Colorado firearm laws require anyone buying a gun to be at least 21, pass a background check through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and wait at least three days before taking possession. On top of that baseline, the state regulates how guns are stored, where they can be carried, how large a magazine can be, and whether a firearm must bear a serial number. Local governments can add their own rules, so what’s legal in one Colorado city may not be legal in the next.
Who Can Buy and Own a Firearm
You must be at least 21 to buy any firearm in Colorado, from a dealer or a private seller.1Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Private Firearms Transfers – Sale and Purchase – Background Check Required – Penalty – Definitions Active-duty military, peace officers, and individuals certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training board are exempt from the age restriction.2Colorado Public Law. Colorado Code 18-12-112.5 – Firearms Transfers by Licensed Dealers
State law makes it a Class 5 felony for anyone with a prior felony conviction to knowingly possess a firearm, and the list of qualifying felonies is long, running from arson through kidnapping and child exploitation. If the firearm was used or its use was threatened during another crime, probation is off the table and a prison sentence is mandatory.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders
Federal disqualifiers run through Colorado’s background check system as well. You cannot buy or possess a firearm if you have a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, are subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, have been adjudicated mentally incompetent, or are an unlawful user of a controlled substance.4Colorado Bureau of Investigation. State and Federal Firearm Prohibitors
Marijuana Users Are Federally Prohibited
Marijuana is legal under Colorado law but remains a Schedule I controlled substance federally, and federal law bars any unlawful user of a controlled substance from owning a firearm. That includes Colorado medical marijuana cardholders. The ATF Form 4473 required for every purchase asks whether you use marijuana, and admitting use disqualifies you. Lying on the form is a separate federal crime. Colorado sheriffs are also forbidden from issuing a concealed carry permit to anyone ineligible under federal law.
Background Checks and the Three-Day Wait
Every firearm transfer in Colorado requires a background check through the CBI’s InstaCheck Unit, whether the seller is a dealer or your neighbor.5Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms – Section: About the Firearms InstaCheck Unit The seller cannot hand over the firearm until two things happen: three days have passed since the check was initiated, and the CBI has issued an approval number. Most checks clear well within that window, but if the investigation runs long, you wait. The three days alone are not enough.6FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-115 – Waiting Period for Firearms Sales – Background Check Required – Penalty – Exceptions
Private sellers must route the check through a licensed dealer. The dealer’s facilitation fee is capped at $10, and the CBI charges a separate $15 background check fee.7Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) Information Some dealers add handling fees on top. Selling a firearm without going through a dealer is a Class 1 misdemeanor; buying one without a background check is a Class 2 misdemeanor.1Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Private Firearms Transfers – Sale and Purchase – Background Check Required – Penalty – Definitions
Antique firearms and items classified as curios or relics are exempt from the waiting period, along with any transfer that doesn’t require a background check under state or federal law.8Colorado General Assembly. Waiting Period to Deliver a Firearm
Concealed Carry Permits
Colorado is a shall-issue state. The sheriff in your county of residence must grant a concealed handgun permit if you meet the statutory criteria, and you must be a legal Colorado resident.9Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit You also need to have completed a handgun training class from a certified instructor within the past ten years, and the training certificate (original or signed photocopy) has to accompany your application.
The CBI charges $52.50 for the state and federal check components, and sheriffs add their own administrative fee that varies by county.10Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Total out-of-pocket for a new application generally lands between $100 and $150. Renewals are capped at $50 and can be filed up to 120 days before expiration. Miss the expiration date and a $15 late fee applies; let the permit sit expired for six months and you cannot renew it at all.11Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-211 – Renewal of Permits
Reciprocity With Other States
Colorado honors a concealed carry permit from another state only when four conditions are met: the other state recognizes Colorado permits, the holder is a resident of the issuing state, the holder is at least 21, and the holder carries both the permit and a matching state-issued ID. Nonresident permits from any state are not recognized.12Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity The CBI maintains the current reciprocity list, which runs to about three dozen states; check it before relying on an out-of-state permit.
Open Carry and Firearms in Vehicles
Colorado does not prohibit openly carrying a handgun or long gun in public, and no permit is required. Since 2021, however, local governments have been allowed to ban open carry within their boundaries so long as they post signs.13Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority Several municipalities have done so. Before openly carrying anywhere, check the local ordinance.
