Colorado Gun Laws (With 2024 Legal Updates)

Colorado state law allows residents aged 18 and older to own or possess legal firearms and ammunition unless they are otherwise prohibited from doing so. You must be at least 21 years old to purchase handguns, and you must be at least 18 to purchase long guns in Colorado.

To help you better understand Colorado’s gun laws, our Denver Colorado criminal defense lawyers discuss the following:

• 1. Who is prohibited from owning a gun in Colorado?
• 2. What are the consequences of unlawful gun possession?
• 3. What guns are legal in Colorado?
• 4. What guns are illegal in Colorado?
• 5. Where may I legally carry a gun?
• 6. Who may legally obtain a CCW?
• 7. Are ghost guns legal?
• 8. Does Colorado have a red flag law?
• 9. List of related gun offenses
• 9. List of related gun offenses
• 10. Additional resources

1. Who is prohibited from owning a gun in Colorado?

You may not legally possess or carry a gun in Colorado (even an otherwise legal one) if:

• You are subject to a protective order that prohibits gun possession;
• You are a fugitive from justice;
• You are an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance;
• You have been adjudicated as a “mental defective” or have been committed to any mental institution;
• You are illegally or unlawfully in the United States;
• You have been admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa;
• You have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;
• You have renounced your U.S. citizenship; or
• Under the laws of any U.S. state or federal law, you have been convicted of or are under indictment for:
  • a felony,
  • any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year,
  • an attempt to commit a felony,
  • an act that would constitute a felony if committed in Colorado, or
  • a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence (unless the misdemeanor involved no force or threats of force).

Note that would-be gun owners must pass a CO Bureau of Investigations (CBI) universal background check by a licensed firearms dealer in order to purchase a firearm. A licensed gun dealer is necessary even in private sales and at gun shows. As of October 1, 2023, there is a three-day mandatory waiting period when buying a gun.

Also, note that you must be at least 21 years old to buy handguns in Colorado and at least 18 years old to buy rifles. Anyone convicted of a violent misdemeanor within the last five years may not purchase a gun at all.

Although gun laws have gotten stricter since the Columbine Massacre in 1999, you do not have to register firearms that you buy. State law forbids firearm registries.¹

See our related article, Do you have to register guns in Colorado?

2. What are the consequences of unlawful gun possession?

Possession of a weapon by a previous offender (POWPO) is a class 5 felony. POWPO penalties include:

• 1 to 3 years in Colorado State Prison, and/or
• $1,000 to $100,000 in fines.²

3. What guns are legal in Colorado?

Legal firearms include:

• Handguns, pistols, revolvers, or other firearms with a barrel more than 12” in length (not counting any revolving, detachable, or magazine breech),
• Full-length rifles (long guns),
• Full-length shotguns,
• Antique firearms manufactured no later than 1898, and
• Firearms defined as curios or relics under U.S. law.³

People otherwise permitted to possess firearms may open carry these weapons in the state, and no permit is necessary for open carry. (There are some locations where the concealed or open carrying of firearms is prohibited.)

See our related article, Colorado Gun Storage Laws – What You Need to Know.

4. What guns are illegal in Colorado?

Guns that are illegal to own include (but are not limited to) any gun or gun accessory that has been classified under federal or state law as a dangerous weapon, including:

• Armor-piercing ammunition,
• Firearm silencers,
• Machine guns and machine gun conversion devices,
• Short shotguns (those having a barrel or barrels less than eighteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches),
• Short rifles (those with a barrel less than sixteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches),
• Any defaced firearm (that is, one in which the manufacturer’s serial number, or other distinguishing number or identification mark, has been removed, defaced, altered, or destroyed, except by normal wear and tear), and
• Large capacity ammunition magazines (capable of holding more than 15 rounds), if purchased after July 1, 2013.⁴

However, you can possess certain short barreled shotguns (SBSs), short barreled rifles (SBRs), machine guns, and silencers if you obtain an NFA tax stamp.

