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Buying a gun is not like shopping for groceries. Based on data, Colorado ranked 5th in the entire United States, with the most people shot and killed by police. Suicide and murders with guns are also alarming.
If you need to have a gun and wonder how to buy a gun in Colorado, here are a few things you can check to see if you are qualified.
Colorado gun laws need to be followed when buying a gun, whether in stores, auctions, or private gun sales. A government-issued ID states that your current address is anywhere from the state or somewhere with Reciprocity Agreements In Colorado.
Your address should be your current place of dwelling, and you should pass the background checks that NICS will run before you can purchase a gun. If you are an alien from Colorado, you should have a government-issued document that will permit you to carry a concealed handgun. The background check can take a few minutes or a couple of days too.
Gun Laws in Colorado
Title 18
Title 18 allows any gun owner to bring their firearm in a vehicle if the purpose is legal protection of oneself or another’s person or property. It also allows anyone to have a handgun in their homes, place of business, or vehicle, but it must be in plain view.
However, this law also permits concealed handguns by qualified current and retired law enforcement officers. This law was implemented hoping that they could control and address the increasing crime rate.
Title 33
Title 33 is the Colorado Revised Statutes 2016, PARKS AND WILDLIFE [1]. It is to address firearm safety and an individual’s responsibility for wildlife and the environment and to preserve, enhance, and manage it.
It also contains a few gun laws and prohibitions (which has exclusions when allowed by a person authorized), which are the following:
- Possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle
- Shooting from a public road
- Hunting with artificial light, night vision, or thermal imaging devices
Also Read: Gun Control Laws in Pennsylvania
What Are Legal To Own?
Qualified residents can purchase almost all kinds of firearms if they pass the NICS background check requirements. For now, “Ghost guns” are still allowed, but laws are passed against carrying this type of weapon.
These are more dangerous weapons, and according to reports, there is rising popularity of these types in Colorado State. You can pass on your rifle or handgun to any family member who is a Colorado resident without any crime and will no longer be subject to a background check.
The following are the firearms that are allowed to be legally purchased:
- Glocks
- Rifles
- Revolvers
- Shotguns
- Pistols
What Are Illegal To Own?
Colorado Law prohibits certain weapons because of the extreme danger that they can inflict. A person can carry a handgun or a rifle and is free to bring it with him without any concealed handgun permit provided that these are not loaded, and their purpose is for self-defense.
A Colorado county resident, under Colorado laws, can own a handgun or a long gun after passing background checks conducted by the federal government.
You cannot possess firearms of these types:
- ballistic knives
- machine guns
- Silencers
- shotguns that are shorter than 18 inches,
- Rifles that are shorter than 16 inches
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Where It’s Safe to Carry Your Gun
The right to express freedom and defend life and liberty allows people in Colorado to open-carry firearms.
Carrying handguns is legal, including a concealed weapon at the:
- Roadsides
- Public transportation
- State forests and parks- attain a permit from State forests in charge based on Colorado Wildlife Laws.
- Restaurants and Bar areas are allowed as long as the person is not under the influence of alcohol, and signage states that weapons are not allowed inside the establishment.
- Worship Places- unless signage is placed against it
Restrictions in Buying A Gun in Colorado
The following conditions restrict firearms sales in the State of Colorado:
- If you are not 21 years of age, the Federal Law prohibits you from purchasing. You also need to fill in the ATF form 4473 at the gun store, where they will be submitting for the CBI InstaCheck system.
- A convicted felon, a conviction against domestic violence, has a restraining order for harassing, threatening their child or intimate partner, or stalking.
- Undocumented aliens
- Drug addicts or coming into a gun store with smell of marijuana or alcohol
- Have been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces
FAQS
A non-resident of Colorado is not permitted to buy a handgun or any firearm from anywhere in the state. A valid Colorado driver’s license or ID card is needed to establish residency and your age before you will be allowed to buy a handgun in a gun store or through a private sale.
The age minimum to purchase a gun in Colorado is 18, which was newly mandated last August 2, 2021. Firearms purchases require a Colorado ID showing the current address before one can possess a handgun.
The process of purchasing firearms for Colorado residents varies depending on the number of years being checked when doing the background check, whether the purpose is target shooting, self-defense, or anything else.
Illegally buying a weapon in Colorado is a class 4 felony. Therefore, there is a penalty of imprisonment from two to six years or a fine of $2,000 to $500,000.
Final Thoughts on Buying A Gun In Colorado
There is a little leniency with Colorado Gun Law regarding such firearm purchase, and firearms safety is somehow questionable in this state. The need for lawful protection and the reason you need to buy a gun can be understood, especially if a Colorado resident can show an extreme risk protection order to justify why they need such a firearm.
However, the law protects the innocent and will not give those convicted for a felony a chance to purchase handguns anymore. So at least they covered that area in the State of Colorado.
References:
- https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2016-title-33.pdf
