To buy a handgun in Colorado, you need to be at least 21 years old, be a Colorado resident with a valid government-issued photo ID showing your current address, pass a background check run by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, complete ATF Form 4473 at a licensed dealer, pay the $15 background check fee, and wait a minimum of three days before taking the firearm home. The same rules apply whether the seller is a licensed dealer or a private party.
Age and Residency
The minimum age is 21 for any firearm purchase in Colorado. State law raised the threshold from 18, with narrow exceptions for active-duty military members and certified peace officers.1Colorado General Assembly. SB23-169 Increasing Minimum Age to Purchase Firearms Federal law separately prohibits licensed dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
You also have to be a Colorado resident. Federal law bars licensed dealers from selling handguns to out-of-state residents, so a handgun you find at a dealer in another state has to be shipped to a licensed dealer in Colorado, where you finish the transaction.
Who Cannot Legally Buy
Federal law lists categories of people barred from buying or possessing a handgun. You are prohibited if you have a felony conviction (any crime punishable by more than one year in prison), are a fugitive from justice, use or are addicted to a controlled substance, have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, are in the country unlawfully or on most nonimmigrant visas, received a dishonorable discharge, have renounced U.S. citizenship, are subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, or have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
The domestic violence category catches more buyers than they expect. A qualifying misdemeanor involves force used or attempted against a spouse, former spouse, coparent, cohabitant, or someone in a similar domestic relationship, and a conviction against a person in one of those relationships triggers a lifetime firearm ban. Convictions involving a dating relationship carry a shorter prohibition: the ban lifts after five years if you have only one such conviction and aren’t otherwise prohibited.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence Prohibitions
Colorado law adds another layer. Under CRS 18-12-108, anyone convicted of a felony, or of attempting or conspiring to commit one, is barred from possessing firearms, and the statute specifically includes federally defined misdemeanor domestic violence convictions.4Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders
Identification and Paperwork
Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID that shows both your identity and your current Colorado address. A Colorado driver’s license or state ID is the standard. If the address on your ID isn’t current, plan on supplemental government-issued documentation, such as a vehicle registration, that shows where you actually live.
A Colorado concealed handgun permit does not exempt you from anything. Permit holders go through the same background check as any other buyer.5Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
At the Dealer: Form 4473, Background Check, and Waiting Period
At a federally licensed dealer, you’ll be handed ATF Form 4473, the federal Firearms Transaction Record. You fill it out yourself. The dealer cannot fill it out for you.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record
Form 4473 asks a series of yes-or-no questions designed to surface the prohibitor categories above. When you sign, you’re certifying under penalty of perjury that your answers are truthful. Lying on the form is a federal felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Revisions The same range of penalties applies if you buy on behalf of someone who cannot pass a check, a straw purchase.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy
The dealer submits your information to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which runs the check through its InstaCheck system. As of March 2025, the CBI charges a $15 background check fee, paid by the buyer and separate from the price of the handgun.9Colorado Criminal Information Center. InstaCheck – Colorado
Colorado also imposes a mandatory waiting period under CRS 18-12-115. The dealer cannot release the handgun to you until at least three days have passed from when the background check was initiated, even if CBI approves you within minutes. If CBI hasn’t issued a decision after three days, you keep waiting. Both the completed waiting period and an actual approval are required before the firearm changes hands.
Once you’re approved, that approval is valid for 30 calendar days. Complete the purchase inside that window or the dealer will need to run a new check.
Buying From a Private Seller
Colorado requires a background check on nearly every firearm transfer, not only sales through licensed dealers. If you buy a handgun from a friend, coworker, or someone through a classified listing, the transaction has to run through a licensed dealer who processes the same CBI check.10Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Transfer of Firearms – Background Check Required
Both buyer and seller go to the dealer, the dealer requests the background check, and the transfer happens only after approval. Dealers can charge up to $10 for handling the transfer, on top of the $15 CBI fee, and the same 30-day approval window applies. Skipping the check on a private sale is a class 1 misdemeanor and triggers a two-year firearm possession ban.10Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Transfer of Firearms – Background Check Required
A handful of transfers are exempt, most commonly gifts between certain immediate family members, transfers after death, and short-term loans of up to 72 hours or while you’re present with the borrower.11Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms FAQs Even with an exempt transfer, you cannot give or lend a firearm to someone you know is prohibited from possessing one.
If Your Background Check Is Denied
Denials happen, and they aren’t always right. Outdated records, data entry errors, and mistaken identity account for a real share of them. You have 30 days from the denial date to file an appeal with CBI. The online appeal portal is the fastest route, though a paper form is available through the dealer.12Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Appeals Information – Firearms
You’ll need the CBI transaction number, the NICS transaction number, and the transaction date from the dealer. CBI analysts research the underlying records, and a successful appeal not only overturns the denial but can also correct inaccurate records that would otherwise affect future background checks for employment or housing.12Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Appeals Information – Firearms