Gun laws in Colorado regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the state of Colorado in the United States. Colorado has historically had relatively permissive firearms laws. Following a rash of mass shootings within the state over the past decade, the Colorado General Assembly has enacted increasingly restrictive firearms laws.
Summary table Subject / law Longguns Handguns Relevant statutes Notes State permit required to purchase? No* No* § 18-12-116 Effective August 1st, 2026, it is unlawful to buy or sell "specified semiautomatic firearms" unless having obtained a Firearm Safety Course Eligibility Card and then completed a "basic firearms safety course" and/or an "extended firearms safety course". "Specified semiautomatic firearms" includes most semiautomatic firearms. Firearm registration? No No § 29-11.7-102 Semi-automatic rifles No* No* DRMC § 38-130 No state law prohibiting sale or possession of Semi-automatic firearms, but with the repeal of Colorado's statewide firearm preemption law in 2021, local restrictions or prohibitions on semi-automatic may exist. Denver ordinance bans "assault weapons" (Most semi-auto rifles with more than 21 round magazines). Vail banned "assault weapons" in 1994. Boulder city passed such an ordinance in May 2018. Magazine capacity restriction? Yes Yes §§ 18-12-302, 18-12-303 After July 1, 2013, magazines holding more than 15 rounds may not be sold, transferred, or possessed unless they were lawfully owned prior to July 1, 2013. Firearms with a tubular magazine which are either chambered in .22 rimfire or operated by lever action are exempt from this regulation, as are magazines "permanently altered" to limit the capacity to 15 or fewer. Boulder city passed an ordinance in May 2018 banning magazines holding more than 10 rounds (15 for handguns). The town of Vail banned magazines holding 21 or more rounds in 1994. On June 29, 2020, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the magazine restrictions. Owner license required? No No Permit required for concealed carry? N/A Yes § 18-12-203 Colorado is a shall issue state for concealed carry. Permits are issued by local sheriff offices to county residents. Permit required for open carry? No No § 18-12;DRMC §§ 38-117(b), 38-118 Legal without permit requirements except in Denver and other posted areas. Concealed within a vehicle? Yes Yes §§ 18-12-105(2b), 33-6-125;DRMC §§ 38-117(f), 38-118, 14-92 No permit is required. Pistols may be carried with chamber and magazine loaded. Rifles and shotguns must be carried with an empty chamber if the owner is in possession of a valid hunting license and that hunting season is in progress. Rounds in the magazine are permitted during that hunting season. A loaded weapon in a vehicle and a spotlight is prima facie evidence that one was attempting to illegally take game. Wildlife officers have full law enforcement powers. State preemption of local restrictions? partial partial § 29-11.7-103 Local ordinances are not preempted by state law, and Denver bans assault weapons and open carry. However, holders of concealed carry permits are exempt from most, but not all, local restrictions. NFA weapons restricted? No No CRS § 18-12-102 NFA items are defined as a "dangerous weapon". Subsection 5: "It shall be an affirmative defense to the charge of possessing a dangerous weapon...that said person has a valid permit and license for possession of such weapon." Peaceable Journey laws? Yes Yes § 18-12-105.6; DRMC §§ 38-117(f), 38-118 Denver's restrictions on transport/possession of firearms in vehicles do not apply to persons traveling to or from other jurisdictions; see Trinen v. City & County of Denver, 53 P.3d 754 Castle Doctrine? Yes Yes § 18-1-704.5 A legal resident of a property has the right to use deadly force to defend themselves, other occupants, and property from armed or unarmed intruders. Stand Your Ground Law? Yes Yes Common Law Doctrine “The common-law doctrine of retreat to the wall . . . is applicable in this jurisdiction only to such cases as where the defendant voluntarily enters into a fight or where the parties engage in mutual combat, or where the defendant, being the assailant, does not endeavor in good faith to decline any further struggle before firing the fatal shot, and possibly to other similar cases.” Red flag law? Yes Yes HB 19-1177 The police may temporarily confiscate firearms from people who are threatening to harm themselves or others or have been accused of the same by someone who resides at the same address of the subject, and then get a court order afterwards. Waiting Period? Yes Yes HB23-1219; § 18-12-115 Effective October 1, 2023, there is a mandatory three day waiting period between initiation of a background check and taking possession on most firearms transfers. Exceptions include antique firearms and transfers between family members.
Right to keep and bear arms in Colorado
An individual's right to keep and bear arms in Colorado is protected by both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution; and Article II, Section 13 of the Constitution of Colorado. (holding the right to bear arms in Art. II, § 13 is a personal right not merely one of collective enjoyment for common defense). The Second Amendment provides:
Article II, Section 13 provides:
Colorado is one of only seven states which has a clause excluding concealed carry from its state right to bear arms provision. art I., § 11 (“but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to govern the carrying of weapons concealed on the person”); bill of rights, § 1, subdiv. 7 (“subject to the power of the General Assembly to enact laws to prevent persons from carrying concealed weapons”); art. III, § 12 (“but the legislature may regulate or forbid carrying concealed weapons”); art. II, § 12 (“but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons”); art. II, § 6 (“but nothing herein shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons”); art. I, § 30 (“Nothing herein shall justify the practice of carrying concealed weapons, or prevent the General Assembly from enacting penal statutes against that practice.”). Two other states previously had an analogous clause in their constitution but have since removed it. bill of rights, art. III (“This shall not prevent the passage of laws to punish those who carry weapons concealed.”); art. I, § 23 (“but this shall not justify the wearing of concealed weapons”).
