Colorado Gun Laws: Waiting Period, Carry, and Safe Storage

Colorado gun laws have changed significantly in the last three legislative sessions, and if you own a firearm in the state or plan to buy one, several rules now govern who can purchase, how long you wait, what you can own, where you can carry, and how you store it at home. The biggest change still ahead is a near-ban on semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and gas-operated handguns with detachable magazines, which takes effect August 1, 2026. The rules below are current law, with penalties that run from civil fines to felony prison time.

Who Can Buy a Firearm

You must be at least 21 to purchase any firearm in Colorado. Senate Bill 23-169 eliminated the older rule that let 18-year-olds buy rifles and shotguns, so the 21-and-up requirement now applies across the board.¹ A buyer under 21 who attempts a purchase and a dealer who facilitates it both face Class 2 misdemeanor charges, carrying up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine.² Active-duty military and peace officers are exempt.

Beyond age, the federal prohibited-person categories under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) disqualify anyone convicted of a felony, subject to a domestic violence restraining order, dishonorably discharged from the military, or adjudicated as mentally unfit.³ Every retail firearm sale in Colorado runs through a background check performed by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

The Three-Day Waiting Period

You cannot walk out of a gun store the same day you buy. House Bill 23-1219 requires dealers to wait three days before handing over a firearm. The clock starts when the Colorado Bureau of Investigation initiates the background check, and you cannot take possession until either three days have passed or the check clears, whichever comes later.⁴

Delivering a firearm early is a civil infraction rather than a crime. The fine is $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for subsequent ones, and repeated violations can cost a dealer their state business license.⁴ Plan your purchase timeline around it.

Private Sales and Transfers

Colorado requires a background check for almost every firearm transfer, not just retail sales. If you sell or give a gun to someone who is not an immediate family member, the transfer must go through a federally licensed dealer who runs the check through CBI.⁵ Immediate family covers spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles. In-laws do not qualify.

This is where casual sellers get in trouble. Violating the private-transfer background check requirement under CRS 18-12-112 is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and a conviction triggers a two-year prohibition on possessing any firearm.⁶ That ban is reported to the state bureau and the national background check system, so it follows you anywhere else you try to buy a gun.

Magazine Capacity Limit

Colorado has prohibited the sale, transfer, or possession of magazines holding more than 15 rounds since July 1, 2013.⁷ Magazines owned before that date are grandfathered, but only with continuous possession. If the state charges you, the prosecution has to prove you did not own the magazine before the cutoff.

Senate Bill 25-003 elevated the penalty for unlawful possession or sale of a large-capacity magazine to a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.⁸ Possessing a large-capacity magazine during a felony or crime of violence is a Class 6 felony.⁷

The 2026 Semiautomatic Restriction

Starting August 1, 2026, it becomes illegal to manufacture, sell, transfer, or purchase a “specified semiautomatic firearm” in Colorado. The definition covers any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine, and any gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine.⁸ Certain models and types are excluded, but the law reaches a broad swath of commonly owned firearms.

A first violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine. A second or subsequent offense is a Class 6 felony. Dealers face revocation of their state firearms dealer permit on top of criminal penalties.⁸

Two things soften the restriction. First, the law does not require you to surrender firearms you already own, and you can still transfer a specified semiautomatic to an out-of-state buyer or a federally licensed dealer. Second, you can still purchase one if you have completed an extended firearms safety course within the past five years, or a combination of hunter education and a basic firearms safety course within the same timeframe.⁸ The training exemption turns what looks like a flat ban into a licensing-through-training system for civilians willing to do the coursework.

SB 25-003 also reclassifies rapid-fire devices as dangerous weapons under Colorado law.

Ghost Guns and Homemade Firearms

Every firearm, frame, or receiver you possess in Colorado must bear a serial number from a federally licensed manufacturer. Senate Bill 23-279 made unserialized firearms illegal and required anyone who already owned a homemade one to have it serialized by a federally licensed dealer no later than January 1, 2024.⁹ That deadline has passed, so possessing an unserialized gun now is a criminal offense.

A first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. A second or subsequent offense is a Class 5 felony with a presumptive prison range of one to three years plus two years of mandatory parole.¹⁰ The law also prohibits unlicensed individuals from manufacturing firearms, frames, or receivers, which effectively bars hobbyists from using 3D printers or CNC mills to build guns without a federal firearms license.

Concealed Carry Permits

County sheriffs issue concealed handgun permits in Colorado. House Bill 24-1174 overhauled the training requirements effective July 1, 2025. Applicants must complete an in-person course of at least eight hours that includes live-fire exercises and a written competency exam, and the course must have been completed within one year before the application.¹¹ The curriculum covers safe handling, storage, state and federal firearms law, use-of-force principles, and techniques for interacting with law enforcement during emergencies. A current peace officer certification satisfies the competency requirement.

Applicants are disqualified by certain misdemeanor convictions within five years before applying, and the federal prohibited-person categories apply as well.¹¹

Out-of-State Permits

Colorado has reciprocity agreements with 34 states, including Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Utah. The state honors an out-of-state permit only if the holder is a resident of the issuing state, carries a matching state-issued ID, and is at least 21 years old.¹² Nonresident permits are not recognized, regardless of their validity in the issuing state. If you hold a Utah nonresident permit but live in Oregon, Colorado will not honor it.

Open Carry and Local Rules

Colorado has no statewide ban on open carry, but the state leaves open-carry regulation to counties and municipalities.¹³ Denver, for example, prohibits open carry within city limits. Check the local municipal code before you openly carry anywhere in the state.

