Colorado Gun Laws in Plain English
In Colorado, you must pass a background check for every gun purchase, including private sales, and wait 3 days before taking the gun home. You are limited to 15-round magazines unless you owned them before 2013. While you can generally own AR-15s under state law, cities like Denver and Boulder have their own bans that you must obey. You can carry a loaded handgun in your car without a permit, but rifles must be unloaded.
Critical: Colorado Gun Law Gotchas
These are the most important things to know that could get you arrested or charged with a crime:
- #1Local Preemption Repeal (SB21-256): What is legal in the county may be a crime in Boulder or Denver (e.g., AR-15 possession).
- #2Magazine Limit: Possession of magazines over 15 rounds is a class 2 misdemeanor (C.R.S. § 18-12-302) unless grandfathered.
- #3Vehicle Transport: Handguns can be loaded, but rifles/shotguns MUST be unloaded in chamber and magazine (C.R.S. § 33-6-125).
- #4Marijuana Trap: State legality does NOT override federal law; being a user makes you a prohibited person (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3)).
- #5Ghost Guns: Possession of unserialized frames/receivers is now illegal as of Jan 1, 2024 (C.R.S. § 18-12-111.5).
- #6Private Sales: There is no 'gun show loophole'; all transfers require an FFL and background check (C.R.S. § 18-12-112).
- #7Waiting Period: The 3-day wait applies to private transfers at FFLs too, not just dealer sales (C.R.S. § 18-12-115).
- #8Domestic Violence: A misdemeanor DV conviction permanently prohibits you from owning firearms (C.R.S. § 18-6-801).
- #9Sensitive Places: SB24-131 drastically expanded prohibited places to include most government buildings and parks.
- #10Open Carry: Legal generally, but strictly prohibited in Denver and other home-rule cities.
- #11Excise Tax: A 6.5% tax on firearms and ammo (Prop KK) applies to purchases.
Read these carefully - they cover common mistakes that lead to felony charges.