Colorado Gun Laws: Ammunition Age Verification Updates
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an age verification law for firearm ammunition purchases that raises the purchase age from 18 to 21 in stores and online.
HB25-1133 includes steep penalties for noncompliant businesses, which are bound to create ancillary problems that lawmakers and the governor failed to foresee.
Additionally, the bill’s co-sponsors seemed to have overlooked troubling loopholes that could inflict lasting harm on protected persons in Colorado.
This article explores the issues lawmakers should consider addressing before HB25-1133 goes into effect in July 2026.
What HB25-1133 Does
HB25-1133 increases the legal age to purchase ammunition to 21, further restricting 18- to 20-year-olds’ right to bear arms. In addition to consequences for businesses that sell ammunition, the law will affect how online purchases are delivered.
Vendors
Under the new law, retailers in the firearms industry will be required to keep ammunition behind a purchasing counter or behind a viewing case. No matter how old you are or how knowledgeable you are when it comes to choosing ammunition, you will not be able to do so without an additional level of employee engagement.
“We think they can put the ammo behind the counter, they can put it in a storeroom, they can put it in a drawer, there’s not a lot of restrictions about how they do that, they just have to do that,” said Sen. Judy Amabile of Colorado’s 18th district on March 24 before the bill’s passage.
The idea is that making it harder to purchase ammunition will help prevent future gun violence. Given that Colorado has been home to some of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, proponents of HB25-1133 argue that introducing more friction into ammunition retail sales is a necessary preventative measure.
Deliverers
HB25-1133 also establishes new regulations for shipping and delivering online orders. Retailers will need to establish protocols for informing shipping carriers that a package contains ammunition while remaining compliant with federal packaging and transportation codes. 49 CFR 173.63(b)(1)(i)
Further, the law requires online ammunition orders to be received by someone 21 or older. To accept the package, the recipient must show the delivery person ID verification and sign a form of written acknowledgement. These measures are akin to alcohol sales and delivery in Colorado. C.R.S. 44-3-911
Violations
Retailers caught selling ammunition to customers under 21 face civil infraction upon first offense. A civil infraction typically results in paying a maximum fine of $100. C.R.S. 16-2.3-101
However, every infraction thereafter becomes a class 1 misdemeanor.
Treated as the most serious type of misdemeanor under Colorado’s criminal code, a class 1 misdemeanor may result in punishment by either or both:
A six to 18-month prison sentence
A $500 to $5,000 fine C.R.S. 18-1.3-501(1)(a)
Shipping or delivering ammunition without following the new procedure would also be treated as a class 1 misdemeanor.
Notable Exceptions
The law allows 18- to 20-year-olds to buy ammo in person if they are:
U.S. Military and Colorado National Guard members
Veterans
Hunters with certain certifications approved by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)
Shooting range visitors
Law enforcement
Individuals born on or before January 28, 2007 (this exception expires in 2028)
Individuals who have an active protection order against someone they perceive to be a threat to them or their property are exempt from the age restrictions if they can supply:
A copy of the protection order identifying them as a protected person
Proof that the protection order is still in effect
Protection Order Implications
Restraining the right person is key to a protection order’s effectiveness. Someone can seek to restrain another person under the following bases:
Assault
Emotional abuse (particularly to elderly or at-risk adults)
Sexual violence
Stalking
Harrassment
Domestic abuse
The individual petitioning for protection doesn’t need to demonstrate any of the following to temporarily obtain a protective order:
An incident report
Charges filed
Involvement in criminal prosecution C.R.S. 13-14-104.5
The court can apply protective orders against individuals as young as 10.
Furthermore, the court can grant someone a temporary protection order (TPO) before the respondent can contest the allegations. Once a TPO is granted, the restrained person can plead their case at an evidentiary hearing. However, it can take weeks, sometimes longer, for the judge to receive evidence disputing the TPO.
Under HB25-1133, an 18- to 20-year-old can buy ammunition using a TPO containing false or exaggerated claims.
Unintended Consequences for Victims of Domestic Violence
HB25-1133 might be sufficient, if not for the existing challenges for victims of domestic violence who struggle to advocate for themselves when the police are called to respond to an incident.
In many cases involving domestic violence, the victim is sometimes mistakenly identified as the perpetrator and arrested. This often happens when a victim experiences a fight response to a situation instigated by the perpetrator. It’s a manipulation tactic where the perpetrator pretends to be the true victim.
Colorado law stipulates that law enforcement needs to make an arrest at the scene if presented with probable cause that a crime involving domestic violence has occurred. The responding officer decides if the offender is issued a mandatory protection order (MPO) upon arrest. MPOs are legal orders automatically issued against any individual charged with a criminal violation. These orders begin at arraignment or the first court appearance until the outcome of the case is decided. C.R.S. 18-01-1001
If the victim is falsely accused and the perpetrator is granted an MPO, the protected person exception in HB25-1133 would make it easier for an abuser between 18 and 21 to purchase ammunition.
In cases where the abuser is misidentified, the law makes it easier for them to purchase ammunition.
No Return Requirement When Protection Order Falls Off
HB25-1133 also doesn’t provide a mechanism for the protected person to return the ammunition in cases where defendants are found to have been the victim, not the abuser. Without a mechanism requiring the protected person to return the ammunition once the MPO falls off, the true victim faces more safety risks than they did previously.
This is particularly concerning in situations where a victim who finally calls the police to report the abuse and the actual abuser is arrested and charged. While a person under a protection order in Colorado cannot lawfully purchase a firearm, under HB25-1133’s protected person exception, an 18, 19, or 20-year-old would be able to purchase ammunition. C.R.S. 13-14-105.5
These situations are incredibly dangerous, given how common it is for a victim to change his or her mind and go back to their abuser. Without a return requirement for ammunition for circumstances such as this, the abuser could gain unauthorized access.
Legal and Logistical Challenges Anticipated
In my professional opinion, Colorado lawmakers enacted an age verification law for ammunition sales without considering practical implementation.
Unfortunately, disregarding logistical constraints has become commonplace in the legislative process. Legislators pass the initial law, implement it, and then discover what didn’t work, necessitating amendments. Tackling issues incrementally instead of with comprehensive solutions can result in lawmakers learning the unintended consequences for businesses and the state in real time.
Take the state’s automatic conviction sealing law, for example. Legislators have amended it every year since its enactment in 2021 to rectify issues that proved consequential for the public. C.R.S. 13-3-117
HB25-113 mandates complex operational procedures, likely resulting in administrative issues as businesses seek to implement the rules, which could result in additional penalties for noncompliant vendors.
Either way, I anticipate future amendments to this law to ensure HB25-1133 does not do more harm than good.
R&H Can Help You Navigate Ammo Age Verification
HB25-1133 goes into effect on July 1, 2026, giving individuals and the firearms industry just a short while to prepare. Our criminal defense attorneys can clarify what steps you need to take to protect your business from liability and advocate for 18- to 20-year-olds who may be vulnerable to the exemptions this law enables. Call 303-688-0944 to begin your case assessment.
