Increased wait times at local gun store ahead of new law as Colorado opens firearms safety system applications

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has opened its new Firearms Safety System application ahead of new gun restrictions starting on Saturday.

CPW says the new law, Senate Bill 25-003, will require firearms safety training requirements when certain semiautomatic firearms are bought or transferred in Colorado.

The bill will prohibit the purchase or sale of "rapid fire conversion devices, like bump stocks and binary triggers," according to Colorado State Democrats. The bill was originally signed in April of 2025 and will also apply to semiautomatic rifles or semiautomatic shotguns with detachable magazines, or gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines.

Starting Aug. 1, people looking to purchase or transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm must apply to the county sheriff's office for an eligibility card. They must then complete an in-person firearms training course within five years of the transaction.

Sheriff's offices will have to check that an applicant doesn't have any criminal convictions that would prevent them from getting a gun. The law also says the offices can deny an applicant if they believe the applicant is a danger to themselves or another person.

KRDO13 spoke with Jeremy Manson, general manager at Spartan Defense Armory and Training, who said they have been experiencing longer wait times in-store with the law's implementation quickly approaching.

"Background checks are happening. Firearms are going out the door," Manson said. "We are trying to get ahead of this bill as much as we can.”

Manson also said he's been trying to go through the new process himself to give customers a realistic timeline of how long it takes. He said it wasn't very user-friendly.

“It seems overbearing, and it seems very tedious," Manson said. "You have to know what the next step is. You have to find the next step. There’s no guided path for this.”

People looking for help with the application can email CPW's firearm safety arm or call the program at 303-291-7143.

More information on the Firearms Safety Program and its step-by-step process is available on CPW's website.

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