Colorado's New Gun Laws Take Effect: What To Know

BOULDER, CO — Gov. Jared Polis signed new gun bills into law Saturday that took effect immediately.

The bills were announced after the mass shooting at the Boulder King Soopers store March 22 that left 10 people dead. The man accused of the shooting bought an AR-15-style pistol legally in Arvada, police said.

One of the bills signed into law, SB21-256, allows local governments to pass their own gun regulations if their laws are stricter than the state's laws. Local governments were previously prohibited from creating their own gun laws. Concealed carry requirements will be regulated by the state, but cities, towns and counties can regulate where guns are permitted.

Some critics of the new law say it will cause confusion for those who are carrying guns between jurisdictions, but the law does allow some leniency.

"The local law may only impose a criminal penalty for a violation upon a person who knew or reasonably should have known that the person's conduct was prohibited," the bill's summary reads.

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Under another bill signed into law, HB21-1298, Coloradans are not permitted to buy a gun unless their background check is completed. If the customer has one of the following misdemeanor offenses on their record over the past five years, they will not be allowed to buy a firearm:

• Third-degree assault
• Sexual assault
• Child abuse
• Crime against an at-risk person
• Bias-motivated crime
• Cruelty to animals
• Possession of an illegal weapon

> View the full list of misdemeanor offenses here.

If a firearm is sold before the background check is complete, the seller could face a Class 1 misdemeanor charge.

The third bill signed into law, HB21-1299, creates the state's first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a $3 million initiative that will be overseen by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"The office is required to conduct public awareness campaigns to educate the general public about state and federal laws and existing resources relating to gun violence prevention," the bill's summary reads.

"Subject to available money, the office may establish and administer a grant program to award grants to organizations to conduct community-based gun violence intervention initiatives that are primarily focused on interrupting cycles of gun violence, trauma, and retaliation that are evidence-informed and have demonstrated promise at reducing gun violence without contributing to mass incarceration."

The new office will gather data and research about gun violence in Colorado to help with its prevention efforts.