If a felony conviction (or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction) cost you your firearm rights, Colorado offers only two realistic paths back: a governor's pardon, or one of two narrow court-petition carve-outs (juvenile adjudications, and a 2025 addition for certain vehicle-theft convictions). Colorado does not automatically restore firearm rights after a set number of years, and has no general court petition adult felons can file. Just as important, even a full Colorado pardon only helps if it actually restores firearm rights and your underlying conviction wasn't federal or from another state. Read the next section before assuming anything.
Caution: Colorado law and federal law are two separate locks on the same door. Fixing the state lock does not open the federal one. Confirm your federal status with a lawyer before you buy, possess, or touch a firearm — a mistake here is a federal felony, not a technicality.
Who loses firearm rights in Colorado
Federal law: Any felony conviction (state or federal, anywhere) triggers the federal ban under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence triggers a separate federal ban under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), the Lautenberg Amendment. Both are permanent unless something specific lifts them.
Colorado law: C.R.S. § 18-12-108, "possession of a weapon by a previous offender," makes it a separate state felony for anyone with a prior felony conviction (Colorado, another state, or federal) to knowingly possess a firearm. Colorado also restricts firearm possession after a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction — including under § 18-12-108, which reaches a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined by federal law — and exactly how long a given state restriction lasts can turn on the specific order and statute involved. The federal Lautenberg bar, by contrast, applies on its own track and does not lapse just because a state deadline passes. Never assume that satisfying a Colorado requirement has cleared the federal bar; that gap is the two-locks problem below.
Colorado's felony firearm ban tracks the federal one closely and doesn't reach extra categories of misdemeanors beyond what federal law already covers. But because Colorado gives adult felons no automatic path back, its practical bar is often more durable than the federal one.
The two locks: why fixing Colorado law isn't the whole job
This is the single most important thing to understand here. Restoring rights under Colorado law does not automatically lift the federal disability. Federal law only stops treating a conviction as disqualifying if the relief meets the test in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20): it must be an expungement, set-aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights, and it must not expressly preserve a firearms restriction. If the underlying state law still bars you from firearms, federal law still treats you as disqualified.
That matters in Colorado specifically. Colorado automatically restores some civil rights — voting, for instance — once incarceration ends, with no application needed. But that automatic restoration does not touch firearm rights, and § 18-12-108 keeps applying on its own track. Because the firearms restriction is expressly preserved, that automatic civil-rights restoration does not satisfy § 921(a)(20) and does not lift the federal bar. You can have had your Colorado civil rights restored years ago and still be, today, a federal "prohibited person" for whom possessing a gun is a federal felony.
The other direction is even less forgiving. If your disqualifying conviction was federal, Colorado cannot fix it. The Supreme Court held in Beecham v. United States (1994) that a federal conviction's firearm disability must be removed through a federally recognized mechanism — a state restoration doesn't count. The federal administrative path built for this, under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c), has been unfunded by Congress for decades and does not currently function for ordinary applicants. If your conviction is federal, a federal pardon is realistically the only door, and Colorado's process is irrelevant to you. The same limit applies to a conviction from another state: Colorado's governor can pardon only Colorado convictions, so an out-of-state felony that bars you under § 18-12-108 has to be addressed through the convicting state's process (or the federal process), not Colorado's — even though that conviction still counts against you here.
How Colorado actually restores firearm rights
Confirm current mechanisms with the Governor's Office or a Colorado defense lawyer before relying on any of this — clemency practice and statutes change.
Governor's pardon (the primary route)
For an adult Colorado felony conviction, restoration happens almost entirely through a gubernatorial pardon. A pardon under C.R.S. § 16-17-103 is meant to waive the collateral consequences of a conviction, and one that restores firearm rights is generally understood to satisfy federal § 921(a)(20) too — but only if the pardon document actually addresses firearms. Don't assume a generic pardon restores them; get that language in writing.
Narrow court-petition carve-outs
Juveniles adjudicated for certain offenses may petition the sentencing court to restore firearm eligibility, without waiting out the standard disqualification period.
People convicted of certain motor vehicle theft offenses gained a new court-petition option under a 2025 law, available roughly a decade after completing the sentence.
Outside these carve-outs, Colorado has no general court petition for adult felons to restore firearm rights.
Expungement and sealing do not restore firearm rights
Colorado has expanded record sealing and expungement, and these limit who can see your record — but they don't remove the § 18-12-108 restriction by themselves and don't automatically satisfy the federal test. A sealed record is not the same as restored firearm rights.
Waiting period and eligibility
Colorado sets no statutory waiting period before an adult felon may apply for a pardon. In practice, the Governor's Office and the Executive Clemency Advisory Board generally do not accept pardon applications until roughly a decade after a sentence is completed, and they look for a substantial track record over that time — but this is stated clemency practice and evolving guidance, not a fixed statutory number. Confirm current expectations with the Governor's Office before planning around any specific timeframe. Note too that only Colorado convictions can be pardoned by Colorado's governor — federal and out-of-state convictions are not eligible for a Colorado pardon at all.
