Colorado Gun Laws: Outline Facts

Key Takeaways

• Colorado requires a background check for most gun transfers, including private sales, which must go through a licensed dealer. Some family and temporary transfers are exempt.
• Concealed handgun permit applicants must be 21 or older, be Colorado residents, show competence with a handgun, and pass a background check that includes fingerprints.
• Magazines that hold more than 15 rounds are banned from sale, transfer, or possession, unless the owner has had the magazine since July 1, 2013 and kept continuous possession.
• Storing a gun where a child or a prohibited resident can get to it, without keeping it locked or on your person, is a crime.
• Since 2019 Colorado has added extreme risk protection orders, secure storage and lost-or-stolen reporting rules, a minimum purchase age of 21, a three-day waiting period, and a ban on unserialized “ghost guns.”

What Colorado Law Provides

• Private transfers. Before a person who is not a licensed dealer transfers a firearm, a licensed dealer must run a background check and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation must approve the transfer (C.R.S. 18-12-112). Violating this section is a class 2 misdemeanor, and the person may not possess a firearm for two years after conviction.
• Dealer sales. A licensed dealer may not hand over a firearm until the Bureau approves the transfer (C.R.S. 18-12-112.5). The state background check system, and what counts as a “transfer,” is set out in C.R.S. 24-33.5-424.
• Minimum age. It is unlawful for a person under 21 to buy a firearm, from a dealer or a private seller. On-duty military members and peace officers are exempt (C.R.S. 18-12-112.5(1)(a.5); 18-12-112(2)(e)-(g)).
• Waiting period. A seller may not deliver a firearm until three days after a dealer starts the background check, or until the Bureau approves the transfer, whichever is later (C.R.S. 18-12-115).
• Unserialized firearms. Possessing, buying, selling, or making a firearm, frame, or receiver without a serial number from a federal firearms licensee is a class 1 misdemeanor, and a second offense is a class 5 felony (C.R.S. 18-12-111.5).
• Lost or stolen firearms. An owner must report a lost or stolen firearm to law enforcement within five days of discovering it (C.R.S. 18-12-113).
• Storage. Firearms must be securely stored to keep them from unsupervised juveniles and other unauthorized users (C.R.S. 18-12-114). Starting January 1, 2025, guns left in an unattended vehicle must be locked in a container (C.R.S. 18-12-114.5).
• Concealed carry. Carrying a concealed firearm without a permit is a class 1 misdemeanor, with exceptions for your own home, business, or property and for a private vehicle while traveling (C.R.S. 18-12-105). Permit rules are in C.R.S. 18-12-203, 18-12-204, 18-12-202.5, and 18-12-211.
• Large-capacity magazines. Defined in C.R.S. 18-12-301 and banned in C.R.S. 18-12-302.
• Extreme risk protection orders. A court may bar a person from having firearms for 364 days if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person poses a significant risk of injuring themselves or others (C.R.S. 13-14.5-105).
• Local rules. A city or county may adopt firearm rules that are stricter than state law, but not less strict (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103).

This page reflects the 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes. The legislature changes firearm law often, so check the current statutes before relying on any detail.

Overview of Firearm Ownership in Colorado

Most of Colorado’s firearm law is in Title 18, article 12 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. It covers background checks, the minimum purchase age, the waiting period, concealed carry permits, magazine limits, storage, and theft reporting. Federal law also applies to every sale, and a Colorado dealer must follow both.

Since June 19, 2021, cities and counties may also pass their own rules on buying, selling, transferring, or possessing firearms, as long as those rules are not less restrictive than state law (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103). A local government may not, however, keep a list of people who buy or transfer firearms or a database of the guns they buy (C.R.S. 29-11.7-102). Because local rules can differ, the rules in your city may be stricter than the statewide rules described here.

Background Check Requirements

Colorado law requires a background check for firearm sales and most other transfers, whether the seller is a licensed dealer or a private person. A private seller must arrange for a licensed dealer to run the check. Some transfers are exempt, such as a bona fide gift or loan between immediate family members.

When Checks Apply

When a licensed dealer transfers a firearm, the dealer may not hand it over until the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approves the transfer (C.R.S. 18-12-112.5(1)(a)). Private transfers require a check too, unless an exemption applies (C.R.S. 18-12-112(1)(a), (6)). The checks apply to handguns and long guns alike. The purpose is to verify the buyer’s eligibility and prevent sales to prohibited individuals.

Even after a background check is approved, the seller must still observe the three-day waiting period (C.R.S. 18-12-115).

