Firearm law reference

Colorado Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Colorado firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Colorado combines statewide background-check, waiting-period, age, magazine, storage, and semiautomatic-firearm rules with significant local authority. Always check both state law and the ordinances of the city or county involved.

Colorado Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Permitless concealed carry: No
Public concealed carry generally requires a Colorado CHP or a qualifying reciprocal resident permit. [2][3]
Private sale background check: Generally required
Most private transfers must be processed by a licensed dealer after a CBI background check. [6][1]
Open carry: Generally legal; local limits
Colorado generally permits open carry, but local governments may prohibit or restrict it, including in Denver. [13][2]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
Dealer required for private transfers	Generally yes	An FFL generally submits the background check and records the transfer, subject to narrow statutory exceptions. [6][5]
Purchase permit	Required for specified semiautomatics	Colorado has no general permit for every firearm, but an eligibility card and qualifying training apply to many semiautomatic purchases beginning August 1, 2026. [9]
Waiting period	At least 3 days	Delivery generally occurs no earlier than three days after the background check begins or after approval, whichever is later. [7]
Firearm registration	No general state registry	Colorado does not impose a general statewide registration requirement for ordinary firearms. [2][1]
Firearm owner license	No general requirement	An eligible person does not need a recurring general state license merely to own a lawful firearm. [4][5]
Minimum purchase age	Generally 21	Colorado generally prohibits firearm purchases by people under 21 and facilitation of those purchases, with limited exceptions. [8][5]
Specified semiautomatic purchase	Card and training required	Since August 1, 2026, many detachable-magazine semiautomatic rifles and shotguns and gas-operated handguns may be acquired only through an exception requiring eligibility and training. [9]
Concealed handgun permit	Available from county sheriff	County sheriffs issue CHPs after application, fingerprints, background checks, training, and satisfaction of statutory criteria. [2]
Vehicle carry	Generally allowed	An eligible person may generally carry a handgun in a private vehicle for lawful protection without a CHP; long guns may not have a round in the chamber. [2][21]
Magazine capacity restriction	Over 15 rounds restricted	Colorado generally restricts magazines holding or designed to be readily converted to hold more than 15 rounds, subject to exceptions and grandfathering. [10][9]
Semiautomatic firearm restriction	Yes — specified firearms	Colorado restricts manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, and purchase of broadly defined specified semiautomatic firearms unless an exception applies. [9]
NFA firearms	Federal compliance and state defense	Colorado treats suppressors and short-barreled firearms as dangerous weapons but recognizes specified federal authorization as a defense; federal NFA rules still apply. [9][20]
Red flag law	Yes — ERPO	Colorado courts may issue temporary and continuing extreme risk protection orders restricting firearm access. [14][1]
Safe storage law	Yes	A firearm must be responsibly secured when an unsupervised juvenile or prohibited resident can gain access. [11]
Lost or stolen reporting	Within 5 days	An individual owner generally must report a lost or stolen firearm to law enforcement within five days after discovery. [12]
State preemption	No broad preemption	Local governments may adopt firearm rules that are at least as restrictive as state law, including local carry restrictions. [13]
Bill of sale	Does not replace dealer transfer	A private record may be useful, but the required dealer background-check and transfer record generally control. [6][5]
Castle doctrine ("Make My Day" law)	Criminal and civil immunity in a dwelling	Colorado's 'Make My Day' law immunizes an occupant who lawfully uses force, including deadly force, against an unlawful intruder in a dwelling from both criminal prosecution and civil liability, but that automatic protection does not extend to force used outside the home. [18][19]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Colorado

Colorado law treats handguns differently from rifles and shotguns in a couple of specific places, mainly concealed-carry permitting and the technical definition used for the 2026 semiautomatic-firearm purchase restriction. Topics not listed here, such as the minimum purchase age or private-sale background checks, apply the same way to both firearm types in Colorado.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Concealed carry permit requirement	A Colorado CHP, or a qualifying reciprocal permit, is required to carry a concealed handgun in public under the permit exception in C.R.S. § 18-12-105(2)(c)	The concealed-handgun-permit exception is written specifically around handguns; the general concealed-weapon offense in C.R.S. § 18-12-105 still applies to a concealed rifle or shotgun and there is no equivalent long-gun concealed-carry permitOpen carry of either firearm type generally does not require a permit under state law, subject to local restrictions such as Denver's open-carry ban. [15][2][13]
Semiautomatic firearm purchase restriction (SB 25-003)	Covers a gas-operated semiautomatic pistol that meets the statutory definition	Covers a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine that meets the statutory definitionBoth firearm types require the same sheriff-issued eligibility card and qualifying training unless a statutory exception applies. [9]