Localities may pass gun laws that are more restrictive than state law. Some cities like Denver ban the open carry of firearms. Denver also banned the possession of assault weapons. Should you need a Denver gun crime lawyer, give us a call for a consultation.

In 2022, Boulder County passed five ordinances that

1. Prohibit anyone under 21 from buying a gun;
2. Implement a 10-day waiting period for buying guns;
3. Forbid carrying guns in government buildings, parks, and within 500 feet of polling stations, healthcare facilities, places of worship, daycares and preschools, and other sensitive public areas in unincorporated Boulder.
4. Criminalize the making, importing, buying, selling, or transferring of assault weapons, large-capacity gun magazines (LCMs), or rapid-fire trigger activators in unincorporated Boulder.
5. Ban ghost guns ⁵

Also note that the Colorado Supreme Court recently upheld a ban on large-capacity gun magazines. It is not a violation of rights to limit magazines to 15 rounds.⁶

5. Where may I legally carry a gun?

State residents who may lawfully possess guns may carry:

• A lawful firearm in a private automobile / motor vehicle for the purpose of protecting their own or someone else’s property or self-defense while traveling;⁷
• A lawful firearm in their home or place of dwelling, private property, or a business they own; or
• A lawful concealed handgun, if:
  • They are a current or retired state law enforcement officer or member of the military permanently stationed in Colorado;
  • They hold, and have on their person, a current, valid Colorado permit to carry a concealed handgun; or
  • They hold, and have on their person, a current, valid permit to carry a concealed handgun issued by a state that has reciprocity of concealed weapons laws with Colorado

Under the state’s carry laws, firearms are prohibited in public buildings with security checkpoints, such as courthouses. People may carry firearms in national forests in the state, but they must abide by federal regulations as well as state laws. In national parks, 18 USC 930, prohibits guns or other dangerous weapons within “federal facilities” such as visitor centers.

Note that openly carrying guns in vehicles is banned in Denver, though people traveling through Denver from other jurisdictions should not get arrested under Colorado’s “peaceable journey law.” People may not possess firearms on a snowmobile unless it is unloaded, in a case, or in a scabbard.

Also note that state gun laws do not preempt local gun laws. However CCW-permit-holders are often exempt from local laws.

For a list of states with current concealed firearms reciprocity with Colorado, see the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Department of Public Safety’s page on Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity.⁸

6. Who may legally obtain a CCW?

Colorado is a shall issue state for CCW permits. You can obtain a Colorado concealed carry permit if:

• You are a legal resident of the state of Colorado or you or an immediate family member is in the armed forces and is stationed pursuant to permanent duty station orders at a military installation in the state;
• You are twenty-one years of age or older;
• You are not ineligible to possess a firearm under state or federal law;
• You have not been convicted of perjury under CRS 18-8-503 in relation to information provided or deliberately omitted on a concealed carry permit application;
• You do not chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages to the extent that your normal faculties are impaired (unless a licensed professional counselor or addiction counselor specializing in alcohol addiction confirms you are a recovering alcoholic who has refrained from using alcohol for at least three years);
• You are not an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance;
• You are not subject to a protection order that prohibits you from carrying a firearm; and
• You submit documentary proof of handgun competency, such as a safety course.

Unlike residents, non-residents usually cannot get Colorado CCW state permits unless they show good cause.

The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act allows qualified law enforcement agency officers and peace officers (current and retired) to carry concealed firearms even when state and local laws forbid concealed carry. (This amends the Gun Control Act of 1968.)

For more information on becoming a permittee to carry a concealed weapon, please see our article “How to Become a Permit Holder for Carrying a Concealed Handgun in Colorado”–CRS 18-12-203. You need to apply at your local sheriff’s office.