Private Sale Rules

Private sales of firearms between individuals who are not licensed dealers are subject to specific regulations concerning background checks. Key aspects include:

• The seller must arrange for a licensed dealer to run the background check on the buyer (C.R.S. 18-12-112(2)(a)).
• The dealer may charge no more than ten dollars for this service, and must record the transfer as it would a retail sale (C.R.S. 18-12-112(2)(b), (d)).
• The buyer may not take possession until the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approves the transfer. An approval is valid for 30 days (C.R.S. 18-12-112(3)(a), (4)).
• A private seller may not sell a firearm to anyone under 21 (C.R.S. 18-12-112(2)(e)).
• Bona fide gifts or loans between immediate family members are exempt, along with the other exemptions listed below.
• A violation is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail and a fine of up to $750, and the person may not possess a firearm for two years after conviction (C.R.S. 18-12-112(9)(a); 18-1.3-501(1)(a.5)). A seller who transfers a gun in violation of the law may also be liable for civil damages caused by the buyer’s later use of it (C.R.S. 18-12-112(5)).

These requirements aim to ensure that most gun transfers are screened, whether they occur between private parties or through licensed dealers.

Exceptions to Checks

The private-transfer background check does not apply to the transfers listed in C.R.S. 18-12-112(6). There is no general exemption for private sales. The exemptions are:

A person who lends a gun under the 72-hour exemption may be liable for damages caused by the borrower’s later unlawful use of it (C.R.S. 18-12-112(6)(h)).

Concealed Carry Permits and Regulations

Colorado permits the carrying of concealed handguns by people who hold a permit issued by a county sheriff. Applicants apply in person to the sheriff, and the sheriff takes two sets of fingerprints for the background check (C.R.S. 18-12-205(2), (4)). A permit is valid for five years (C.R.S. 18-12-204(1)(b)).

Key requirements and regulations include:

• Applicants must be at least 21 years old and legal residents of Colorado. A service member stationed in Colorado under permanent duty orders, and that person’s family living in Colorado, count as residents (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(a)-(b)).
• Applicants may not be prohibited from possessing a firearm, and may not be subject to certain protection orders or an extreme risk protection order (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(c), (g)). A sheriff may also deny a permit if documented past behavior makes it likely the applicant will be a danger to self or others (C.R.S. 18-12-203(2)).
• Applicants must show competence with a handgun. A training certificate is one way to do this. Others include organized shooting competitions, current military service, and certain honorable discharges or law enforcement retirements that reflect pistol qualifications (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(h)).
• Starting July 1, 2025, a training certificate must come from an in-person concealed handgun class of at least eight hours, including a live-fire exercise and a written exam, taken within one year before applying (C.R.S. 18-12-202.5(2); 18-12-203(1)(h)(VI)).
• A permit may be renewed within 120 days before it expires. Starting July 1, 2025, a renewing permittee must again show handgun competence (C.R.S. 18-12-211(1)(a), (3)).
• A permittee must carry the permit and a valid photo ID whenever carrying a concealed handgun, and show both to an officer on request. Failing to do so is a petty offense, which is dismissed if the permittee later shows the court a valid permit and ID issued before the charge (C.R.S. 18-12-204(2)(a)).

A person who may lawfully possess a handgun does not need a permit to carry it in a private vehicle for a legal use, including self-defense, or while legally hunting (C.R.S. 18-12-204(3)(a)).

Restrictions on Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines

The 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes do not ban buying or owning assault weapons statewide. The state does limit magazine capacity. A city or county may adopt stricter rules of its own (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103).

Assault Weapon Definition

The only definition of an assault weapon in the 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes appears in the crime-of-violence sentencing law. There, a “semiautomatic assault weapon” means “any semiautomatic center fire firearm that is equipped with a detachable magazine with a capacity of twenty or more rounds of ammunition” (C.R.S. 18-1.3-406(7)(b)).

That definition does not make the weapon illegal to own. It matters only at sentencing. When a person is convicted of a crime of violence and the charge specifies use of such a weapon, the judge must add five years in prison, served after any other sentence, with no probation or suspension (C.R.S. 18-1.3-406(7)(a)).

The feature-based definitions used in some other states, such as folding stocks, pistol grips, threaded barrels, or barrel shrouds, do not appear in the 2024 Colorado criminal code.

Magazine Capacity Limits

Colorado law defines a “large-capacity magazine” as (C.R.S. 18-12-301(2)(a)):

• A fixed or detachable magazine, box, drum, feed strip, or similar device that can accept, or is designed to be readily converted to accept, more than 15 rounds;
• A fixed, tubular shotgun magazine that holds more than 28 inches of shotgun shells, including any extension; or
• A nontubular, detachable shotgun magazine that can accept more than eight shells when combined with a fixed magazine.