GunList actions

Create a Bill of Sale Find an FFL Guns for Sale in Colorado

Private Firearm Sales in Colorado

Quick answer

Most private transfers must go through a licensed gun dealer. The dealer records the transaction, requests the CBI background check, and may transfer the firearm only after approval and expiration of the applicable waiting period. [6][7]

An unlicensed transferor generally must arrange for an FFL to obtain approval from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation before transferring possession. The dealer follows substantially the same background-check process used for a retail transfer. [6][1]
Colorado provides narrow exceptions, including certain bona fide gifts or loans between immediate family members, transfers by operation of law, temporary transfers in specified circumstances, and transfers of qualifying antique firearms. [6]
The three-day waiting period generally applies when a background check is required. A transfer must wait until the later of three days after initiation or background-check approval, unless a statutory waiting-period exception applies. [7]
A bill of sale does not replace the dealer process. Interstate transfers must also comply with federal law, and transfers of specified semiautomatic firearms require the additional Colorado eligibility and training conditions unless exempt. [6][9]

Important notice: Do not assume that a family, temporary-loan, inheritance, or emergency exception applies without checking every statutory condition, including age, duration, location, and recipient eligibility. [6][4]

Buying a Firearm in Colorado

Dealer and most private purchases require a CBI background check for every firearm transfer. A Colorado CHP does not exempt its holder from the purchase background check. [1][2]
Colorado generally prohibits purchasing a firearm before age 21 and prohibits a licensed or unlicensed dealer from facilitating the purchase, with limited exceptions for specified military members and peace officers. [8][5]
Colorado generally requires the seller to wait until three days after starting the background check or until approval, whichever occurs later. Antique, curio-or-relic, deployment-related family, and background-check-exempt transfers have specified exceptions. [7]
There is no general permit required for every firearm purchase and no recurring owner license. Since August 1, 2026, however, many specified semiautomatic purchases require a sheriff-issued firearms course eligibility card and qualifying recent training. [9][5]

Firearm Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Colorado does not require a general license merely to own an ordinary lawful firearm and bars the creation of a general firearm-owner database, while dealers and CBI retain records required for individual transactions and permits. [2][1]
State and federal law prohibit possession by specified people. Colorado transfer denials include federal prohibitors and additional state categories, including certain recent misdemeanor convictions and court orders. [4]
A person with a felony conviction, domestic-violence restriction, protection order, mental-health prohibition, or other possible disability should verify both Colorado and federal status before possessing a firearm or ammunition. [4][14]

Carrying a Firearm in Colorado

Concealed carry in public generally requires a Colorado concealed handgun permit. County sheriffs process applications, fingerprints, state and federal background checks, training documentation, and permit decisions. [2]
Colorado generally permits open carry by an eligible adult, but local governments may enact stricter rules. Denver prohibits open carry, and other jurisdictions or public-property managers may impose their own restrictions. [13][2]
Colorado recognizes a permit from a reciprocal state only when the permit is valid, the holder is at least 21, the permit and matching ID are from the holder's state of residence, and that state recognizes Colorado permits. Colorado residents must use a Colorado CHP. [3]
A CHP does not override private-property decisions, secured public-building restrictions, school rules, local concealed-carry ordinances, or a public college or university's authorized prohibition. [2][13]

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine in Colorado

Quick answer

Colorado has no statutory or common-law duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, and its 'Make My Day' law grants an occupant who lawfully uses force against an unlawful intruder in a dwelling immunity from both criminal prosecution and civil liability. That dual immunity is specific to the dwelling scenario; a criminal-law justification elsewhere does not automatically prevent a civil lawsuit for the same conduct. [17][18]

