Colorado readies for Aug. 1 implementation of semiautomatic firearms law
Colorado Parks and Wildlife application for new firearm safety program is live
Ali Longwell/The Aspen Times
Starting Aug. 1, Coloradans will face new requirements when purchasing certain semiautomatic firearms.
The new law was created by legislators last year and established new training and permit requirements for anyone purchasing certain semiautomatic firearms, including AK- and AR-style rifles.
Under the new law, individuals interested in buying a specified semiautomatic firearm must first complete an online application, which will be sent to their local county sheriff’s office. Colorado Parks and Wildlife — which was tasked with building some of the law’s administrative and training elements — opened up the application on July 27.
Applicants must submit and pass a background check and government-issued photo ID to the sheriff’s office. While individual sheriff’s offices can collect their own fee, a $52 Parks and Wildlife fee will also be collected.
Each sheriff’s office will review the documentation and issue an eligibility card. Once a card is issued, the applicant has five years to attend an in-person firearms safety course. If the applicant has previously taken a Parks and Wildlife-certified hunter education course, they will be eligible for a shorter, four-hour basic course. If they have not, they will be required to attend a 12-hour training course. Both courses will be offered through a local sheriff’s office and administered by a qualified firearms instructor, using the curriculum developed by Parks and Wildlife.
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Once the customer completes the firearm safety course, they will be required to take an in-person exam. If the individual passes, they will be able to purchase the firearm or firearms.
At the agency’s July commission meeting, Parks and Wildlife Director Laura Clellan said Parks and Wildlife was on track to meet all the deadlines to roll out the new law by Aug. 1. The agency went live early on July 20 in several counties — including Arapahoe, Boulder, Summit, Larimer and Fremont counties — to get the program rolling.
“We were given a very short amount of time to build the system and get it going by July, and they did it,” Clellan said.
For more information, visit CPW.State.CO.US/specified-semiautomatic-firearms.
