Colorado handgun laws require you to be at least 21 to buy a handgun, pass a background check on every transfer (including private sales), and wait at least three days before taking delivery. You can openly carry a holstered handgun in most of the state without a permit, but concealing one on your person requires a Colorado-issued concealed handgun permit. Several locations are off-limits regardless of what permit you hold, and magazines over 15 rounds are banned.
Buying a Handgun in Colorado
The minimum age to purchase any firearm is 21. A 2023 law raised the floor from 18 to 21 for all firearm types, and buying under that age is a class 2 misdemeanor.1Colorado General Assembly. SB23-169 Increasing Minimum Age To Purchase Firearms Possession rules differ slightly: people 18 and older may possess a handgun, but the purchase restriction effectively keeps most people under 21 from legally obtaining one.
Every transfer runs through a background check at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and that includes private sales. Selling to a friend or an online buyer means routing the sale through a licensed dealer who runs the check and records the transaction.2Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Private Firearms Transfers – Sale and Purchase – Background Check Required – Penalty – Definitions The buyer cannot take possession until CBI approves the transfer.3Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms
Some people are barred from possession entirely. A felony conviction, or a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence as defined under federal law, disqualifies you from possessing a handgun, and violating that prohibition is itself a felony.4Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders
The Three-Day Waiting Period
A seller cannot hand over a firearm until the later of two events: three days after the background check is started, or the moment the check comes back approved. Even if CBI clears you in minutes, the handgun stays at the shop for at least three days. The waiting period took effect October 1, 2023.5Colorado General Assembly. HB23-1219 Waiting Period To Deliver A Firearm
Open Carry Without a Permit
No permit is required to carry a handgun openly in a holster. You can walk through most of the state with a visible, holstered handgun legally. Local governments, however, can ban open carry in specific buildings or areas, and if a city or county does, it has to post signs at public entrances.6Justia. Colorado Code 29-11.7-104 – Regulation – Carrying – Posting Denver has long restricted open carry inside city limits. Check the local rules before carrying openly in any municipality.
When You Need a Concealed Carry Permit
Carrying a concealed handgun on your person without a valid permit is a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.7Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105 – Unlawfully Carrying a Concealed Weapon – Unlawful Possession of Weapons A handgun counts as concealed if it is hidden on your body or within easy reach in a way that keeps it out of sight.
Your car is the big exception. Colorado law expressly allows you to carry a handgun in a private vehicle for lawful protection of yourself or your property, with no permit required, and this is a matter of statewide concern so no city or county can override it.8Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-105.6 – Limitation on Local Ordinances Regarding Firearms in Private Vehicles Long guns are treated differently: a rifle or shotgun must be carried with the chamber unloaded while in a motor vehicle.
Getting a Concealed Handgun Permit
To carry concealed outside your car, you need a permit from the sheriff in your county of residence. Colorado only issues permits to state residents, though active-duty military members stationed in Colorado on permanent orders are treated as residents.9Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit
You have to be at least 21 and meet the statutory eligibility criteria, which disqualify people with felony convictions, perjury convictions, substance abuse issues, or who are subject to certain protection orders. You also must demonstrate competence with a handgun. Most applicants do this by completing a certified handgun training class within the ten years before applying and submitting the signed certificate. Military service, retirement from a Colorado law enforcement agency, or documented participation in organized shooting competitions can substitute.9Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit
Apply in person at your county sheriff’s office. Staff collect the application, take digital fingerprints, and submit everything for state and federal background checks. CBI’s portion of the cost is $52.50, and sheriffs add their own administrative fee, so total costs typically land somewhere between roughly $100 and $155 depending on the county.10Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
The sheriff has 90 days from receiving a completed application to approve or deny it, and must decide within that window even if FBI fingerprint results have not come back.11Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-206 – Issuance of Permits Most counties clear permits in 60 to 90 days. The permit is valid for five years, and you must carry both the permit and a valid Colorado ID whenever you are carrying concealed.
Renewing Your Permit
You can start renewing up to 120 days before your permit expires. Renewal is an in-person visit to the sheriff’s office with a current Colorado ID showing your address and your existing permit. The CBI renewal portion is $13 plus whatever the county charges. Let it lapse and you cannot renew; you must apply as a new applicant, including fresh fingerprinting and the full fee.