The Colorado Constitution, Article II, Section 13, protects the right of a person to keep and bear arms in defense of home, person, and property, while clarifying that it does not justify carrying a concealed weapon. [16]
C.R.S. § 18-1-704 generally justifies using physical force, and in some cases deadly physical force, when and to the degree a person reasonably believes it is necessary to defend against another's use or imminent use of unlawful force. Colorado courts have long held that a non-aggressor has no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, and the legislature codified that common-law rule rather than adding a retreat requirement. [17]
C.R.S. § 18-1-704.5, Colorado's 'Make My Day' law, goes further inside a dwelling: an occupant who reasonably believes an unlawful intruder has committed or intends to commit a crime beyond the unlawful entry and might use physical force against any occupant may use any degree of force, including deadly force, against the intruder, and is immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability for doing so. The immunity is limited to the dwelling and does not extend to a yard, porch, vehicle, or other outdoor area. [18]
Outside the 'Make My Day' dwelling scenario, Colorado's civil-liability limitation is narrower: C.R.S. § 13-80-119 bars a civil recovery for injuries sustained during the commission of, or flight from, certain felonies, rather than granting blanket civil immunity whenever criminal self-defense applies. Deadly force used solely to protect property, apart from the dwelling-intruder presumption, is treated far more cautiously than deadly force used to defend a person. [19][17]

Important notice: A criminal-law justification for using force is not automatically the same thing as protection from a civil lawsuit. Colorado's strongest civil-immunity protection applies specifically to the 'Make My Day' dwelling-defense scenario; force used elsewhere, including in a yard, vehicle, or public place, is evaluated under the narrower civil-liability limitation in C.R.S. § 13-80-119. Every self-defense situation is fact-specific and high-stakes — get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [18][19]

Transporting Firearms in Colorado

Colorado generally allows an eligible person to carry a handgun in a private automobile or other private conveyance for lawful protection without a CHP. Carry outside the vehicle remains subject to open- and concealed-carry rules. [2]
Colorado wildlife law generally requires a rifle or shotgun in a motor vehicle to be unloaded in the chamber, although ammunition may be in an attached magazine. Additional rules apply on school grounds and other restricted property. [2][13]
Local governments generally may not restrict lawful firearm possession in a private vehicle in a way prohibited by the specific state vehicle-protection statute, but parking location and conduct outside the vehicle can still matter. [2][13]
For interstate travel, 18 U.S.C. 926A protects only qualifying unloaded and inaccessible transportation between lawful origins and destinations. Verify every state and destination before travel. [21]

Restricted Firearms and Accessories

Since August 1, 2026, Colorado prohibits manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, and purchase of a specified semiautomatic firearm unless an exception applies. The definition generally covers detachable-magazine semiautomatic rifles and shotguns and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns, with listed exclusions. [9]
An ordinary purchaser may qualify through a firearms course eligibility card and required training. Depending on prior hunter education and training history, the statute requires a basic course, an extended course, or a combination within specified five-year periods. [9]
Colorado generally restricts magazines capable of accepting, or designed to be readily converted to accept, more than 15 rounds. Grandfathering and other exceptions are fact-specific, and SB 25-003 increased penalties for unlawful sale, transfer, or possession. [10][9]
Suppressors and short-barreled firearms are treated as dangerous weapons under state law, with defenses or exceptions tied to valid federal authorization and specified uses. Complete the federal NFA process and confirm the Colorado defense before acquisition or possession. [9][20]
Colorado has an extreme risk protection order law. A court may temporarily prohibit purchase and possession and require relinquishment when the statutory risk standard and procedures are met. [14][1]

Safe Storage, Minors, and Lost Firearms

A person commits unlawful storage when a firearm is not responsibly and securely stored and the person knows or should know that an unsupervised juvenile can access it or that a resident prohibited under state or federal law can access it. [11]
Responsible storage may include carrying the firearm, using a locked safe or secure container, or using an appropriate locking or personalized safety device. Licensed dealers must provide a qualifying locking device with each firearm transfer. [11]
An individual owner generally must report a firearm lost or stolen to a law-enforcement agency within five days after discovering the loss or theft. A qualifying family or household member may make the report for the owner. [12]

