COLORADO State Firearms Laws
COLORADO
(As of May 1995)
PLEASE NOTE: In addition to state laws, the purchase, sale and
(in certain circumstances) the possession and interstate
transportation of firearms is regulated by the Gun Control Act of
1968 as amended by the Firearms Owners' Protection Act. Also,
cities and localities may have their own firearms ordinances in
addition to federal and state laws. Details may be obtained by
contacting local law enforcement authorities, and by consulting
the State Laws and Published Ordinances--Firearms, available from
the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
QUlCK REFERENCE CHART
Rifles and
Shotguns Handguns
Permit to Purchase NO NO
Registration of Firearms NO NO
Licensing of Owner NO NO
Permit to Carry NO YES*
*A permit is required to carry a concealed firearm.
STATE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION
"The right of no person to keep and bear arms in defense of
his home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power when
thereto legally summoned, shall be called in question; but
nothing herein contained shall be construed to justify the
practice of carrying concealed weapons." Article 11, Section 13.
POSSESSION
No state permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun,
or handgun.
It is unlawful for any person convicted of burglary, arson,
or a felony involving force, violence or the use of a deadly
weapon, or attempt or conspiracy to commit these offenses, to
possess a firearm within 10 years of his conviction orrelease
from imprisonment, whichever is longer. This prohibition and
1O-year period of disqualification include juvenile adjudications
of delinquency for the commission or attempt to commit these
offenses.
It is unlawful for any person under 18 to possess a handgun,
and it is unlawful to provide or permit a juvenile to possess a
handgun.
Exceptions to this prohibition are:
1. Attendance at a hunter's safety course or firearms safety
course, or
2. Engaging in lawful target shooting, or
3. Participating in or practice for a performance by a group
organized under l.R.S. Code 501 (c)(3) which uses firearms as a
part of such performance, or
4. Hunting or trapping with a valid license, or
5. Traveling with an unloaded handgun to or from any activity
described in subparagraphs 1 through 4 above, or
6. While on real property under the control of the juvenile's
parent, legal guardian or grandpar- ent and who has the
permission of the parent or legal guardian to possess a handgun,
or
7. While at the juvenile's residence and with permission of
parent or legal guardian possesses a handgun for self-defense.
PURCHASE
There is no state permit required for the purchase of any
rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
Dealers are required to keep a record on the "retail sale,
rental, or exchange of" handguns. The record shall contain a full
description of the handgun, including serial number, and the
person obtaining the handgun. The record book "shall be open at
all times to the inspection of any duly authorized police
officer."
A gun dealer shall not transfer a handgun until an instant
criminal history background check is conducted on the transferee
and the transfer is approved by the Department of Public Safety's
Bureau of Investigation. The information required to be provided
includes the transferee's name, date of birth, gender, race, and
social security or other acceptable identification number. Proper
identification must be presented. A fee to cover the costs of the
check will be collected.
CARRYING
It is unlawful to carry a firearm concealed on or about
one's person without a permit.
Exceptions to this prohibition are:
1. A person in his own dwelling, place of business, or on
property owned or controlled by him, or
2. A person in a private automobile or other private conveyance
who carries a weapon for "lawful protection" while traveling.
Permits to carry a concealed weapon are issued by the chief
of police of a city or city and county, or the sheriff of a
county. These permits are valid throughout the state.
The licensing official "shall make an inquiry into the
background of an applicant . . . to determine if the applicant
would present a danger to others or to himself." Fees are set by
the licensing authority and vary from $10 to $100.
The licensing official "will not be liable for any damages
which may result from granting a permit." Rifles and shotguns
carried in a vehicle must be unloaded in the chamber. Muzzle
loaders are considered unloaded if they are unprimed in the pan
or not capped.
Firearms in a snowmobile must be unloaded and cased or
inserted in a scabbard.
It is uniawful to carry or possess a firearm on the property
of, or within any building in which the chambers, galleries, or
offices of the general assembly are located, or in which a
legislative hearing or meeting is being or is to be conducted, or
in which the official offices of any member, officer, or employee
of the general assembly are located.
It is unlawful to possess, without legal authority, a
firearm in or on the real estate of any school, college,
university, or seminary.
Exceptions to this prohibition, in addition to subparagraphs
1 and 2 listed above, are:
1. Presenting an authorized public demonstration or exhibition
pursuant to instruction in conjunction with an organized school
or class, or
2. Carrying out the necessary duties of an employee of an
educational institution which require the use of a deadly weapon,
or
3. Participation in an authorized extracurricular activity or
athletic team, or
4. The weapon is unloaded and remains inside a motor vehicle
while upon the real estate of any college, university or
seminary, or
5. Possession of the weapon for use in an educational program
approved by a school.
MACHINE GUNS
A machine gun is defined as any firearm "that shoots
automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a
single function of the trigger." It is lawful to possess a
machine gun provided all federal laws and regulations are
complied with.
ANTIQUES AND REPLICAS
State law is silent on this matter. They are treated as
ordinary firearms for possession and carrying purposes.
MISCELLANEOUS
It is unlawful to intentionally aim a firearm at another
person.
It is unlawful to set a spring gun or "device designed to
cause an explosion upon being triggered."
It is unlawful to possess a firearm while under the
influence of alcohol or narcotics.
It is unlawful to discharge a firearm from any aircraft or
motor vehicle.
It is unlawful for a person to "knowingly and unlawfully
possess a firearm, the manufacturer's serial number of which, or
other distinguishing number or identification mark, has been
removed, defaced, altered, or destroyed."
It is unlawful to possess a rifle with a barrel under 16
inches and an overall length under 26 inches or a shotgun with a
barrel under 18 inches and an overall length under 26 inches
unless it is possessed in compliance with all federal laws and
regulations.
It is unlawful to display a firearm in a public place in a
manner calculated to alarm, or to discharge a gun in a public
place except on a lawful target practice or hunting place. In
case of riot, insurrection, or invasion, the governor may
prohibit the purchase, sale, carrying, manufacture, or use of
firearms and ammunition. The governor may issue a permit for such
activities. But this shall not call in question the right to keep
and bear arms.
SOURCES: Col. Rev. Stat. **12-26-101 et seq.,12-26.5-101
etseq.,18-1-704 etseq.,18-9-106, 18-12-105 et seq., 24-20-201 et
seq., 30- 10-523, 31-4-112.1, 33-6-125, 33-14-1 17.
CAUTION: State firearms laws are subject to frequent change. The
above summary is not to be considered as legal advice or a
restatement of law. To determine the applicability of these laws
to specific situations which you may encounter, you are strongly
urged to consult a local attorney.
Compiled by:
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax. Virginia 22030
Copyright 1995, NRA Institute for Legislative Action