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Colorado Suppressor Laws

Suppressors are legal in Colorado. Hunting with suppressors is permitted.

Reviewed by Diego Lopez, Head of Enforcement · Last reviewed August 21, 2026

Legal
Ownership Status
Allowed
Hunting Status
Federal
Requirements
$0
Tax (2026)

August 5 NFA Ruling

Updated August 21, 2026

A federal court ruled that the government cannot enforce certain NFA registration requirements against the parties covered by that case. It is not a repeal of the NFA, it is not nationwide, and it does not change state law.

Colorado: the state statute does not give a clean answer. Possession is a felony and the statute never mentions federal law at all. The only route out in the text is a “valid permit and license,” and Colorado issues no suppressor permit. That has always meant the federal approval.

Read how this may affect you →

Ownership Requirements

To own a suppressor in Colorado, you must meet federal requirements:

  • Be 21 years or older to purchase from a dealer (a trustee on a trust can be 18 or older)
  • Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
  • Be legally allowed to possess firearms
  • Complete ATF Form 4 with fingerprints and photograph
  • Pass FBI background check

Colorado does not issue a state suppressor permit. Its statute offers no route to lawful possession other than a valid permit and license, which in practice has always meant the approved federal paperwork.

Hunting Regulations

Hunting with a suppressor is legal in Colorado. No Colorado statute and no state wildlife agency regulation restricts suppressor use while hunting.

Read that precisely. This is legality by the absence of a prohibition, not an express permission. Some states say in so many words that you may hunt with a suppressor. Colorado does not say anything at all. That is the ordinary situation and it is not cause for alarm, but it does mean an agency could add a rule without the legislature acting, so the current regulations guide is the thing to check, not this page.

Verify this yourself before you hunt

Hunting rules change by agency action as well as by legislature, and they can change between seasons. This reflects our reading of the sources cited above as of August 21, 2026. Before you take a suppressor into the field, read the current regulations guide from your state wildlife agency and confirm anything you are unsure about with them directly. Do not rely on this page, on a forum post, or on a dealer. The person holding the firearm is the person the warden talks to. This is general information, not legal advice.

State-Specific Notes

Colorado allows suppressor ownership under federal guidelines. Suppressors are commonly used for hunting and sport shooting throughout the state.

How to Buy in Colorado

The process for buying a suppressor in Colorado is straightforward:

  1. Choose a suppressor from Capitol Armory
  2. Submit fingerprints and photograph online
  3. Review and sign. Capitol Armory completes the paperwork, you sign digitally.
  4. Wait for ATF approval (currently days to weeks for eForm)
  5. After approval, we ship direct to your residence

Capitol Armory ships to Colorado and offers direct-to-door delivery in all 42 suppressor-friendly states. See our complete buying guide for detailed steps.

What State Law Actually Says

Colorado is the odd one. C.R.S. § 18-12-102(1) defines a firearm silencer as a “dangerous weapon,” and subsection (3) makes knowing possession a class 5 felony.

What the statute never does is mention federal law. There is no reference to the National Firearms Act, to 26 U.S.C., or to federal registration anywhere in the section. The only route out in the text is the affirmative defense at subsection (5), available to a peace officer or service member acting in the lawful discharge of duty, or to a person who “has a valid permit and license for possession of such weapon.”

Colorado issues no state suppressor permit. That phrase has always been understood to mean the federal approval, but that reading is settled in practice rather than in the text.

Local Rules and Preemption

Colorado is the one state here where preemption ran the other way. SB 21-256, effective June 19, 2021, rewrote C.R.S. § 29-11.7-103 and retitled it “Local regulations governing firearms permitted.” A local government may now enact rules more restrictive than state law, never less.

What survives: § 29-11.7-102 still bars any local government from maintaining a list or database of firearm purchasers or serial numbers. Colo. Const. art. II, § 13 secures the right to keep and bear arms in defense of home, person and property.

Worth Knowing

Practical consequence: your city or county can regulate suppressors in Colorado in a way it could not before June 2021, and this is the only state on this site where that is true.

Check our work

Every statute quoted above is linked to the official state source. Read it yourself before you rely on it.

Key Takeaway

Suppressors are legal in Colorado, but the statute's only route to lawful possession has always been the approved federal paperwork. Hunting with suppressors is permitted for all legal game.