The Essentials of Colorado Gun Sale Rules for Boulder’s Community
Thinking of selling a gun in Boulder, Colorado? Quick tip: you have to follow the local gun laws to do so without getting into hot water.
There are a slew of firearm laws regulating gun sales here. Making sense of them can be a challenge to laymen.
Fortunately for you, we’ll simplify the relevant laws with this guide to selling guns in Colorado.
The Requirements
1. FFL Transfers
This is what it’s called when a federal firearms licensee (FFL) or licensed gun dealer processes your gun sale for you.
It’s required for gun sales in Boulder between people who aren’t FFLs. Such sales are called private gun sales. Without FFL transfers, Colorado doesn’t consider these gun sales legal.
2. Background Checks
These are required for most Boulder gun sales. Exceptions include sales of antique guns, sales of curios or relics, sales to FFLS, and sales of guns to immediate family members.
3. Buyer Minimum Age
Unless your gun buyer is an FFL, he’s required to meet a specific minimum age. That’s at least 21 to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun. It’s illegal for you to sell guns to anyone younger than these minimum ages.
4. Buyer Waiting Periods
Unless your buyer is an FFL, he also needs to observe a 72-hour waiting period. That means that even after the sale is done, he can’t get the gun until 72 hours have passed.
5. Buyer Legal Eligibility
It’s illegal for you to knowingly sell guns to prohibited people in Boulder. That means your buyer is required to be legally eligible by virtue of not being on the prohibited-person lists.
You can see those here and here. Following are some examples: illegal aliens, people with outstanding warrants, the mentally ill, and convicted felons.
6. Buyer ID and Residency
Unless you’re selling a gun to an FFL, you’ll have to ask your buyer to prove his identity as well as his residency in Colorado.
You can only sell guns to residents of other states by using FFLs in their states, after all. That’s why it’s best to aim for local residents.
Usually, buyers provide a state-issued ID for proof of identity and residence. DMV IDs work, as do Colorado driver’s licenses. They also have to be valid (not expired) to be considered usable for the transaction.
7. Gun Legality
Obviously, you can only sell guns in Boulder that are actually legal to possess and transfer. This means anything banned in the state or country can’t be sold.
Here are some of the guns or gun-related accessories Colorado bans:
- Magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds. You can sell a gun that accepts these magazines, but only if the gun isn’t sold with the magazine.
- Magazines that can hold over 28 inches of shotgun shells. Same note as above.
- Untraceable guns, also known as ghost guns. Parts for them are illegal too.
- Machine guns unless you have a valid permit for one.
The Steps for Selling
Now that you know the requirements, you more or less have what you need to do a sale. As you can see, there are more requirements when selling to a private party than an FFL.
This means selling to FFLs or dealers is typically faster as well:
- Offer the gun to the FFL.
- Let them appraise it and make an offer.
- Consider the offer against others and sell the gun if you like it.
Selling to private parties (non-dealers) takes more work:
- Advertise the gun and wait for buyers to contact you.
- Screen your buyers to find those who meet all requirements.
- Compare their offers to find the best one.
- Meet the chosen buyer at a Boulder gun shop for the FFL transfer.
- Give the gun to the shop for safekeeping while the transfer is in process.
- Pay the FFL at the gun shop for the background check and transfer fee.
- If the buyer passes his background check, proceed with the transfer.
- Collect your payment and let your buyer get his gun from the shop.
It’s up to you which option you prefer. As long as you abide by the rules we explained, you should achieve a perfectly legal firearm sale.