Where Firearms May Be Restricted

Colorado restricts firearms in K–12 schools and specified school property, subject to statutory exceptions. Federal buildings, courthouses, correctional facilities, and secured airport areas have separate restrictions. [2]
A CHP does not authorize carry in a public building with permanent security personnel and electronic weapons screening at every public entrance. Public colleges and universities may prohibit concealed carry on their property under state law. [2][13]
Local governments and special districts may prohibit concealed carry in specified buildings or areas, and private owners, tenants, employers, and businesses retain authority over their property. [13][2]
Because restrictions can differ by jurisdiction, check posted notice and current city, county, campus, transit, park, and public-building rules before carrying. [13][2]

Local Firearm Laws and State Preemption

Colorado classifies firearm regulation as a matter of state and local concern. A local government may regulate or prohibit firearm, ammunition, component, or accessory sale, purchase, transfer, or possession if its rule is not less restrictive than state law. [13]
Local governments, special districts, and public higher-education governing boards may also establish location-specific concealed-carry restrictions within statutory limits. Denver and several Front Range jurisdictions have additional firearm ordinances. [13][2]
Always check the law at the precise location of a transfer, storage, transport, or carry activity. A statewide CHP or compliance with a state minimum does not displace a valid stricter local rule. [13][3]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Colorado

Arrange most private transfers through a licensed Colorado dealer and do not deliver the firearm before CBI approval and expiration of the waiting period. [6][7]
Verify that the buyer is generally at least 21, is not prohibited, and qualifies for any narrow age exception being used. [8][4]
Determine whether the firearm is a specified semiautomatic firearm and verify the buyer's eligibility card and qualifying course record when required. [9]
Confirm that the firearm and included magazines comply with Colorado's 15-round limit and any stricter local law. [10][13]
Keep the dealer transfer record and any supplemental bill of sale; private paperwork does not replace a required background check. [6]
Check the city and county ordinances at both parties' locations before completing the transfer or transporting the firearm. [13]

Official Colorado Firearm Law Resources

Colorado CBI Firearms Unit

Official background-check, transfer, permit, appeals, reciprocity, and prohibited-person resources.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Colorado Concealed Handgun Permits

Official CHP statutes, background-check information, fees, and issuing-authority guidance.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Colorado CHP Reciprocity

Official list and conditions for recognition of another state's resident carry permit.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Colorado Firearm Laws and Regulations

State resource covering firearm acquisition, possession, transfer, safety, and due process.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Semiautomatic Firearms and Rapid-Fire Devices

Enacted 2026 purchase, eligibility-card, training, magazine, and rapid-fire-device requirements.

Colorado General Assembly

Colorado Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Official court information and forms for temporary and continuing ERPO proceedings.

Colorado Judicial Branch

Colorado Constitution, Article II, Section 13

State constitutional right to keep and bear arms for defense of home, person, and property.

State of Colorado

C.R.S. § 18-1-704, Use of Physical Force in Defense of a Person

Self-defense justification statute and Colorado's no-duty-to-retreat rule.

Colorado General Assembly

C.R.S. § 18-1-704.5, Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder

Colorado's 'Make My Day' law granting a dwelling occupant criminal and civil immunity for lawful use of force against an intruder.

Colorado General Assembly

C.R.S. § 13-80-119, Limitation on Actions in Defense of a Person

Civil-liability limitation for injuries sustained during commission of or flight from certain felonies.

Colorado General Assembly

Colorado Gun Law FAQ

Can you carry a gun without a permit in Colorado?

Open carry is generally lawful under state law but may be prohibited locally. Concealed carry in public generally requires a Colorado CHP or a qualifying reciprocal permit; a handgun may generally be carried in a private vehicle without a CHP.

[2][13][3]

Are background checks required for private gun sales in Colorado?

Generally yes. Most private transfers must be processed through a licensed dealer for a CBI background check. Narrow family, temporary, inheritance, antique, and other statutory exceptions may apply.

[6][1]

Can you carry a gun in your vehicle in Colorado?

An eligible person may generally carry a handgun in a private vehicle for lawful protection without a CHP. A rifle or shotgun generally may not have a round in the chamber, and school or other restricted-location rules still apply.

[2]

Is open carry legal in Colorado?

Generally yes under statewide law, but Colorado allows stricter local ordinances. Denver prohibits open carry, and other cities, counties, districts, campuses, and public properties may impose restrictions.

[13][2]

How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Colorado?

Colorado generally requires a firearm purchaser to be at least 21, including in dealer and private transactions. Limited exceptions apply to specified active-duty military members and peace officers.

