What disqualifies you from owning a gun in Colorado?
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Colorado has no ownership license, so "disqualification" comes from two overlapping criminal bars: the state POWPO statute (C.R.S. § 18-12-108) and federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)). The state bar covers people with a qualifying felony conviction, certain juvenile adjudications, and (since May 2025) a prior first-degree motor vehicle theft. Federal law is broader and adds fugitives, unlawful drug users, people committed for mental illness, certain non-citizens, dishonorable-discharge veterans, people under a qualifying domestic-violence restraining order, and anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. You are legally clear to possess a firearm only if you are clear under both.
Colorado has no ownership permit — disqualification is about criminal bars
There is no Colorado statute creating a universal firearm-ownership license, and no state registration requirement for general possession. Whether you can lawfully possess a gun is instead a question of whether any criminal prohibited-person law applies to you. Two do.
Layer 1: The Colorado POWPO bar — § 18-12-108
Possession of a weapon by a previous offender makes it a class 5 felony to knowingly possess a firearm (or other weapon covered by article 12) after a qualifying conviction.
A person commits the crime of possession of a weapon by a previous offender if the person knowingly possesses, uses, or carries upon his or her person a firearm as defined in section 18-1-901 (3)(h) or any other weapon that is subject to the provisions of this article 12 subsequent to the person's conviction for a felony crime as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (1) or listed in subsection (7) of this section, or subsequent to the person's conviction for attempt or conspiracy to commit a crime as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (1) that is a felony, pursuant to Colorado or any other state's law or pursuant to federal law.
The disqualifying predicates under state law are:
- Any felony conviction — in Colorado, another state, or federal court — that falls under § 24-4.1-302(1) or the long enumerated list in subsection (7) (which includes offenses such as arson, extortion, false imprisonment, child luring, riot offenses, escape, dangerous-weapon possession, and unlawful firearm purchase);
- Certain juvenile adjudications for equivalent acts (subject to a 10-year lookback and a good-cause court-relief mechanism);
- A prior first-degree motor vehicle theft, added as a predicate effective May 2025.
What is not a Colorado POWPO predicate: a restraining order alone, and a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction alone. Those do not trigger § 18-12-108 by themselves — but they can still make you a prohibited person under federal law, and they disqualify you from a carry permit.
Layer 2: The federal bar — 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)
Federal law applies in Colorado independently and reaches more people than POWPO. A federally licensed dealer must deny a transfer to anyone in these categories regardless of state law, so a Colorado resident can be clear of § 18-12-108 yet still federally prohibited.
- (g)(1) convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison;
- (g)(2) fugitives from justice;
- (g)(3) unlawful users of, or persons addicted to, a controlled substance;
- (g)(4) adjudicated a "mental defective" or committed to a mental institution;
- (g)(5) certain unlawful aliens and nonimmigrant visa holders;
- (g)(6) veterans discharged under dishonorable conditions;
- (g)(7) people who have renounced U.S. citizenship;
- (g)(8) people subject to a qualifying domestic-violence restraining order;
- (g)(9) anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
The federal drug-user category (g)(3) is why marijuana matters even though it is legal under Colorado law — federal law still treats it as a controlled substance. See marijuana and guns in Colorado for the detail.
Owning vs. carrying: the permit list is broader
Do not confuse "can I possess a gun" with "can I get a concealed-carry permit." The permit disqualifiers under § 18-12-203 are a separate, narrower gate that adds requirements on top of the two ownership bars: you must be 21 or older, a Colorado resident, not ineligible under § 18-12-108 or federal law, free of any perjury conviction on the application, not a chronic or habitual alcohol abuser, not an unlawful drug user, and not subject to a protection order or an extreme risk protection order.
Is not subject to: (I) A protection order issued pursuant to section 18-1-1001 or section 19-2.5-607 that is in effect at the time the application is submitted; or (II) A permanent protection order issued pursuant to article 14 of title 13; (III) A temporary protection order issued pursuant to article 14 of title 13 that is in effect at the time the application is submitted; or (IV) A temporary extreme risk protection order issued pursuant to section 13-14.5-103 (3) or an extreme risk protection order issued pursuant to section 13-14.5-105 (2);
A sheriff may also deny, revoke, or refuse to renew a permit on a discretionary "reasonable belief" danger-to-self-or-others basis — something with no counterpart in the ownership statutes. In other words, someone can be legally denied a carry permit for reasons that would not make simple possession illegal. For the full permit process, see the Colorado concealed carry hub.
This page describes what the statutes say; it is not legal advice. Whether a specific conviction or order disqualifies you can turn on details of your record, so consult a Colorado attorney.
Common questions
Does a misdemeanor disqualify you from owning a gun in Colorado?
Not under Colorado's POWPO statute, which is triggered by qualifying felonies — with one federal exception: a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence bars firearm possession under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9)) and triggers a separate Colorado relinquishment mandate.
Can you own a gun in Colorado with a felony?
No. Possessing a firearm after a qualifying felony conviction is a class 5 felony under Colorado's POWPO law (C.R.S. § 18-12-108), and federal law (§ 922(g)(1)) independently bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
Does a restraining order prevent you from owning a gun in Colorado?
A restraining order is not by itself a Colorado POWPO predicate, but a qualifying domestic-violence protection order triggers the federal bar under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) and disqualifies you from holding a Colorado concealed-carry permit.
Do you have to be 21 to own a gun in Colorado?
Age 21 is a requirement for a concealed-carry permit under § 18-12-203, not a general ownership disqualifier in the POWPO statute. Purchase age rules are separate — see the buying-a-gun guidance for how age affects buying.