Out-of-State Permits
Colorado has reciprocity agreements with more than 30 states. A visiting permit holder’s out-of-state permit is valid here only if the holder is a resident of the issuing state, carries a matching driver’s license or state ID from that state, and is at least 21. Non-resident permits are not honored.12Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity If you are a Colorado resident, you must carry under a Colorado permit while in the state, even if you also hold a permit from a reciprocity state.
Places You Still Cannot Carry
A valid permit does not open every door. Firearms are prohibited, openly or concealed, on the grounds of any public or private school from elementary through high school, at vocational schools, licensed child care centers, and colleges and universities. Narrow exceptions exist for authorized educational programs and school-approved activities, but the default is a hard prohibition.13Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105.5 – Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon – Unlawful Possession of Weapons – School, College, or University Grounds – Definition
A concealed carry permit also does not authorize you to carry into any public building where security personnel and electronic screening devices are permanently stationed at every entrance, every entrant is screened, and anyone with a weapon must leave it with security.14Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions Federal property has its own rules. Post offices prohibit all firearms on the premises under federal regulation, with penalties up to one year in prison, or up to five years if the weapon was intended for use in a crime.15United States Postal Service. Possession of Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons on Postal Service Property
Private property owners can bar firearms on their premises. If a business posts clear signage and you carry inside anyway, you can face trespassing charges once you have been asked to leave and refuse, regardless of your permit.
Magazine Capacity
Magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition are banned. The definition covers any fixed or detachable magazine, drum, or feed strip designed to accept more than 15 rounds.16FindLaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Criminal Code 18-12-301 – Definitions Selling, transferring, or possessing a large-capacity magazine is a class 2 misdemeanor. If you owned one before July 1, 2013, you can keep it only if you have maintained continuous possession of it since then.17Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited – Penalties – Exceptions
Safe Storage at Home
Firearms must be responsibly stored when not in use, especially where a juvenile or anyone legally prohibited from possessing a firearm could reach them. You satisfy the requirement by keeping the firearm in a locked gun safe or secure container, by using a properly installed locking device, or by using a personalized firearm with its safety features activated. In every case, no minor or prohibited household member can have access to the key or combination.18Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-114 – Secure Firearm Storage Required – Penalty – Exceptions
Failing to store a firearm securely when you know or should know that a minor or prohibited person can access it is a class 2 misdemeanor. If someone gets to an improperly stored firearm and uses it to injure or kill another person, the consequences for the owner escalate substantially.18Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-114 – Secure Firearm Storage Required – Penalty – Exceptions
Reporting a Lost or Stolen Handgun
If you have reason to believe your handgun is lost or stolen, you must report it to a law enforcement agency within five days of discovering it missing. The report should include manufacturer, model, serial number, caliber, and any other identifying details. A first failure to report is a civil infraction with a $25 fine; a second or later failure is an unclassified misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.19Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-113 – Failure to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm A family or household member can file for you, and if you later recover the firearm, you must report the recovery to the same agency.
Self-Defense and the Make My Day Law
Colorado permits physical force to defend yourself or someone else from what you reasonably believe is the imminent use of unlawful force, and the force must be proportional. Deadly force is justified only when you reasonably believe a lesser degree would not be enough and at least one of these applies: you or another person faces an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, someone is committing or about to commit burglary against an occupied dwelling or business, or someone is committing or about to commit kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault, or serious assault.20Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704 – Use of Physical Force in Defense of a Person
Colorado’s home-defense statute, often called the Make My Day law, goes further inside the home. If someone makes an unlawful entry, you reasonably believe that person has committed or intends to commit a crime inside beyond just the entry, and you reasonably believe the intruder might use any physical force against anyone in the home, you are justified in using any degree of force, including deadly force. An occupant who uses force under these circumstances is immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability.21Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder The statute protects you only inside the dwelling itself, not in a detached garage, yard, or other outside location.
When Firearms Can Be Removed: Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Colorado’s red flag law lets a family member, household member, community member, or law enforcement officer petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a significant risk of harming themselves or others. The petition must include a sworn affidavit. If the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the person poses a significant risk of causing personal injury by possessing or purchasing a firearm, it issues a temporary extreme risk protection order requiring immediate surrender of all firearms and any concealed carry permit.22Justia. Colorado Code 13-14.5-103 – Temporary Extreme Risk Protection Order A follow-up hearing within 14 days determines whether a full order of up to 364 days follows.