◆ COLORADO · CARRY LAW
Colorado.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
No
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- Magazine capacity is capped here.
- This state has an extreme-risk protective order law.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Colorado requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Handgun Permit, issued by your county sheriff.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
No
You need a permit to carry concealed on your person. Doing it without one is a class 1 misdemeanor.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Openly, yes, from 18, but check the city. Colorado gave local governments the power to pass stricter firearm rules again in 2021, and several have.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, and Colorado is unusual here. Even without a permit you may carry a weapon concealed in a private vehicle for lawful protection while traveling.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Your county sheriff SHALL issue if you qualify. Training is required.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
No. You must be a legal Colorado resident, with one carve-out: armed forces members stationed here on permanent duty orders, and their immediate family living in Colorado, count as residents.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
18
18 to carry openly. The concealed permit is 21.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No statute requires you to announce it. An officer may temporarily disarm you during a stop and must return the handgun before you leave.
No duty-to-inform provision in Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 18-12-201 to 18-12-216Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 18-12-105, 18-12-203, 18-12-213 and 18-12-214 on 2026-09-05. The offense, the criteria, the reciprocity section and the authority-granted section. None contains a notification duty. § 18-12-214(1)(b), which governs what an officer may do during a stop, is where such a duty would most naturally sit and it addresses only temporary disarming.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit to buy, but Colorado added a training requirement in 2025 for semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines. A dealer sale runs a background check and there is a state waiting period.
No general purchase permit in Colo. Rev. Stat. tit. 18, art. 12Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read article 12 of title 18 on 2026-09-05 for a permit to purchase. The article licenses CARRYING in part 2 and restricts magazines in part 3, and creates no permit to acquire a firearm.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
Only in some cases
15 rounds, and unlike most states, POSSESSION itself is the offense, not just selling. A magazine you owned before 1 July 2013 and have kept ever since is protected, and the prosecution has to disprove your claim to that, not the other way round.
Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 18-12-301(2)(a)(I), 18-12-302(1)(a), (2)Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
Sometimes, check the city
Weak, and deliberately so. Colorado restored local authority in 2021. A city or county may now pass firearm rules STRICTER than the state’s, and several have. Check the city.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 29-11.7-103, as amended by SB 21-256Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
Yes, this state has one
Yes. Since 2020 a family or household member, or law enforcement, may petition for an extreme risk protection order.
In force since January 1, 2020.
◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Colorado honors
If you are visiting Colorado, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored, with a condition34
Not honored18
Not settled2
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Colorado permits are honored
If you live in Colorado, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored32
Honored, with a condition2
Not honored18
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Colorado has no suppressor ban of its own.
No suppressor prohibition in Colo. Rev. Stat. tit. 18, art. 12Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read article 12 of title 18 on 2026-09-05. Its prohibited-weapon and magazine provisions, and found no silencer or suppressor prohibition.Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Colorado bans machine guns and exempts possession that conforms to federal law.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork, and Colorado makes a valid federal permit an express defense.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-102(1), (2), (5)Read at the Colorado General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 18-12-102 in full on 2026-09-07 and searched Colorado’s title 18 for “cane gun”, “pen gun”, “wallet gun”, “zip gun” and “any other weapon”. Both statutory lists are exhaustive and no AOW term appears in either.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your county sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- Colorado firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)