What is Colorado SB25-003?
Last verified against primary sources: · Updated
SB25-003 is the 2025 Colorado law that makes it unlawful, on or after August 1, 2026, to knowingly manufacture, distribute, transfer, sell, or purchase a "specified semiautomatic firearm" — broadly, semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines — unless an exception applies. The most important exception lets buyers who complete a state firearms safety course keep purchasing these guns. It is not a possession ban: firearms you already own are unaffected.
What the law does
On or after August 1, 2026, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly manufacture, distribute, transfer, sell, or purchase a specified semiautomatic firearm; except that a person may sell or transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm to an individual residing in another state or a federally licensed firearm dealer.
The act has three main pillars:
- The purchase/sale scheme. From August 1, 2026, specified semiautomatic firearms can only change hands through a statutory exception — sale to an out-of-state individual or licensed dealer, inheritance, law-enforcement/military/educational exceptions, or sale to a trained buyer. Possession of guns already owned is untouched: no registration, no surrender.
- The training pathway. Buyers who obtain a sheriff-issued eligibility card and complete a 4-hour Basic (with hunter education) or 12-hour Extended firearms safety course may still purchase covered firearms from dealers.
- Rapid-fire devices. The act defined "rapid-fire device" and classified it as a "dangerous weapon" under C.R.S. § 18-12-102, making simple possession of such a device independently a crime. It also raised the large-capacity-magazine penalty from a class 2 to a class 1 misdemeanor.
Effective date: August 1 — and why you may have seen August 12
Two dates matter, and a common error confuses a third:
- April 10, 2025: Governor Jared Polis signed the bill at 3:45 p.m. Because the act contains a safety clause (Session Laws 2025, Ch. 68, Section 13), it took effect as a whole upon signature — including the definitions, the rapid-fire-device rules, and the card/course infrastructure.
- August 1, 2026: the core prohibition on manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, and purchasing carries its own internal trigger date, written directly into C.R.S. § 18-12-116(2) ("on or after August 1, 2026 ...").
- August 12, 2026 is not SB25-003's date. That is Colorado's default effective date (90 days after adjournment) for other 2026-session bills passed without a safety clause — for example HB26-1265 (eTrace) and SB26-004 (protection-order petitioners). Some summaries have wrongly attached it to SB25-003.
Penalties
Unlawful manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, or purchase of a specified semiautomatic firearm is a class 2 misdemeanor; except that a second or subsequent offense is a class 6 felony.
The act also built in collateral consequences:
- Dealers: the Department of Revenue must revoke the state permit of a dealer convicted of violating § 18-12-116 (C.R.S. § 18-12-401.5(8)(a)(IV)(F)).
- Background checks: CBI must deny a firearm transfer to anyone convicted of the misdemeanor version within the prior five years (C.R.S. § 24-33.5-424(3)(b.3)(XIII)).
- Felony bar: a felony conviction (second or subsequent offense) permanently bars the person from possessing any firearm under C.R.S. § 18-12-108(7)(jjj). See Colorado gun-law penalties.
Where SB25-003 lives in the Colorado Revised Statutes
| C.R.S. section | What it does |
|---|---|
| § 18-12-101(1)(g.7), (g.8) | New definitions of "rapid-fire device" and "semiautomatic firearm"; repealed the old "machine gun conversion device" definition |
| § 18-12-102(1) | "Rapid-fire device" added to the dangerous-weapon possession offense |
| § 18-12-116 (new) | The core section: definitions, the purchase/sale ban, all exceptions, the eligibility-card and safety-course scheme, penalties |
| § 18-12-108(7)(jjj) | Felony § 18-12-116 conviction added as a firearm-possession disqualifier |
| § 18-12-302(1)(a) | Large-capacity-magazine penalty raised from class 2 to class 1 misdemeanor |
| § 18-12-401.5(8)(a)(IV)(F) | Dealer-permit revocation for § 18-12-116 violations |
| § 24-33.5-424(3)(b.3)(XIII) | CBI transfer denial for recent § 18-12-116 misdemeanor convictions |
| § 24-35-122 (new) | Requires DOR to publish public guidance on which firearm models are covered |
| § 33-9-115 (new) | Creates CPW's Firearms Training and Safety Course Record System and cash fund |
Litigation: SB25-003's purchase-prerequisite scheme is being challenged in federal court in Del Toro v. Polis, No. 1:25-cv-02725 (D. Colo., filed Sept. 2, 2025) by individual plaintiffs and the Colorado State Shooting Association, represented by the Mountain States Legal Foundation. As of the last verifiable docket activity (June 10, 2026), no injunction has issued and August 1, 2026 remains the operative date. Check current status before relying on it.
Common questions
When does SB25-003 take effect?
The purchase/sale prohibition takes effect August 1, 2026 — that date is written directly into C.R.S. § 18-12-116(2). The act as a whole took effect when it was signed on April 10, 2025, because it carries a safety clause. August 12, 2026 is the default date for other 2026 bills without safety clauses, not for SB25-003.
Does SB25-003 ban possession of semiautomatic firearms?
No. It prohibits knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, or purchasing a specified semiautomatic firearm on or after August 1, 2026. Possession is not prohibited, and there is no registration or surrender requirement for existing owners.
What is the penalty for violating SB25-003?
A first offense is a class 2 misdemeanor; a second or subsequent offense is a class 6 felony, which permanently bars firearm possession. Dealers convicted under the law lose their state permit, and a recent misdemeanor conviction is grounds for CBI to deny a firearm transfer.
Can I still buy an AR-15 in Colorado after SB25-003?
Yes, through the training pathway: obtain a sheriff-issued firearms safety course eligibility card, complete the required in-person safety course, and buy from a licensed dealer. See can I buy an AR-15 after August 2026.
Did SB25-003 change Colorado magazine limits?
It did not change the limit itself, but it raised the penalty for violating the large-capacity-magazine law from a class 2 to a class 1 misdemeanor. See Colorado magazine capacity limits.