The following is a video transcript.
Doug Richards here for U.S. LawShield of Colorado. I want to talk to you today about visiting our great state. If you do visit our great state with a firearm, there are some things that you need to know.
First of all, the most important thing to know right out of the gate is that we do have a ban on magazines that accept more than 15 rounds. If you come to Colorado and your firearm has a magazine that accepts more than 15, you need to leave that at home and plan on buying new magazines here in Colorado (or just pick up new magazines before you come here). But if you do get stopped, and they search you and find that you have a magazine that accepts more than 15 rounds, you can be charged with a crime.
Colorado does allow open carry, but I don’t recommend it. It draws a lot of unnecessary attention to yourself and there are a lot of other reasons why I would recommend that you not carry openly. If you do open carry, you need to remember that you cannot open carry inside of the city and county of Denver, and you cannot open carry in Boulder. Both Boulder and Denver also have assault rifle bans; if you plan on bringing an assault rifle (or quite frankly anything more than a semi-automatic or a regular center-fire rifle) or a shotgun to any of these two places, give me a call, let’s talk about your specific circumstances.
Colorado has reciprocity with most other states in terms of CCW’s or CHL’s. So, if you are licensed to carry a concealed handgun in your home state, it’s very likely that you can carry a concealed handgun here in Colorado. Obviously, check to make sure; you’re welcome to call my office, and we can help point you in the right direction on that. If you are not licensed, you can still carry your firearm concealed on private property or inside of your vehicle, but if you step out of your vehicle, and you are carrying concealed without a license, you can be charged with a crime.
If you’re carrying concealed in Colorado and you have a license, you have to be aware of any signage that says, “No Firearms.” Now those signs do not carry the force of law, meaning you cannot be charged with a separate crime just by violating those signs; however, if you catch the wrong prosecutor or police officer, I think you could be charged with unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm or trespass, in addition to potentially losing your CCW privileges altogether.
Now, you cannot carry concealed or openly into a school for that matter. Finally, Colorado does not have a Stand Your Ground Law, similar to Florida. We do have a self-defense statute that is very good to the fact-specific analysis: it examines the reasonableness of your conduct and the amount of force that you used under those circumstances. You should be aware of our self-defense statutes before you come to Colorado because it is nothing like Stand your Ground, in Florida or anywhere else.
If you have any questions about this or anything else, feel free to give me a call at my office, as I am always happy to talk to U.S. LawShield members.
I was under the impression that magazines over 15 rounds that were owned prior to the ban were grandfathered in?
That’s right. They were grandfathered in.
So how does this affect Veterans who travel to the state of Colorado, who are attending a school that teaches EP, PSD and DDM. Especially when we bring our own firearms and 15 plus mags that are needed for such a school. But we do not bring any ammo which is stated prior and once we arrive the firearms are checked in and stored until range day starts.
Doug Richards… You state “If you have any questions about this or anything else, feel free to give me a call at my office, as I am always happy to talk to U.S. LawShield members.” but no contact info is provided.
I am currently living in Florida, but was in SE Colorado for a few years and have friends there. I am planning a trip back to visit, and i do have several questions. oh, and yes, i am a current active MEMBER. A phone call is ok but this is not an emergency or urgent need, so email is just fine and probably easier for you. Thank you!
Hello, Dean. Members can call our non-emergency hotline and get their legal questions answered. Please give us a call at 877-448-6839.
I would like to see the video on Open Carry in Colorado. I am going there soon. I have a Texas CHL, but I don’t have a drivers license that matches (my DL is Iowa and my Permit says DL ID from IA on there).
I am going hiking where there are bears and need to know about if its okay for me to open carry while on the trail. Will I draw any attention?
I’m from texas got a open carry license I’m going to lake city Colorado for vacation can I take my 9 mm it holds 19 rounds if not then can I take my 45 long colt judge it holds five and can I open carry from texas to there
I’m planning to have a vacation trip with my family, I have Texas CHL, do I need to have extra information to avoid legal problems?
I’m planning a trip to Durango, Colorado from Texas, and I do not have a LTC but I plan on leaving the pistol in the truck. Will that be legal ?
How an a Colorado resident travel with their firearm from Colorado to Florida with out a carry permit?
I am planning a trip to Colorado and I have Michigan carry CCW. Can I carry in Colorado and what to do when flying?
If you’re a member, please contact our non-emergency line for an answer to this question at 877-448-6839.
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