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Colorado gun permit law implementation and legal challenges

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-07 17:42 UTC → 2026-08-14 18:07 UTC · added removed

Colorado gun purchase permit law implementation and legal challenges

Colorado’s “permit‑to‑purchase” law, signed by Gov. Jared Polis in April 2025 and set to take effect on effective as of 1 August 2026, requires an eligibility card, a 12‑hour safety course course, and a three‑day waiting period for buyers of semiautomatic rifles or high‑capacity magazines. In the weeks before leading up to the deadline, dealers gun stores reported a rush rapid sell-outs of purchases and modern semiautomatic firearms. Dealers such as SDS Guns in Colorado Springs reported multiple restocks, while the Pikes Peak Courier noted one shop was “jam‑packed” with customers. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recorded a historic 59,452 background checks in July 2026 – a 195 % 2026—a 195% increase over the same month a year earlier, roughly three times earlier. To manage the prior year’s volume. The surge, the CBI’s InstaCheck Unit processed utilized extra staff and overtime to ensure all checks were processed within the statutory 72‑hour window, adding extra staff and overtime to keep window. Following the system operational. Gun stores law’s implementation, legal challenges have intensified. The Colorado State Shooting Association, supported by the National Rifle Association and shooting organizations encouraged pre‑deadline purchases, while state officials touted the law as Mountain States Legal Foundation, is seeking a tool preliminary injunction to curb gun violence. Supporters such as block the system. Plaintiffs argue the requirements are “unconstitutionally onerous,” noting that the written exam is stricter than those required for police officers and that many counties lack available in-person trainers. They further claim that administrative hurdles have caused many customers to decline firearm purchases since the scheme began. While supporters like Colorado Ceasefire’s Eileen McCarron argue the measure keeps the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of potential prevents mass shooters. Opponents, including the Colorado State Shooting Association’s Huey Laugesen, contend the law is unconstitutional and have filed a lawsuit (Del Toro v. Polis) to overturn it. The law also gives sheriffs authority to block sales shooters from obtaining dangerous weapons, opponents continue to prohibited persons, though it does not affect firearms already owned and excludes certain weapons such as fight the popular Glock pistol. The surge law in background checks and the emerging legal challenge mark the final phase of implementation ahead of the August 1 deadline. court.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-14 18:07 UTC Colorado gun permit law implementation and legal challenges
  2. 2026-08-07 17:42 UTC Colorado gun purchase permit law
  3. 2026-08-04 11:47 UTC Colorado gun purchase permit law
  4. 2026-07-31 02:28 UTC Colorado gun purchase permit law

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