Buying

• You do not need a permit to buy a handgun in Colorado, nor are you required to register your handgun. You do have to pass a state and federal background check prior to your purchase. This is called the Brady Registration Check. The federal agency checking backgrounds is called NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), while the Colorado check is run through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
  
  

Carrying

• Open carrying of a handgun in Colorado is allowed. Open carrying does not require a permit, although concealed carrying does in most cases. You can carry a concealed handgun without a permit if you are in your home or a place of business that you own. You cannot carry any firearm on public transportation, however.
  
  

Concealed Carrying

• Carrying a concealed handgun in Colorado requires that you apply with the sheriff for your permit. You will pay $100 plus a fingerprinting fee. This permit is valid for five years, after which you will need to renew it. In order to obtain a concealed carry permit, you must: be 21 or older; reside in Colorado; be legally eligible to own a handgun; have fewer than two alcohol-related convictions in the last 10 years; not be under a restraining order; and not be known to have a substance abuse problem. There is also a training requirement which can be fulfilled by taking a handgun class, being in the military or law enforcement, or being a handgun instructor.
  
  There are a number of places where it is still illegal to carry a handgun even after getting a Colorado concealed carry permit. These include schools, buildings with weapon screening, or areas where gun carrying is prohibited by federal law.
  
  

Prohibited Buyers

• There are a number of reasons that you might not be able to buy a handgun in Colorado. Addiction to controlled substances, being a fugitive from justice, and being under indictment or convicted for a crime with a sentence of one or more years in jail are the first few. Other reasons that you could get rejected include illegal alien status, dishonorable discharge from the military, mental defect, renounced U.S. citizenship, domestic violence conviction, or a restraining order in effect against you.
  
  

In Your Car

• Colorado handgun laws allow you to have a gun in your car if you are using it for protection. It can be loaded. However, you cannot carry it concealed out of the car unless you have a concealed carry permit.