STATE
COLORADO GUN LAWS
Colorado lawmakers have enacted a number of strong gun safety laws, despite facing reactionary recall petitions, and should keep up the fight to save lives.
Scorecard Grade
In recent years, Colorado has passed important legislation to strengthen its gun safety laws, including an extreme risk protection order law, stronger protections against domestic violence and hate crimes, and preemption reform. In 2024, Colorado had the 21st highest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 1,000 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every nine hours. Seventy percent of these deaths are gun suicides, and 26% are gun homicides. In Colorado, the rate of gun deaths increased 22% from 2015 to 2024, compared to a 15% increase nationwide.
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
Every year, the data is clear: States with strong gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE COLORADO’S GUN LAWS
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
What Colorado Does Well
- Universal background checks
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Child access prevention law
- Waiting periods
- State database background checks
- Extended background check period
- Disarming procedures
- Lost & stolen firearm reporting
- Significant local regulation
- Community Violence Intervention Funding
- Victims’ Access to Justice
- Minimum age restrictions
- Some hate crime sale prohibitions
- Ghost gun regulations
- Gun dealer regulations
- Prohibits firearms at polling places
What Colorado Is Missing
- Gun owner licensing
- Open carry regulations
- Microstamping
SPOTLIGHT
GUN VIOLENCE STATISTICS
Explore facts, figures, and original analysis compiled by our experts. To end our gun violence crisis, we need to better understand where, how, and why violence occurs.
Learn MorePRESS RELEASES & NEWS
Gabby Giffords honors those killed in Aurora theater shooting 14 years ago
Jul 17, 2026
GIFFORDS applauds Governor Polis for signing key gun safety bills into law
Jun 04, 2026
Gabby Giffords remembers victims of King Soopers mass shooting five years later
Mar 20, 2026
MAKE A GIFT
We’re building a movement of Americans committed to gun safety. Democrats and Republicans, gun owners and non–gun owners alike—we stand united to reject the gun lobby and pass lifesaving gun safety laws.