What SB25-003 exempts
SB25-003 defines a "specified semiautomatic firearm" by characteristics, not by a fixed product list — The act defines a specified semiautomatic firearm as a semiautomatic rifle or semiautomatic shotgun with a detachable magazine, or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine, with specific firearms and models excluded. The categories below are the ones the bill text describes as outside that definition. Each is sourced to the same statutory citation used by thecharacteristics questionnaire, so the two never disagree. This is a reference, not legal advice: whether a specific firearm qualifies depends on its exact configuration.
Excluded categories
Manual-action firearms
SB25-003 applies only to semiautomatic firearms. Manual-action firearms — bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action, break-action, and revolvers — are not within the definition of a specified semiautomatic firearm.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116 (SB25-003) — definition limited to semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols.
Small fixed-magazine firearms (15 rounds or fewer)
SB25-003 describes a semiautomatic firearm with a permanently affixed magazine that holds 15 rounds or fewer, and that cannot readily accept a detachable magazine, as outside the specified-semiautomatic-firearm category.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116 (SB25-003) — fixed-magazine capacity exemption.
.22 rimfire without a separate upper and lower receiver
SB25-003 excludes a firearm designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22-caliber-or-smaller rimfire ammunition — unless the firearm has a separate upper and lower receiver. A rimfire firearm that does not have a separate upper and lower receiver falls within this exclusion.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116(1)(d)(II)(A) (SB25-003) — rimfire exclusion, conditioned on no separate upper and lower receiver.
Recoil-operated handguns
SB25-003 treats a recoil-operated semiautomatic handgun (tilting-barrel / short recoil) as a category distinct from a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun. Note that the statute defines a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun to include a blowback-operated system, so a blowback handgun is not in this recoil-operated category. Whether a particular pistol qualifies can turn on its exact configuration and features.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116(1)(c), (1)(d)(I)(B) (SB25-003) — operating-system distinction for handguns.
Not exempt — common mix-ups
These three categories are frequently asked about alongside the ones above, but the statute treats them as within the specified-semiautomatic-firearm definition, not outside it.
Frames, receivers, and parts kits
The state implementation guidance treats frames, receivers, and parts kits for specified semiautomatic firearms as covered. A component is not exempt merely because it is not yet a complete firearm.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116(1)(d) and 18-12-101(1) (SB25-003), with Department of Revenue implementation guidance — frames, receivers, and parts kits.
.22 rimfire WITH a separate upper and lower receiver
The .22 rimfire exclusion does not apply to a firearm that has a separate upper and lower receiver. Several AR-pattern .22 models appear on the Department of Revenue’s published list. Search the published list for the exact make and model.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116(1)(d)(II)(A) (SB25-003) — rimfire exclusion does not reach a firearm with a separate upper and lower receiver.
Blowback-operated handguns
For handguns, SB25-003 defines a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun to include a blowback-operated system. A blowback-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine matches the specified-semiautomatic-firearm definition. Whether a specific model is on the published list is a separate question — search the published list.
Statutory basis: C.R.S. 18-12-116(1)(c)(V), (1)(d)(I)(B) (SB25-003) — blowback system included in the gas-operated-handgun definition.
A concealed-carry permit does not exempt you
Background checks and courses completed for a concealed handgun permit (CHP/CCW) do not count toward this program. Read the full comparison on Colorado's concealed handgun permit and how it differs from SB25-003.
Existing firearms and effective dates
Firearms already possessed before August 1, 2026 are not affected by this law.
Rapid-fire devices (for example bump stocks and binary triggers) were classified as dangerous weapons when the governor signed the bill, April 10, 2025. No grandfather provision applies.
The purchase and eligibility-card requirements take effect 2026-08-01. Existing possession is unaffected; only purchases and transfers on or after that date require an eligibility card.
Check your specific firearm
These categories describe statutory characteristics, not specific products. Two ways to check a firearm against them:
- Run the characteristics questionnaire — walks the same categories above, one question at a time, and cites the statute at every step.
- Search the published list — the state's non-exhaustive list of covered makes and models.
See also what SB25-003 does for the full plain-English summary, and the purchase pipeline for what happens after a firearm is covered.