Colorado statute
C.R.S. § 18-12-115 — Waiting period for firearms sales - background check required - penalty - exceptions.
Current through 2025 Regular Session
Part of Part 1: FIREARMS AND WEAPONS - GENERAL, Colorado Revised Statutes.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of C.R.S. § 18-12-115
Statutory text current through the 2025 Regular Session. This is an officially sanctioned publication using the official text of the Colorado Revised Statutes; it is not the official statutes of the State of Colorado.
(1) (a) It is unlawful for any person who sells a firearm, including a licensed gun dealer as defined in section 18-12-506 (6), to deliver the firearm to the purchaser until the later in time occurs: (I) Three days after a licensed gun dealer has initiated a background check of the purchaser that is required pursuant to state or federal law; or (II) The seller has obtained approval for the firearm transfer from the bureau after it has completed any background check required by state or federal law. (b) A person who violates this subsection (1) commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of five hundred dollars; except that for a second or subsequent offense, the fine shall be not less than five hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars. (2) This section does not apply to: (a) The sale of an antique firearm, as defined in 18 U.S.C. sec. 921 (a)(16), as amended, or a curio or relic, as defined in 27 CFR 478.11, as amended; (b) The sale of a firearm by a person serving in the armed forces of the United States who will be deployed outside of the United States within the next thirty days to any family member, including: (I) Regardless of age, a biological, adopted, or foster child; a stepchild or legal ward; a child of a domestic partner; a child to whom the seller stands in loco parentis; or a person to whom the seller stood in loco parentis when the person was a minor; (II) A biological, adoptive, or foster parent; a stepparent or legal guardian of the seller or seller's spouse or domestic partner; or a person who stood in loco parentis when the seller or seller's spouse or domestic partner was a minor child; (III) A person to whom the seller is legally married under the laws of any state or a domestic partner of a seller; (IV) A grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, whether a biological, foster, adoptive, or step relationship, of the seller or seller's spouse or domestic partner; or (V) As shown by the seller, any other individual with whom the seller has a significant personal bond that is or is like a family relationship, regardless of biological or legal relationship; or (c) A firearm transfer for which a background check is not required pursuant to state or federal law. (3) Pursuant to the authority granted in section 29-11.7-103, a local government may enact an ordinance, regulation, or other law concerning a waiting period.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is waiting period for firearms sales a felony or a misdemeanor in Colorado?
Waiting period for firearms sales is a civil infraction in Colorado under C.R.S. § 18-12-115.
Which Colorado statute covers waiting period for firearms sales?
Waiting period for firearms sales is governed by C.R.S. § 18-12-115 (Waiting period for firearms sales - background check required - penalty - exceptions).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.