Article Info
Colorado Semiauto Law Takes Effect Saturday
| Scope | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Colorado |
| Impact | state |
| Key Entities | |
| Administers the Firearms Safety System application portal | Colorado Parks and Wildlife |
| Issue eligibility cards; conduct background and dangerousness reviews | Colorado County Sheriffs |
| Colorado gun store navigating increased pre-law demand | Spartan Defense Armory and Training |
| Passed Senate Bill 25-003 | Colorado State Legislature |
| Legal Issues | |
| |
| What It Means | |
| |
| Timeline | |
| April 2025 | Governor signs Senate Bill 25-003 into law |
| July 27, 2026 | CPW opens Firearms Safety System application portal |
| August 1, 2026 | SB25-003 training and eligibility card requirements take effect |
| Related Laws | |
Colorado Semiauto Law Takes Effect Saturday
New training and eligibility card requirements hit buyers of common semiautomatic firearms starting August 1
From The Boise Gun Club Handbook
Colorado gun buyers are facing a new bureaucratic layer starting this Saturday — and the system built to handle it isn't ready for prime time.
Driving the news: Senate Bill 25-003, signed in April 2025, kicks in August 1. It requires anyone purchasing or transferring certain semiautomatic firearms to first obtain an eligibility card from their county sheriff and complete an in-person firearms training course within five years of the transaction.
What's covered:
- Semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with detachable magazines
- Gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines
- Rapid-fire conversion devices — bump stocks, binary triggers — are outright prohibited from sale or purchase
The sheriff's role adds another chokepoint. Applicants go through a criminal background check, and — notably — a sheriff can deny an application if they believe the person poses a danger to themselves or others. That's discretionary authority with real teeth.
"It seems overbearing, and it seems very tedious. You have to know what the next step is. You have to find the next step. There's no guided path for this." — Jeremy Manson, General Manager, Spartan Defense Armory and Training
Zoom in: Manson ran through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife application himself specifically to give customers a realistic timeline. He's seeing longer wait times in-store already, with buyers moving ahead of the deadline. "Background checks are happening. Firearms are going out the door," he said.
What gun owners in Colorado should know: CPW opened its Firearms Safety System application portal ahead of the August 1 date. If you need to navigate it, the program can be reached by email through CPW's firearm safety arm or by phone at 303-291-7143. The full step-by-step process is posted on CPW's website.
The bottom line: The law is live Saturday whether the system is smooth or not. If you're in Colorado and considering a covered purchase, start the eligibility card process now — not after you've picked out your rifle.
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