Under CRS 18-12-111, state law preempts most local firearms regulation, so local governments cannot restrict ownership or carrying beyond what state law allows. The exceptions matter: local governments can regulate firearms in government-owned buildings, restrict discharge within city limits, and regulate firearms at public athletic events. Those carve-outs are why local ordinances like Denver’s open-carry ban survive.

Where You Cannot Carry at All

Senate Bill 24-131 created a statewide list of locations where carrying a firearm is prohibited regardless of whether you hold a concealed carry permit. The ban covers open and concealed, loaded or unloaded, and it reaches the buildings and their adjacent parking areas. The designated sensitive spaces include:

State legislative buildings, including chambers, galleries, member offices, and any building where a legislative hearing is taking place.
Local government chambers and the offices of a local governing body and its chief executive, unless the local government specifically opts to allow carry.¹⁴
Courthouses and any building or portion of a building used for court proceedings.
Public and private schools from elementary through college, universities, seminaries, and licensed child care facilities.
Polling locations, central count facilities, and the area within 100 feet of a ballot drop box or building housing those operations during active election administration.¹⁵

Carrying into any of these locations is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Law enforcement, security personnel, and military members acting in their official capacity are exempt.¹⁴ Note the local government opt-out: unless a city or county has explicitly allowed carry in its own government buildings, the state ban applies.

Federal buildings add their own layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, possessing a firearm in a federal facility is punishable by up to one year in prison, and carrying one into a federal courthouse raises the maximum to two years.¹⁶

Safe Storage at Home

Colorado requires you to store firearms responsibly whenever juveniles or prohibited persons live in or visit the home. Under CRS 18-12-114, you are storing a firearm responsibly if you keep it on your person or within immediate reach, lock it in a gun safe or secure container, attach a locking device to the firearm, or use a personalized firearm with its safety features activated.¹⁷ In every case, a juvenile or prohibited person in the home must not have access to the key, combination, or unlocking mechanism.

Failing to store a firearm securely when you know or should know that a juvenile can access it, or that a prohibited resident lives in the home, is a Class 2 misdemeanor with up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine.¹⁷ An affirmative defense applies if a juvenile used the firearm in lawful self-defense or to protect livestock. If children or anyone barred from possessing firearms lives with you, your guns need to be locked or on your body at all times.

Self-Defense Inside and Outside the Home

Colorado’s “Make My Day” law, CRS 18-1-704.5, gives broad protection to occupants who use deadly force against intruders. If someone makes an unlawful entry into your dwelling, and you reasonably believe they have committed or intend to commit a crime inside beyond just the trespass, and you reasonably believe they might use any physical force against an occupant, you are justified in using deadly force.¹⁸ The threshold for the intruder’s threatened force is remarkably low: “any physical force, no matter how slight.” An occupant who acts within these bounds is immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability.

Outside the home, Colorado’s general self-defense statute allows physical force when you reasonably believe it is necessary to defend yourself or a third person from unlawful force. Deadly force is justified only when a lesser degree of force would be inadequate and the threat involves serious bodily harm, burglary, kidnapping, robbery, or sexual assault. Colorado does not impose an explicit duty to retreat, but any response must still be proportional to the threat.

When Someone Else Gets a Court Order Against You

Two separate court processes can require you to give up your firearms.

Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law lets a court temporarily remove firearms from someone found to pose an immediate danger. Senate Bill 23-170 expanded the list of people who can petition for an ERPO beyond law enforcement and family members to include licensed educators, healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and district attorneys.¹⁹ A judge who finds sufficient evidence can issue a temporary order lasting until the full hearing, which must be scheduled within 14 days, and the person must surrender all firearms and their concealed carry permit during that period.²⁰ If the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the individual poses a significant risk, it issues a 364-day order. The subject has the right to counsel and can petition to vacate if circumstances change. Refusing to surrender firearms can lead to contempt charges, and law enforcement can execute a search warrant to recover the weapons.

A separate process applies in domestic violence cases. Under HB 21-1255, a person subject to a domestic violence protection order must file an affidavit within seven business days listing the number, make, model, and location of every firearm they possess. The court holds a compliance hearing eight to twelve business days after the order to verify the affidavit. You can surrender firearms to law enforcement, a licensed dealer, or a private party, but not to anyone living in the same household. A private party storing a firearm under these circumstances cannot return it until CBI runs a background check authorizing the return.²¹ Federal law separately bars anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing firearms at all.³

1
Colorado General Assembly. SB23-169 Increasing Minimum Age to Purchase Firearms
2
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Section 18-1.3-501 – Misdemeanor Penalties
3
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
4
Colorado General Assembly. HB23-1219 Waiting Period to Deliver a Firearm
5
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms FAQs
6
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Section 18-12-112 – Transfers, Penalty
7
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. CRS 18-12-302 Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited
8
Colorado General Assembly. SB25-003 Semiautomatic Firearms and Rapid-Fire Devices
9
Colorado General Assembly. SB23-279 Unserialized Firearms and Firearm Components
10
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Section 18-1.3-401 – Felonies, Classification and Penalties
11
Colorado General Assembly. HB24-1174 Concealed Carry Permits and Training
12
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit Reciprocity
13
Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
14
Colorado General Assembly. Senate Bill 24-131 Signed
15
Colorado General Assembly. SB24-131 Prohibiting Carrying Firearms in Sensitive Spaces
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
17
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Section 18-12-114 – Secure Storage, Penalty
18
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Section 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder
19
Colorado General Assembly. SB23-170 Extreme Risk Protection Order Petitions
20
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. CRS 13-14.5-103 Extreme Risk Protection Orders
21
Colorado General Assembly. HB21-1255 Protection Order Issued Against Domestic Abuser