Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Large Capacity Magazines in Colorado.’ Hardware & Ammunition. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 23 November
Relevant contents
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]
Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines in Colorado
Colorado prohibits the sale, transfer and possession of a "large-capacity magazine."
"Large-capacity magazine" means:
- A fixed or detachable magazine, box, drum, feed strip, or similar device capable of accepting, or that is designed to be readily converted to accept, more than 15 rounds of ammunition;
- A fixed, tubular shotgun magazine that holds more than 28 inches of shotgun shells, including any extension device that is attached to the magazine and holds additional shotgun shells; or
- A nontubular, detachable magazine, box, drum, feed strip, or similar device that is capable of accepting more than eight shotgun shells when combined with a fixed magazine.
"Large-capacity magazine" does not include:
- A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than fifteen rounds of ammunition;
- An attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 rimfire ammunition; or
- A tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm.
A large-capacity magazine that is manufactured in Colorado after July 1, 2013, must include a permanent stamp or marking indicating that the large-capacity magazine was manufactured or assembled after July 1, 2013. The stamp or marking must be legibly and conspicuously engraved or cast upon the outer surface of the large-capacity magazine. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation may create rules for implementing this requirement, including additional identification information on each large-capacity magazine.
Exceptions - A person may possess a large-capacity magazine if they owned the large-capacity magazine on or prior to July 1, 2013, and maintain continuous possession of the magazine. When a person charged with illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine claims to fall under this exception, the burden of proof is on the prosecution to prove otherwise.
The large-capacity magazine ban does not apply to military or police agents that carry a firearm in the course of their official duties. The ban also does not apply to an entity or employee of an entity engaged in the manufacture of large-capacity magazines within Colorado solely for transfer to any licensed gun dealer that sells large-capacity magazines exclusively to the armed forces, government agencies, a retailer operating outside of the state of Colorado, or a foreign national government approved by the U.S. for such transfers…