The definition does not include a magazine permanently altered so it cannot hold more than 15 rounds, an attached tubular device that works only with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, or a tubular magazine in a lever-action firearm (C.R.S. 18-12-301(2)(b)).

On and after July 1, 2013, selling, transferring, or possessing a large-capacity magazine is a class 2 misdemeanor (C.R.S. 18-12-302(1)(a)). It becomes a class 6 felony if the person possessed the magazine during a felony or a crime of violence (C.R.S. 18-12-302(1)(c)). A class 6 felony carries one year to 18 months in prison (C.R.S. 18-1.3-401(1)(a)(V.5)(A)).

A person may keep a large-capacity magazine that the person owned on July 1, 2013 and has possessed continuously since then. If a person charged with a violation claims this exception, the prosecution must disprove it (C.R.S. 18-12-302(2)). Large-capacity magazines made in Colorado on or after July 1, 2013 must carry a stamp showing they were made after that date (C.R.S. 18-12-303(1)).

Purchase and Possession Rules

Restrictions on buying and possessing firearms and large-capacity magazines include:

• Most gun purchases require a background check, whether from a dealer or a private seller.
• A person must generally be 21 to buy any firearm. A dealer who sells to someone under 21 commits a class 1 misdemeanor, and an underage buyer commits a class 2 misdemeanor (C.R.S. 18-12-112.5(1)(a.3)-(c)).
• Large capacity magazines, defined as those holding more than 15 rounds, are banned from sale, transfer, or possession, except for magazines owned on July 1, 2013 and possessed continuously since.
• Violations of these restrictions can result in criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.

Safe Storage and Transportation Laws

Colorado law requires firearms to be “responsibly and securely stored when they are not in use to prevent access by unsupervised juveniles and other unauthorized users” (C.R.S. 18-12-114(1)). A firearm is securely stored when it is (C.R.S. 18-12-114(1)(a)-(d)):

• Carried on the person, or kept close enough to retrieve and use as if it were carried;
• Kept in a locked gun safe or other secure container, and no juvenile or ineligible resident has access to the key or combination;
• Fitted with a properly installed locking device, and no juvenile or ineligible resident has access to the key or combination; or
• A personalized firearm with its safety features activated.

The crime of unlawful storage of a firearm applies when a person fails to store a gun this way on premises the person owns or controls, and knows or reasonably should know that a juvenile could get the gun without a parent’s permission, or that a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm. It is a class 2 misdemeanor (C.R.S. 18-12-114(2)). It is an affirmative defense that a juvenile took the gun and used it in defense of a person, defense of a home, or defense of livestock (C.R.S. 18-12-114(2)(c)).

Starting January 1, 2025, a person may not leave a handgun in an unattended vehicle unless it is in a locked hard-sided container placed out of plain view, inside a locked vehicle, locked trunk, or locked recreational vehicle. Other firearms must be in a locked hard-sided or locked soft-sided container, and a gun in a soft-sided container must also have a locking device installed. A locked glove compartment or center console counts as a locked hard-sided container. A violation is a civil infraction (C.R.S. 18-12-114.5(1)-(2)). Exceptions include peace officers, licensed hunters engaged in lawful hunting, on-duty military members, people who live in the vehicle, and long guns in a vehicle used on the person’s own farm or ranch (C.R.S. 18-12-114.5(3)).

As for transportation, carrying a weapon in a private vehicle for the lawful protection of yourself, another person, or property while traveling is not the crime of carrying a concealed weapon (C.R.S. 18-12-105(2)(b)). Cities and counties may not restrict a person’s ability to travel with a weapon in a private vehicle for hunting or lawful protection (C.R.S. 18-12-105.6(2)(b)). Since January 1, 2025, the vehicle storage rule above still applies when the vehicle is left unattended.

Recent Changes and Proposed Legislation

Colorado’s firearm laws have changed repeatedly since 2013. New bills are proposed every legislative session. This section lists only laws that appear in the 2024 statutes, with the date each took effect.

