Colorado Gun Storage Laws – What you need to know

Colorado gun law requires you to safely store your firearms to prevent access by minors under 18 years old or by people prohibited from having guns.

Safe storage can be accomplished by carrying the gun, putting it in a locked safe, installing a locking device on it, or having a personalized firearm.

Failing to safely store a firearm is a Colorado class 2 misdemeanor carrying up to 120 days in jail and/or up to $750 in fines.

1. What qualifies as safe gun storage in Colorado?

Your firearm is safely stored in accordance with Colorado law when one of the following four conditions is met:

1. You are carrying the gun, or you keep it within such close proximity that you can retrieve it as if it you were carrying it.
2. The gun is in a locked safe (or other secure container) so that a reasonable person would believe it is secure, and juveniles or people prohibited from possessing guns cannot access the key, combination code, or other mechanism for unlocking it.
3. You installed a locking device on the gun, and juveniles and people prohibited from possessing guns cannot access the key, combination code, or other mechanism for unlocking it. (A “locking device” prevents the operation of a gun and can only be disabled with a key, combination, or biometric data.)
4. The gun is a personalized firearm with activated safety characteristics. (A “personalized firearm” means a gun that has, as part of its original manufacture, incorporated design technology that allows it to be fired only by you and prevents any of the safety characteristics of the gun from being readily deactivated by anyone else. The technology typically involves fingerprint verification, magnetic encoding, radio frequency tagging, and other automatic user identification systems using biometric, mechanical, or electronic systems.)

Note that Colorado’s safe storage law does not apply to antique firearms, curios, or relics.¹

Also note that as of January 1, 2025, guns in vehicles must be stored in a locked container out of plain view. Examples include a locked glove compartment or center console. Violations are civil infractions carrying up to $100.²

2. Is not safely storing a firearm a crime?

Yes. Colorado prosecutors can charge you with “unlawful storage of a firearm” for failing to responsibly and securely store a gun upon any premises you own or control, and you know – or reasonably should know – that:

• a juvenile can gain access to the firearm without the permission of the juvenile’s parent or guardian; or
• a resident of the premises is ineligible to possess a firearm pursuant to state or federal law.

Colorado law makes “unlawful storage of a firearm” a class 2 misdemeanor. Penalties include:

• Up to $750 in fines, and/or
• Up to 120 days in jail.³

3. Are guns sold with locking devices?

Yes. Licensed gun dealers in Colorado are required to provide a locking device (a cable- or trigger lock) with each gun it sells or transfers.

Licensed gun dealers also have to post a sign in their stores saying, “UNLAWFUL STORAGE OF A FIREARM MAY RESULT IN IMPRISONMENT OR FINE.”

Dealers face a misdemeanor charge carrying a $500 fine if they fail to provide a locking device or post the notice.⁴

Colorado’s safe storage laws aim to prevent kids and previous offenders from accessing guns.

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Legal References

1. HB21-1106. CRS 18-12-114. CRS 18-12-101. Jesse Paul, Colorado’s governor just signed two gun control bills into law. Here’s what they mean for gun owners, The Colorado Sun (Apr 19, 2021).
2. HB24-1348. CRS 18-12-114.5.
3. See note 1.
4. CRS 18-12-405.