[8][5]

Who is prohibited from owning a firearm in Colorado?

Anyone barred by federal prohibitors, such as a felony conviction or a qualifying domestic-violence conviction or order, plus additional Colorado categories including certain recent misdemeanor convictions and state protection or extreme-risk orders. A person with a possible disqualifier should verify both state and federal status before possessing a firearm or ammunition.

[4][14]

Does Colorado have a waiting period to buy a gun?

Yes. Delivery generally must wait until the later of three days after the required background check begins or the time the check is approved. Specified exempt transfers are excluded.

[7]

Do you need a permit to buy a semiautomatic firearm in Colorado?

For many specified semiautomatic firearms, yes in practical effect. Since August 1, 2026, an ordinary buyer generally needs a sheriff-issued firearms course eligibility card and qualifying state-approved training unless another statutory exception applies.

[9]

Does Colorado require firearm registration?

No. Colorado does not impose a general statewide registration requirement for ordinary firearms and bars the creation of a general firearm-owner database, though dealers and CBI retain the records required for individual background checks and permits.

[2][1]

Does Colorado have a stand-your-ground law?

Colorado has no statutory duty to retreat before using force, and in some cases deadly force, in self-defense against another's unlawful force. Colorado courts have applied this no-duty-to-retreat rule under the common law for over a century, and the legislature codified rather than changed it.

[17]

Does Colorado have a castle doctrine or "Make My Day" law?

Yes. Colorado's 'Make My Day' law lets a dwelling occupant use any degree of force, including deadly force, against an unlawful intruder believed to be committing or about to commit a crime who might use physical force against an occupant, and grants immunity from both criminal prosecution and civil liability for doing so. The dual immunity applies only inside the dwelling, not in a yard, vehicle, or other outdoor area.

[18][19]

Are suppressors legal in Colorado?

Generally yes when the possessor completes the federal NFA process and fits Colorado's federal-authorization defense or another exception. Confirm both systems before acquisition because Colorado classifies suppressors as dangerous weapons.

[9][20]

Does Colorado limit firearm magazine capacity?

Yes. Colorado generally restricts magazines holding or designed to be readily converted to hold more than 15 rounds. Grandfathering, proof of prior ownership, and statutory exceptions can affect lawful possession.

[10][9]

Is Colorado a red flag law state?

Yes. Colorado courts may issue temporary and continuing extreme risk protection orders that prohibit a respondent from purchasing or possessing firearms and require relinquishment when the statutory risk standard and procedures are met.

[14][1]

Does Colorado require safe firearm storage?

Yes. An owner commits unlawful storage when a firearm is not responsibly and securely stored and the owner knows or should know that an unsupervised juvenile or a resident prohibited under state or federal law can access it. Licensed dealers must provide a qualifying locking device with each firearm transfer.

[11]

Do you have to report a lost or stolen firearm in Colorado?

Yes. An individual owner generally must report a lost or stolen firearm to a law-enforcement agency within five days after discovering the loss or theft, and a qualifying family or household member may make the report on the owner's behalf.

[12]

Where is firearm carry prohibited in Colorado?

Restrictions include K–12 school property, secured public buildings, federal facilities, and other places covered by state, federal, private-property, campus, or local rules. A CHP does not override a valid local prohibition.

[2][13]

Does Colorado recognize concealed carry permits from other states?

Only from reciprocal states when the holder is at least 21, is a resident of the issuing state, and carries a valid permit with matching state ID. Colorado residents must use a Colorado-issued CHP.

[3]

How do I renew my Colorado concealed handgun permit?

Renewal is handled by the same county sheriff who issued the original CHP, generally through a renewal application, updated background check, and fee before or shortly after expiration; a lapsed permit may require reapplying as a new applicant. Confirm current deadlines and requirements with the issuing sheriff's office.

[2]

Can local governments restrict guns in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado treats firearm regulation as a matter of state and local concern, so a local government may adopt rules that are at least as restrictive as state law, including additional carry restrictions and, in Denver, an open-carry ban.

[13]

Is a bill of sale enough for a private gun sale in Colorado?

No. Most private transfers require a licensed dealer, CBI background check, transfer record, and waiting period. A bill of sale may supplement those records but cannot replace the required process.

[6][7]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.