The government may regulate the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms protected by Article II, Section 13 under its inherent police power as long as the exercise of that power is "reasonable". However, Article II, Section 13 “does not tolerate government enactments that have either a purpose or effect of rendering the right to bear arms in self-defense a nullity.”
Open carry Article II, Section 13 explicitly exempts the practice of carrying concealed weapons from its protection. art. II, § 13 Legal scholar David B. Kopel has observed, "[e]xpressly giving the government power over concealed bearing of arms means that the government does not have a similar power over openly bearing arms, or over keeping arms."David B. Kopel, The Right to Arms in Nineteenth Century Colorado, 95 329, 439 (2018) (applying the canon of expressio unius est exclusio alterius to interpret art. II, § 13). As such, open carry is generally permitted in the state. However, local governments may prohibit open carry to a limited extent only in areas that are directly under the jurisdiction of the municipality such as municipal buildings, police stations, etc. If such an ordinance is written all locations affected must be posted per C.R.S 29-11.7-104. The exception is the city and county of Denver has done so in a broad sense banning open carry in all areas of the city and county. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Denver's pre-existing ban may remain in force, despite the Colorado legislature's enactment of a statewide pre-emption law designed to establish uniform firearms policies across the state. When a rifle or shotgun is transported in a vehicle, there may not be a round in the chamber.
Concealed carry The right to bear arms protected by Article II, Section 13 of the state constitution does not extend to concealed carry. However, the Colorado General Assembly has created a statutory right to concealed carry for legal residents who meet certain objective criteria.Act of Mar. 18, 2003, ch. 44, 2003 Colo. Sess. Laws 635 (creating the current concealed carry permit scheme). As such, Colorado is considered a "shall-issue" state.
Knowingly carrying a concealed firearm on or about one's person without a permit is a crime. §§ 18-12-105(1)(b) (first offense is a class 1 misdemeanor), 18-12-107 (second offense is a class 5 felony). A firearm is considered "concealed" when it is “placed out of sight so as not to be discernible or apparent by ordinary observation.” (finding pistol in defendant's left back pocket held down with defendant's hand on outside of pocket was not concealed because officer could see end of pistol above pocket and never lost sight of it). A firearm is considered "about the person" when it is “sufficiently close to the person to be readily accessible for immediate use.”People ex rel. R.J.A., 556 P.2d 491, 493 (Colo. App. 1976) (citing People v. Niemoth, 322 Ill. 51, 52 (1926)) (finding pistol in car tucked under edge of defendant's seat was about his person because it was within easy reach).
A concealed handgun permit is issued by the sheriff of the county where the applicant resides, § 18-12-203(1) (2022). and is valid for five years. § 18-12-204(1)(b) (2022). Applicants must demonstrate competence with a handgun, either by passing a training class or by other means. The Concealed Carry Act allows a person with a permit to carry a concealed weapon "in all areas of the state" with the exception of some federal properties, K-12 schools, and buildings with fixed security checkpoints such as courthouses, and also disallows a local government from enforcing an ordinance or resolution that conflicts with the law.
In March 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court struck down the University of Colorado's campus gun ban, saying it violated the Concealed Carry Act, which allows permit holders to carry on public property, including carrying on public colleges.
Criteria for obtaining a concealed handgun permit To obtain a concealed handgun permit in Colorado, an applicant must: Be a legal resident of Colorado; Be at least 21 years old; Not be prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law; Not have been convicted of perjury related to an application for a concealed handgun permit; Not be an alcoholic unless determined to be a recovering alcoholic by a licensed counselor and have not used alcohol for at least 3 years; Not be an unlawful user of or be addicted to a controlled substance; Not be subject to a protection order; and Have demonstrated competence with a handgun.
Even if an applicant meets all of these criteria, a sheriff may still deny the application, "if the sheriff has a reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to self or others if the applicant receives a permit to carry." § 18-12-203(2) (2022). In practice, these discretionary denials are quite rare (e.g., there were 71 discretionary denials out of 75,504 applications in 2021). Nevertheless, giving sheriffs this kind of open-ended discretion to deny permits likely violates the Second Amendment. (Kavanaugh, J., concurring) ("New York’s outlier may-issue regime is constitutionally problematic because it grants open-ended discretion to licensing officials").
Reciprocity with other states Colorado will honor a valid concealed carry permit issued by another state if: The issuing state recognizes permits issued by Colorado;