Firearms safety training
SB25-003 requires a firearms safety course before a sheriff-issued eligibility card can be used to buy a specified semiautomatic firearm. You may take the course from any sheriff-verified instructor anywhere in Colorado — the curriculum is standardized statewide.
Which course
Basic course: 4 hours, for applicants with a CPW-verified hunter-education credential. Extended course: 12 hours over at least 2 days, for everyone else.
Passing the course
Pass a written exam and a hands-on practical with a score of 90% or better.
A passing course score is valid for 5 years from the date you complete it.
What instructors report
CPW's own page doesn't yet describe how the course is delivered day-to-day. Field reports from sheriff-verified instructors fill in some of that:
A sheriff-verified instructor reports the required course — including the hands-on practical — has no live-fire or shooting-range component; it can be taught anywhere with adequate indoor space.
Sheriff verification alone does not make someone eligible to teach this course — per a sheriff-verified instructor, instructors also complete Colorado Parks and Wildlife's own train-the-trainer class and hold a CPW certification.
Fees
Firearms training and safety course record fee: $52. Collected by the sheriff's office, forwarded to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Sheriff's office processing fee: set by each county; amounts vary.
A private instructor may charge their own course fee on top of these; that amount is set by the instructor, not the state.
Finding an instructor
The state's verified-instructor list is live: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xrpQm9zKEANw6wiSoMHpwgZu_jydxr6w2SPez7Qvhyw/edit?usp=sharing
Course listings
Courses submitted by instructors and hosts. I verify each one against the provider's own public page before publishing. A listing is not an endorsement and not confirmation that an instructor is sheriff-verified — check any instructor against the state's verified-instructor list before paying for a course.
2A Colorado — SB25-003 firearms safety courses ↗
The 12-hour course is split across two training days, which do not have to be consecutive. Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit training is included with the 12-hour course and can be added to the 4-hour course for $50; the CHP live-fire qualification happens on a separate day at a partner range.
US Firearms Training Academy — SB25-003 firearms safety courses ↗
Operates as both US Firearms Training Academy and Concealed Carry Classes of Denver. Alicia Garcia is a Douglas County verified CHP instructor; Mark Schneider is a Denver verified CHP instructor.
Fieldcraft Defense — Select Semi-Automatic (SSA) Firearms Safety course (SB25-003) ↗
The provider lists the 4-hour course for purchasers who already hold a certified Colorado Parks and Wildlife hunter education certificate, and the 12-hour extended course for purchasers who do not. The 12-hour course is scheduled as two consecutive days of classroom instruction.
Teach the course, or host one at your range or shop? List it here, free — it takes a couple of minutes, and verified listings appear on this page and on the county pages the course serves. No ads, no ranking, no charge.
Full course and eligibility-card details are on CPW's own page: cpw.state.co.us/specified-semiautomatic-firearms. See /process for how this fits into the full purchase pipeline.