model or require counties to install lockers; it simply allows local law enforcement discretion to offer a storage option. Proponents said the change addresses practical needs in courthouses that also provide nonjudicial services; opponents were not recorded during the committee's discussion.