7. Are ghost guns legal?

No. As of January 1, 2024, it is illegal to possess, transport, sell, or buy a ghost gun (guns or gun parts without a serial number).⁹ A first time offense is a class 1 misdemeanor, carrying:

• up to 364 days in jail and/or $1,000, and
• a 5-year ban on the Colorado FBI approving a firearm transfer to you.

Subsequent offenses are class 5 felonies, carrying:

• 1 to 3 years in state prison and/or $1,000 to $100,000 in fines, and
• a lifetime ban on firearms.¹⁰

8. Does Colorado have a red flag law?

Yes. Colorado’s red flag law permits police, family members, household members, health care providers, mental health providers, district attorneys and teachers to ask a judge to issue an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) against a person deemed to be an “extreme risk” to others or themselves. ERPOs prohibit the person named in it (“respondent”) from

• possessing or
• buying guns.

To obtain an ERPO, the “petitioner” has to submit an affidavit to the court. The court will hold a temporary ERPO hearing the same day to determine whether a preponderance of the evidence shows that the respondent poses a significant risk by having guns.

If the court issues the temporary ERPO, it will hold another hearing within 14 days to determine whether clear and convincing evidence exists to continue the ERPO for another 364 days. The respondent at this hearing can have their own attorney or rely on a court-appointed attorney.

During the 364-day ERPO, the respondent can ask the court one time to terminate it. But the respondent bears the burden to show by clear and convincing evidence that they are no longer a threat to themselves or others.

The original petitioner can also ask the court to extend the 364-day ERPO. The petitioner would need to show by clear and convincing evidence that there is still a significant risk if the respondent has firearms.

If and when the ERPO expires, the police must return the respondents’ firearms within three days of the respondent requesting their return.¹¹

Also see the Colorado Office of Gun Violence Protection.

9. List of related gun offenses

In addition to laws against crimes that can be committed with a firearm (such as homicide, assault and robbery), Colorado has a number of offenses addressed specifically at guns.

Such laws include (but are not limited to):

• Unlawfully carrying a gun within 100 feet of a polling station or drop box — CRS 1-13-724 (“Vote without Fear Act”)
  
• Unlawfully carrying of firearms that are concealed — CRS 18–12–105
• Unlawfully carrying a weapon on school grounds — CRS 18–12–105.5
• Prohibited use of weapons — CRS 18–12–106
• Use of stun guns — CRS 18–12–106.5
• Illegal discharge of a firearm — CRS 18–12–107.5
• Possession of weapons by previous offenders — CRS 18–12–108
• Possession of handguns by juveniles — CRS 18–12–108.5
• Unlawfully providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a handgun — CRS 18–12–108.7
• Unlawful purchase of firearms — CRS 18–12–111
• Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited — CRS 18–12–302
• Shooting from a public road — CRS 33-6-126

Partly as a response to the King Sooper mass shooting in Boulder in 2021, Colorado law now requires people to responsibly and securely store guns not in use in order to prevent access by unsupervised juveniles and other unauthorized users. Unlawful storage of a firearm is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by

• up to 120 days in jail and/or
• up to $750 in fines.¹²

Also note that people have five days to report to police the loss or theft of a firearm. A first offense of failing to report a lost or stolen gun is a civil infraction carrying $25 in fines. Successive violations are misdemeanors carrying up to $500.¹³

Finally, note that Colorado is a castle doctrine state. People may use deadly force if necessary to protect themselves inside of their homes.

Additional resources

For more information, refer to these recent news articles:

• Colorado wants to hire lawyers to prosecute gun crimes in federal court, some of which are no longer illegal under state law – The Colorado Sun.
• Judge blocks Colorado law raising age to purchase a gun to 21 – PBS News Hour.
• Gun owners and conservative groups file lawsuit against Colorado’s new ghost-gun law – The Denver Post.
• Gun rights advocates have lost Colorado’s elections — but they may win the legal war – CPR News.
• Colorado’s grade on gun control improves to A minus, says Giffords center – Colorado Politics.

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