Inside a vehicle, you may carry a handgun for lawful protection of yourself or others. Long guns are treated differently. Any firearm other than a pistol or revolver must have an unloaded chamber while in or on a motor vehicle, regardless of whether you plan to hunt.14Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
Self-Defense Inside and Outside the Home
Colorado does not require you to retreat before using force in self-defense. Physical force is justified when you reasonably believe it’s necessary to protect yourself or another from the unlawful use or imminent use of physical force. Deadly force is justified only when you reasonably believe lesser force would not be enough and you face imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, or to prevent burglary, kidnapping, robbery, or sexual assault.15Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704 – Use of Physical Force in Defense of a Person You lose the right to claim self-defense if you were the initial aggressor, provoked the confrontation intending to cause injury, or were trespassing.
The Make My Day Law
Inside your home the threshold is lower. Under Colorado’s Make My Day statute, if someone makes an unlawful entry into your dwelling, you may use deadly force when you reasonably believe the intruder has committed or intends to commit any crime beyond the entry itself and that the intruder might use any physical force, however slight, against anyone inside.16Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder Outside the home you need to face imminent death or great bodily injury; inside the home the belief that the intruder might use some physical force is enough.
Storage and Lost or Stolen Firearms
If a juvenile or someone prohibited from possessing firearms lives in your home or can access it, you must store your firearms securely when they are not in use. Secure storage means a locked safe or container, a trigger or cable lock, or keeping the gun close enough on your person to maintain direct control. A juvenile or prohibited resident cannot have access to any key, combination, or unlock mechanism.17Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-114 – Secure Firearm Storage Required – Penalty – Exceptions Failure to store properly, when you knew or should have known a child or prohibited person could reach the gun, is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Nobody has to be injured for the charge to stick.
If your firearm is lost or stolen, you have five days from the time you discover it to report it to law enforcement. A first failure is a $25 civil infraction; a second or later failure is an unclassified misdemeanor with fines up to $500.18Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-113 – Failure to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm
Magazines and Serial Numbers
A large-capacity magazine in Colorado is any detachable or fixed device holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition. For shotguns, a fixed tubular magazine over 28 inches of shells qualifies, as does a detachable shotgun magazine of more than eight shells combined with a fixed magazine.19Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-301 – Definitions Selling, transferring, or possessing one is a Class 2 misdemeanor; possessing one during a felony or violent crime is a Class 6 felony.20Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited – Penalties – Exceptions If you owned the magazine before July 1, 2013 and have kept continuous possession, you can keep it. Lever-action rifles with tubular magazines and magazines permanently altered to hold 15 or fewer are also exempt.
Since January 1, 2024, it has been illegal to possess, sell, or transport a firearm, frame, or receiver without a serial number. Anyone who had an unserialized firearm before that date was required to have it serialized by a federally licensed dealer by the deadline.21Colorado General Assembly. SB23-279 Unserialized Firearms and Firearm Components A first violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor; any subsequent violation is a Class 5 felony.22Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-111.5 – Unserialized Firearms, Frames, and Receivers
Where You Can’t Carry
A concealed carry permit does not authorize you to carry in public or private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, or seminaries. A limited exception lets permit holders keep a handgun locked in their vehicle on school property.23Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-105.5 – Prohibited Locations Government buildings with permanent security screening at every entrance also prohibit concealed carry.13Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority
Polling places are off-limits during any election, as is the area within 100 feet of a ballot drop box or the building housing one. The designated election official must post signs marking that 100-foot buffer.24Justia. Colorado Code 1-13-724 – Firearms Prohibited at Polling Locations
After the 2021 repeal of most state firearm preemption, local governments can ban concealed or open carry in buildings or specific areas within their jurisdiction, provided they post signs and keep the first-violation civil fine at $50 or less. Private property owners can also ban firearms by posting visible notice. In practice, that means watching for posted signage and checking local ordinances whenever you travel inside the state.
Red Flag Orders
Colorado’s extreme risk protection order law lets a court temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a significant danger to themselves or others. Law enforcement, district attorneys, family members, household members (within the past six months), licensed educators, and licensed medical or mental health professionals who interacted with the person in the prior six months can petition.25Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Extreme Risk Protection Orders A temporary order lasts up to 14 days; after a full hearing, a final order lasts 364 days. Once served, the person must surrender all firearms and any concealed carry permit within 24 hours and file proof with the court within 48.26Justia. Colorado Code 13-14.5-108 – Surrender of Firearms Failing to surrender is a separate criminal offense.