The pardon process: where to file, what happens, how long it takes
Executive clemency, including pardons, is handled by the Governor's Office of Executive Clemency, administered with support from the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Where to file: An Executive Clemency Application goes to the Office of Executive Clemency in the Governor's Office, with documentation of the conviction, sentence completion, and conduct since.
Review: The Executive Clemency Advisory Board, unpaid members appointed by the governor, reviews the file and can seek input from the sentencing judge and the prosecuting district attorney's office; a public comment period is typically part of the process.
Decision: The Board recommends; the governor alone decides. There is no right to a pardon and no guaranteed outcome.
Cost: Generally no state fee to apply, though you may pay for records or legal help preparing the application.
Timeline: Commonly well over a year, with multi-year timelines not unusual; treat any specific figure you're quoted as an estimate.
Confirm the current application form, address, fees, and timeline with the Colorado Department of Corrections clemency resources page or the Governor's Office before applying.
Permanent and serious exclusions
As a matter of Colorado's clemency and firearms-statute structure, restoration is effectively unavailable for:
The most serious felony classes (Colorado's class 1, 2, and 3 felonies), with only narrow, specific historical exceptions.
Violent felonies and sexual offenses — including homicide, sexual assault and related sex offenses, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery — treated as categorically excluded.
Don't treat this as a complete list. Whether your conviction is excluded depends on exactly how it was charged and classified, and the list can change. Confirm your conviction's status with a Colorado criminal defense lawyer or the Governor's Office.
Steps to restore your gun rights in Colorado
Get your full record. Pull your Colorado criminal history and judgment of conviction so you know exactly what you were convicted of, in which court, and as a felony or misdemeanor.
Determine whether the conviction is a Colorado, out-of-state, or federal conviction. Colorado's pardon reaches only Colorado convictions — a federal conviction (under Beecham) or an out-of-state conviction has to be addressed through that jurisdiction's own process, even though it still bars you in Colorado. Talk to a lawyer about those options.
Check whether your offense falls in an excluded category. Serious violent felonies, sex offenses, and the highest felony classes are generally not restorable here.
Talk to a Colorado criminal defense or clemency-experienced lawyer before filing anything. Confirm current mechanisms and whether the narrow court-petition carve-outs apply to you.
If a pardon is your path, complete the current Executive Clemency Application from the Governor's Office / Colorado Department of Corrections clemency resources, with proof of sentence completion, rehabilitation evidence, and character references.
Make sure any pardon you receive expressly addresses firearm rights. If it's silent on firearms, ask the Governor's Office to clarify — never assume a general pardon covers them.
Before you buy or possess a firearm, get written confirmation from a lawyer that both the Colorado bar and the federal bar are lifted, checked against the actual language of your restoration document and 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20).
Practical safeguards
Get any restoration in writing, and keep the document. A pardon certificate or clemency letter clearly stating your firearm rights are restored is what you'll need if your status is ever questioned, including during a background check.
Confirm the federal effect before you possess or buy a firearm — never assume. Even a properly granted Colorado restoration can fail to satisfy federal law if the paperwork doesn't address firearms, or if the underlying conviction was federal or from another state. A background check denial, or an actual possession charge, is not the place to discover a gap.
Never guess. Possessing a firearm while still barred under Colorado or federal law is a serious felony, prosecuted seriously on both sides. If you're not sure, don't possess a firearm until a lawyer has confirmed in writing that you're clear on both counts.
This article is general legal information about Colorado and federal firearms law, not legal advice for your situation — confirm current details with a Colorado firearms or criminal defense lawyer before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Colorado pardon automatically restore my federal gun rights too?
Not automatically. It can, but only if the pardon document expressly restores firearm rights and doesn't preserve any firearms restriction, satisfying the test in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20). Get written confirmation from a lawyer before you rely on this.
Can I get my Colorado gun rights back without a pardon?
For adult felony convictions, generally no — Colorado's main mechanism is a governor's pardon. Narrow court-petition options exist for certain juvenile adjudications and, since a 2025 law, for certain motor vehicle theft convictions, but there is no general court petition for adult felons.
If my Colorado record is sealed or expunged, are my firearm rights restored?
No. Sealing or expunging a record limits public access to it but does not remove Colorado's firearm-possession restriction under C.R.S. § 18-12-108, and it does not automatically satisfy the federal restoration test either.
What if my disqualifying conviction was a federal or out-of-state conviction, not a Colorado one?
Colorado cannot restore your rights in that situation. Colorado's governor can pardon only Colorado convictions, so an out-of-state felony has to go through the state where you were convicted. And under Beecham v. United States, a federal conviction's firearm disability must be lifted through a federally recognized mechanism — the main federal administrative path (18 U.S.C. § 925(c)) has been unfunded for decades, so a federal pardon is generally the only route. Either way, the conviction still bars you in Colorado in the meantime.
How long does the Colorado pardon process take?
There's no fixed timeline, and it commonly runs well over a year, with multi-year cases common. As a matter of clemency practice, applications generally aren't accepted until roughly a decade after a sentence is completed. Confirm current timelines and application requirements with the Colorado Department of Corrections clemency resources or the Governor's Office.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and may not reflect the most current law or the law in your jurisdiction. Laws vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
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