Colorado Braces for New Gun Laws to Take Effect Aug. 1

Colorado residents will soon undergo a new process to buy semi-auto firearms, with state officials saying they are close to being ready to implement the new law.

Starting August 1, 2026, residents will have to wade through a multi-step process to buy semi-auto firearms that accept magazines — this includes ARs and AKs.

To purchase a gun, Coloradans will have to undergo an eligibility review by a county sheriff, then take a safety training program with a firearms instructor and pass a written exam.

This stands in stark contrast to the current process, which allows residents to purchase firearms the same day with no training or review requirements.

Legislators proposed a full “assault weapons ban” in 2025 but later amended it to allow purchase of semi-auto firearms through a permit-to-purchase process. Senate Bill 25-003 was passed and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in April 2025

Implementation of the new law was passed to state workers and agencies who worked alongside FFLs and firearms instructors to figure out how to adapt to the new law.

Dan Coil, Colorado Parks and Wildlife firearms safety project manager, told Colorado News Online that planning started in November after looking into other state laws.

“We looked at other other states and some of the laws that they had,” said Coil. “Some of it was kind of parallel, but nothing really mirrored it. We were really on our own for this.”

Despite the hurdles, Coil said the program should be ready when the law goes live in August — though issues are expected upon roll-out.

“I’m cautiously optimistic, though, because there’s always going to be issues. Something will come up, I just don’t know what,” he said.

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What Colorado Gun Owners Need to Know

This list of guns falling under the permit-to-purchase spans almost 150 pages. The Firearms Dealer Division, housed within the Colorado Department of Revenue, released the list of guns on July 1.

The list of over 800 gunscovers everything from the popular Daniel Defense DDM4 series to the Century Arms Draco series. The Firearms Dealer Division notes that the list is not comprehensive, recognizing that newly released firearms may have features that should warrant inclusion.

“As a result, the guidance document will be reviewed on an ongoing basis,” the division explained in a letter.

Under the new system, those wishing to buy a gun on the list will need to follow these steps:

• Submit an online application to the CPW website (though the application should automatically route to the local sheriff’s office, prospective buyers are advised to check in with their local sheriff to ensure the application was received)
• Once the application is received, buyers must submit to a name-based background check and provide ID along with, at minimum, a $52 fee for the eligibility card. Additional costs may apply depending on county.
• After the buyer receives the eligibility card from the sheriff’s office, they will need to enroll in an approved safety course.
• Students must score at least a 90% on a written exam and successfully pass a hands-on practical exam

Prospective buyers’ information will be entered into a database accessible by sheriffs, course instructors, and FFLs — it will not track purchases, according to officials.

In addition to the permit-to-purchase requirement, the law also now prohibits the sale, transfer, or possessions of large capacity magazines. “Rapid-fire devices” were also targeted, now classified as dangerous weapons under Colorado law and outright banned.

Local & Industry Response

Local sheriffs are already raising red flags over the system that they say will unnecessarily burden law enforcement.

“For a large urban agency with massive staff, maybe that’s manageable. For small rural sheriff’s offices, such as ours, covering thousands of square miles with limited deputies, it’s a serious burden,” Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Operational Officer Jeremy Muxlow warned commissioners at a March CPW meeting. “Policies created in rooms like this will eventually become the problems sheriff deputies have to deal with.”

As such, some local sheriff’s offices are imposing additional fees to offset the burden. For example, Adams County will charge a $50 sheriff’s fee for in-county applicants and $100 for out-of-county applicants.

Instructors are also bracing for the implications of the new training requirement, though they say the courses will basically remain the same as they have been.

“It is your basic safety knowledge for firearms and firearm handling. It follows many of the courses that are already out there,” John Pashain, a Fort Collins instructor told Colorado News Online.

As gun stores, instructors, and law enforcement prep for the Aug. 1 launch, gun rights groups are mounting a fight against the legislation.

After SB-25003 was announced, a lawsuit was filed by the Colorado State Shooting Association, among others, alleging the law stomps on the constitutional rights of Coloradans.

“The Act’s cumbersome and expensive pre-purchase training and certification requirements are also designed to effectively stall, if not stop entirely, those trying to exercise their Second Amendment protected rights,” the lawsuit says.

“The Act burdens the right of residents of the State of Colorado, including Plaintiffs, to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, a right that is explicitly protected by the Second Amendment.”

On the other side of the aisle, activists are applauding the state for taking steps they say keep residents safe.

“This bill isn’t an overstep on anyone’s rights, it’s common-sense reform that will add safeguards to prevent someone from being able to commit mass murder,” Carter Ferris, president of Regis Jesuit High School Students Demand Action chapter, told Everytown for Gun Safety.

Final Thoughts

The new law is set to take effect on August 1 as the lawsuit challenging it winds its way through the court system.

What do you think of the new permit-to-purchase law in Colorado? Let us know in the comments below. To snag an AR-15 or AK-47, check out our articles on the Best AR-15s and Best AK-47s.

Additional Resources

• Senate Bill 25-003
• Specified Semiautomatic Firearms Guidance: Version 07/01/2026
• Del Toro v. Polis
• Everytown for Gun Safety