Private Gun Sale Laws in Colorado
Colorado requires every private firearm transfer — even between two private citizens who already know each other — to go through a criminal background check run by a licensed FFL dealer. You can't legally skip this step, even for a sale to a friend or family member outside your household. Acme Pawn handles private-sale transfers at all 4 Colorado Springs locations — $75 total: $15 CBI background check, $10 transfer fee and a $50 secure hold.
What Counts as a Private Gun Sale?
A private gun sale (also called a person-to-person or private-party transfer) is any sale or transfer of a firearm between two individuals where the seller is not a licensed gun dealer. If you're selling your handgun to a coworker, buying a rifle from a stranger on Armslist or a local classified ad, doing a deal arranged on a forum or at a gun show with a private table, or passing a firearm to a friend outside your immediate household — that's a private sale, and Colorado law treats all of them the same way.
What it is not: buying from a gun store or pawn shop (that's a retail sale — the dealer runs your check as part of the purchase), or certain transfers within your immediate family, which have their own gifting rules covered in our Colorado gun law guide.
Why You Can't Just Hand Off a Gun Privately
Colorado's universal background check law (in place since 2013, reinforced by subsequent legislation) makes it illegal to transfer a firearm to another private individual without a CBI background check, with narrow exceptions for immediate family gifts and a few other specific situations. There's no general "private sale" loophole in Colorado — the law treats a sale between neighbors the same as a sale at a gun store, minus the dealer's own inventory.
How to Sell a Gun Privately in Colorado Springs — Step by Step
- Both buyer and seller come into any Acme Pawn location with the firearm and valid ID.
- The buyer, who must be 21 or older for any firearm under Colorado law, completes ATF Form 4473, same as a retail purchase.
- Acme staff run the check through the CBI Instacheck system.
- If approved, the transfer is logged and the buyer can take the firearm — subject to Colorado's standard three-day waiting period (see our full Colorado gun law guide).
Itemized on your receipt at any Acme Pawn Colorado Springs location: a $15 CBI background check (paid to the state), a $10 private-transfer fee (the Colorado maximum under C.R.S. 18-12-112) and $50 for secure vault storage and custody during the mandatory three-day (72-hour) hold. If the buyer is denied, the seller must pass their own background check to get the gun back: $10 transfer fee + $15 CBI.
Buying from a dealer instead? A standard FFL transfer is $45 + $15 background check. Details on how the check itself works are on our CBI background check guide.
What Happens If You Skip the Background Check?
Both parties — buyer and seller — can face criminal charges for transferring a firearm without the required background check, and a seller risks losing their own gun rights in the process. There's no version of "I knew the guy, I didn't think I needed to" that protects you legally. The transfer fee is the cost of staying on the right side of the law.
Do the Rules Differ in Colorado Springs or El Paso County?
The private-sale background check requirement is state law (C.R.S. 18-12-112) — it applies identically in Colorado Springs, unincorporated El Paso County, Monument, Fountain, and everywhere else in Colorado. There is no separate city or county permit for a private firearm sale, and no local exemption from the state requirement.
One thing worth knowing: since 2021 (SB21-256), Colorado cities and counties are allowed to adopt firearm rules stricter than state law — never looser. So the state rules on this page are the floor everywhere in El Paso County; check the current Colorado Springs municipal code or county ordinances if you want to confirm nothing stricter applies to your situation, or just ask us at the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a background check to sell my gun to a friend in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado requires a CBI background check through a licensed FFL dealer for nearly all private firearm transfers, including sales to friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
Can I sell a gun I listed on Armslist or an online classified to a private buyer?
Yes — but the handoff still has to go through an FFL dealer for the background check. Meeting a buyer from an online listing and exchanging cash for the firearm directly is illegal in Colorado.
Are the rules different in Colorado Springs or El Paso County?
No — the background check requirement is state law and applies everywhere in Colorado. Local governments can add stricter rules (never looser), so the state rules are the minimum in all of El Paso County.
How much does a private sale transfer cost at Acme Pawn?
$75 total: a $15 CBI background check, a $10 private-transfer fee (the Colorado maximum) and a $50 secure storage and custody fee for the mandatory three-day (72-hour) hold. Final cost can vary; both buyer and seller must be present with valid ID.
Is there an exception for family?
Yes, for immediate family within the same household — see our Know the Law guide for the gifting rules.
Does the 3-day waiting period apply to private sales too?
Yes — the same statewide waiting period that applies to retail purchases applies to private-sale transfers processed through an FFL dealer.
Skip the Hassle — Shop Our Guns Online
Rather buy from a licensed dealer and keep it simple? Every Acme Pawn location lists its firearm inventory online — new and used handguns, rifles, and shotguns at pawn shop prices. Buy from us and the background check is built into the purchase.
Buying or Selling Privately in Colorado Springs?
Bring both parties and the firearm to any Acme Pawn location — we'll run the check and walk you through the paperwork. $75 total, itemized: $15 CBI check, $10 transfer fee and $50 secure hold. No surprises.