Key recent changes include:

• Background checks on private transfers, on and after July 1, 2013 (C.R.S. 18-12-112(1)(a)).
• Large-capacity magazine ban, on and after July 1, 2013 (C.R.S. 18-12-302(1)(a)).
• Extreme risk protection orders, first adopted in 2019. The current version of the law took effect April 28, 2023. A family or household member, a qualifying health care professional, mental health professional, or educator, or a law enforcement officer or agency may petition (C.R.S. 13-14.5-104(1)(a)). The court appoints a lawyer for the respondent, and an order lasts 364 days (C.R.S. 13-14.5-104(1)(a); 13-14.5-105(2)).
• Secure storage requirement, effective July 1, 2021 (C.R.S. 18-12-114).
• Lost or stolen firearm reporting, effective September 7, 2021 (C.R.S. 18-12-113).
• Local authority to pass stricter firearm rules, effective June 19, 2021 (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103).
• Minimum purchase age of 21, effective August 7, 2023 (C.R.S. 18-12-112(2)(e)-(f); 18-12-112.5(1)(a.3)-(a.5)).
• Three-day waiting period, effective October 1, 2023 (C.R.S. 18-12-115). A violation is a civil infraction with a $500 fine; a second or later offense carries a fine of $500 to $5,000.
• Unserialized firearms (“ghost guns”). The ban on making frames or receivers took effect June 2, 2023. The bans on possessing unserialized firearms and unfinished frames or receivers took effect January 1, 2024, and people who already owned a homemade gun had until then to have it serialized by a licensee (C.R.S. 18-12-111.5(1), (3), (5)).
• Vehicle storage requirement, effective January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 18-12-114.5).
• Stricter concealed carry training. The training-class standards were enacted in 2024, and permit applicants must meet them starting July 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(h)(VI); 18-12-202.5).

The state continues to consider new firearm legislation, so any of these rules may change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Non-Residents Purchase Firearms in Colorado?

Federal law controls most of this. A licensed dealer may not sell a firearm to a person who does not live in the dealer’s state, except that a dealer may sell a rifle or shotgun to a non-resident who meets the dealer in person, if the sale fully complies with the laws of both states (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3)). A private person may not transfer a firearm to someone who lives in another state, with limited exceptions for inheritances and temporary loans or rentals for lawful sporting purposes (18 U.S.C. 922(a)(5)). As a result, a non-resident who buys a handgun generally must have it transferred through a licensed dealer in the buyer’s home state. When a non-resident buys a rifle or shotgun in Colorado, Colorado’s background check, minimum age of 21, and three-day waiting period still apply.

Are There Specific Laws for Hunting Rifles?

Colorado’s criminal code does not create a separate category for hunting rifles. The general rules apply, including background checks, the minimum purchase age, and the magazine limit. A tubular magazine in a lever-action firearm is not a large-capacity magazine (C.R.S. 18-12-301(2)(b)(III)). A temporary transfer while hunting is exempt from the background check if hunting is legal where the gun is used and the person holds any required license (C.R.S. 18-12-112(6)(e)(III)). A handgun carried while legally hunting is not considered concealed (C.R.S. 18-12-204(3)(a)(II)). Rules about what equipment may be used to hunt particular game are set outside the criminal code and are not covered here.

How Does Colorado Handle Firearm Theft Reporting?

An owner who has reasonable cause to believe a firearm has been lost or stolen must report it to a law enforcement agency within five days of discovering the loss (C.R.S. 18-12-113(1)(a)(I)). The report must include a detailed description of the firearm, including, to the extent known, the manufacturer, model, serial number, caliber, and any other identifying number or mark. A family member or a person who lives with the owner may make the report instead. Anyone who later recovers the firearm must tell the agency that received the report (C.R.S. 18-12-113(1)(b)).

A first failure to report is a civil infraction with a $25 fine. A second or later offense is an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 (C.R.S. 18-12-113(2)). Licensed gun dealers are not covered by this section (C.R.S. 18-12-113(3)).

What Are the Penalties for Violating Gun Laws?

Penalties depend on the specific offense. Some examples from the statutes discussed above:

A class 1 misdemeanor carries up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, and a class 2 misdemeanor up to 120 days and a $750 fine (C.R.S. 18-1.3-501(1)(a.5)). A class 5 felony carries one to three years in prison, and a class 6 felony one year to 18 months (C.R.S. 18-1.3-401(1)(a)(V.5)(A)). A prior offense raises the penalty only where the statute says so, as with theft reporting, the waiting period, and unserialized firearms.

Are Private Firearm Sales Regulated in Colorado?

Yes. Private sellers do not run background checks themselves, but they must arrange for a licensed gun dealer to run one, and the buyer may not take the gun until the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approves the transfer (C.R.S. 18-12-112). The dealer records the transfer as it would a retail sale (C.R.S. 18-12-112(2)(b)). Local governments may not keep a list of people who buy or transfer firearms or a database of the guns involved (C.R.S. 29-11.7-102). However, local governments may impose additional requirements that are stricter than state law (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103), so compliance with both state and local laws is important when selling a firearm privately.