Colorado Parks and Wildlife prepares to enact new semiautomatic firearm safety program  

During the 2025 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed a gun control measure that creates new training and permit requirements for anyone purchasing certain semiautomatic firearms, including AK- and AR-style rifles and permits. 

The law, which was signed by Gov. Jared Polis in April, placed the responsibility on Colorado Parks and Wildlife to implement the law’s training requirements in coordination with county sheriffs, verified course instructors and licensed firearms dealers. 

With an Aug. 1, 2026, deadline to roll out the new firearm safety program, Parks and Wildlife has begun the process of engaging with stakeholders and gathering public feedback. 

The state wildlife agency has scheduled a series of public and stakeholder meetings across the state through May 2026, where staff will share information and address questions, and attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback. The meeting for the Western Slope will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Palisade. Parks and Wildlife is planning to host a virtual meeting, but has not scheduled it. 

Parks and Wildlife is also hosting specific meetings for county sheriffs, federal firearms licensed dealers and firearms safety instructors to discuss the program and their roles in its implementation. 

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In a press release, Jim Hawkins, Parks and Wildlife’s assistant chief of law enforcement, said the upcoming meetings are “an important part of ensuring transparency and understanding as we implement this new program.” 

What the law requires 

Starting Aug. 1, the law will require individuals who want to purchase or transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm — defined as a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine — to pass a background check and attend an in-person firearms safety course within five years before the transaction.

According to Parks and Wildlife, most semiautomatic hunting shotguns and several other firearm types are exempt under the statute. The Department of Revenue is tasked with providing the list of firearms that are subject to the requirements. 

The law will not affect individuals who already own one of the specified firearms, nor does it prohibit their use. It only applies to purchases or transfers after Aug. 1, 2026.

Coloradans who have completed a Parks and Wildlife-certified hunter education course will be eligible for a shorter, four-hour basic course. Those who have not will be required to attend a 12-hour course offered through a local sheriff’s office and administered by a qualified firearms instructor. All courses must be completed in person and will include a final exam requiring a minimum score of 90%. Parks and Wildlife will not teach the courses but will provide standardized course content to county-verified firearms instructors across Colorado.

In addition to creating the program’s curriculum, Parks and Wildlife will also be responsible for creating a form for applicants to submit to their county sheriff for review and the issuance or denial of a firearms safety course eligibility card, as well as developing and operating a records system for the program. 

Senate Bill 3 authorized Parks and Wildlife to utilize $1.4 million from its Parks and Outdoor Recreation Cash Fund to help with the program’s startup costs this fiscal year. Laura Clellan, acting director of Parks and Wildlife, told the agency’s commission last week that Parks and Wildlife has created four new full-time positions to implement the program. As of Jan. 14, the agency had hired for two of the positions. 

Clellan also reported that the agency is in the initial stages of creating the required records system. 

County sheriffs on the Western Slope — who will be charged with running background checks, issuing permits required to enroll in the gun safety courses, vetting qualified firearm instructors to administer the courses and submitting applicant information to the state database — have expressed concerns that implementation will strain already-thin resources in their offices. 

Parks and Wildlife has created a dedicated page on its website where individuals can learn more about the law and new firearms safety program. This includes information about the implementation timeline, requirements, restrictions and the upcoming stakeholder and public meetings.