Colorado’s new gun restrictions take effect. What changes for firearm buyers and owners

Colorado’s new rules for certain semiautomatic firearms took effect August 1, 2026. For covered purchases and transfers, buyers generally must complete a state application, sheriff review, approved firearms-safety training and testing before a licensed dealer can verify eligibility.

The law does not prohibit every semiautomatic firearm, and it is not a total ban. Senate Bill 25-003 restricts knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling or purchasing a defined class of “specified semiautomatic firearms,” unless a statutory exception applies.

Which firearms are covered?

The statutory category generally includes semiautomatic rifles or semiautomatic shotguns with detachable magazines, and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines. The law excludes certain types of firearms and specific models.

Not every firearm in those broad categories is necessarily covered. Colorado’s implementation guidance and Firearms Dealer Division list are the places to check model-specific information, and the guidance may be updated as additional firearms meet the statutory criteria. Buyers with questions about a particular model should confirm its status with a licensed dealer or the state agency.

Beginning August 1, the law generally prohibits knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling or purchasing a specified semiautomatic firearm. Exceptions include certain transactions involving law enforcement, corrections, military forces, gunsmiths, educational programs, museums and historical societies, as well as transfers required by law, transfers after a person’s death, and certain out-of-state or federally licensed-dealer transfers.

What a buyer must do

Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes a five-step process:

1. Submit an application through the Firearms Safety System. The applicant creates an account, completes the application and sends it to the county sheriff’s queue. Hunter-education information can be entered at this stage.
2. Provide identification and a name-based background check. The applicant must provide government-issued photo identification and the results of a completed name-based background check to the county sheriff. Each sheriff’s office determines how those materials must be submitted.
3. Receive a sheriff-issued eligibility card. The sheriff reviews the application and, if the applicant qualifies, issues a firearms safety course eligibility card. The card is generally valid for five years and allows the applicant to enroll in the required course. It is not itself permission to purchase a firearm.
4. Complete an approved course and testing. After approval, the applicant enrolls with a verified Firearms Safety Program instructor. The course must be taught in person, and the student must meet the required exam and hands-on practical standard.
5. Complete dealer verification. The instructor records the result in the state system. A federal firearms licensee can then check whether the buyer has completed the requirements for a covered purchase and proceed under applicable state and federal rules.

Which training counts?

The law provides several training pathways:

• A Colorado Parks and Wildlife-certified hunter education course combined with a basic firearms safety course completed within the applicable five-year period.
• An extended firearms safety course completed within five years before the purchase.
• An extended firearms safety course completed more than five years earlier, combined with a basic firearms safety course completed within the previous five years.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes the basic course as four hours and the extended course as 12 hours of instruction provided over at least two different days. Courses must be taught in person by a verified instructor. Students must earn at least 90% on the final exam and pass the required hands-on practical.

A hunter education course by itself is not enough. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also says that ordinary firearm-safety and concealed-carry courses do not automatically satisfy the Firearms Safety Program requirements.

After successful course completion, the applicant generally has five years to purchase specified semiautomatic firearms. After five years, the process must be repeated.

What does the process cost?

The state firearms training and safety course record fee is $52. It is collected by the sheriff’s office and sent to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

That fee is separate from any processing fee set by the county sheriff and any charge from a private instructor. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the application fees may be charged whether the application is approved or denied. The signed law also says the eligibility-card fee is not refundable if the sheriff denies the application.

County procedures and review timing may differ. Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises applicants to contact their sheriff’s office before submitting materials because counties may use different submission processes and may not begin reviewing applications on the same schedule.

What existing owners should know

The new purchase and transfer provisions do not generally require current owners to surrender covered firearms solely because they already possess them lawfully. The major change for owners is that future sales, transfers and purchases involving covered firearms are regulated.

Some transfers remain allowed under the statute, including certain transfers to an out-of-state resident or federally licensed dealer and other listed exceptions. Whether a particular transfer is lawful can depend on the firearm, the parties and the reason for the transfer. Owners should confirm an individual transaction with a licensed dealer or qualified attorney.

The lawsuit does not automatically change the rules

The Colorado State Shooting Association and six individuals filed a federal lawsuit challenging SB25-003. Denver7 reported that the plaintiffs argue the law creates a difficult and costly process and raises constitutional concerns.

Those are allegations in pending litigation, not court findings. The lawsuit itself does not automatically suspend the law. Residents should check current state guidance and any later court order before assuming that the requirements have changed.

What to do before a planned purchase or transfer

Check the current state model guidance, contact the county sheriff about its application process and fees, use a verified Firearms Safety Program instructor, and ask a licensed dealer whether the particular firearm is covered. Because the law and its implementation are subject to litigation and continuing administrative guidance, readers should verify current requirements for their individual circumstances.

Sources

• Colorado General Assembly — SB25-003 Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife — Specified Semiautomatic Firearms
• Denver7 — Colorado State Shooting Association files lawsuit over law restricting access to certain semiautomatic guns

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