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.
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 2023, Colorado had the twentieth highest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 977 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every nine hours. Seventy-one percent of these deaths are gun suicides, and 25% are gun homicides. In Colorado, the rate of gun deaths increased 36% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
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 LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: States with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE COLORADO’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
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We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
