Starting August 1, 2026, Colorado requires an in-person, state-approved safety course before you can purchase a specified semiautomatic firearm. Train with a CPW-certified instructor in Brighton and leave eligible to buy for the next five years.
Senate Bill 25-003 takes effect August 1, 2026. From that day forward, purchasing a specified semiautomatic firearm in Colorado takes two things: a Firearms Safety Course Eligibility Card issued through your county sheriff, and a passing score in an approved, in-person safety course taught by a verified instructor. Lionheart teaches both approved course tracks.
Both tracks end the same way: a written exam, a hands-on practical, and five years of purchase eligibility when you pass. Which one you take depends on whether you hold CPW-certified hunter education.
Courts may still weigh in on SB 25-003. If the bill receives an injunction and is stayed from going into effect, all customers whose class has not yet taken place receive a refund. Enroll early and let the court calendar worry about itself.
For students who already hold a CPW-certified hunter education card.
The course for everyone else. Hunter education is not required to enroll.
A concealed carry permit does not satisfy the requirement, and hunter education alone determines only which course you take. No hunter education yet? A fully online out-of-state course starting at $25 can move you into the 4-Hour Basic. See how that works below. Unsure where you land? Send us a message or text 720-734-8900 and we will sort it out in two minutes.
Dates open on a rolling basis and seats are limited. Reserve below and checkout happens right here on the page.
The state runs this as a two-part system: an eligibility card from your county sheriff, then approved training. Here is the full path from first click to cleared purchase, including the details that trip people up.
CPW's Firearms Safety System went live July 20, 2026. Create your account online, submit your application, and include your hunter education information if you have it. Your application routes to your county sheriff's queue and waits there until your documents and fees come in.
Create your account and application on CPW's official page, which also hosts the state's FAQ:
Open CPW's Specified Semiautomatic Firearms pageProvide a government-issued photo ID and a name-based background check. TruDiligence, a PBSA-accredited Colorado firm, offers a check built specifically for the SB25-003 application — Anthony ordered his own through them and confirmed it works end to end. Fees run $52 to CPW plus a processing fee each sheriff sets independently. Procedures vary by county and some offices name their own background check provider, so check your county below. Some counties hold reviews until August 1.
Order the name-based background check online: TruDiligence SSF background check — $30, ~24 hr, verified by Anthony (a Lakewood company; we are not affiliated). Then find your county's application here:
Select your county to see your sheriff's office, their SSF application page if they have one, and exactly who to contact.
Your sheriff reviews the documentation, confirms you can lawfully possess a firearm, and issues your Firearms Safety Course Eligibility Card, valid for five years. Approval or denial arrives by auto-generated email, and the card records directly into the state system.
Watch for the auto-generated email with your decision. Approved cards record straight into the state system and stay valid for five years. If you are denied, your sheriff's office follows up directly.
Train in person with a CPW FSP-verified instructor here in Brighton. Hold hunter education? The 4-hour Basic course covers you. Everyone else takes the 12-hour Extended course across at least two days. Coursework covers safe handling of semiautomatic firearms and magazines, secure storage, child safety, mental health considerations, extreme risk protection orders, and victim awareness.
See upcoming class dates and reserve your seat
Hunter education from another state? Verify it with CPW first so it qualifies you for the 4-Hour Basic.
Score 90% or better on the final written exam and the hands-on practical. Pass both and your certification records into the Firearms Safety System, opening five years of purchase eligibility.
The written exam and hands-on practical both happen during your course session, and your instructor covers everything the exam tests. Questions before class? Message or text us.
When you make your purchase, the dealer verifies your eligibility directly in the state system and completes the transfer. Done once, you are set until your five years run out.
At purchase, the dealer confirms your eligibility inside the Firearms Safety System. Bring your ID and the system does the rest.
Details reflect CPW guidance as of July 2026, and procedures vary by county. Questions about your situation? Message us through the form below or text 720-734-8900 and we will point you the right way.
Lionheart Combatives is the firearms training division of Lionheart Jiu Jitsu, a martial arts academy at 284 N. Main St. in downtown Brighton. The academy teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and self-defense to adults, kids, and women's-only groups, with a coaching staff that is safety-certified, fully vetted, and held to one standard: a safe, supportive, high-level training space for everyone who walks in.
Anthony owns Lionheart Jiu Jitsu and teaches its BJJ and Combatives programs. For the SSF course he carries the credential the state requires, CPW FSP Certified Instructor, and he is verified in both Weld and Adams Counties. Behind that sit numerous other firearms and combatives certifications along with instructor development credentials, including NRA certification. His classroom runs the way the academy does: disciplined, welcoming, and built on skills that hold up when it counts.
No. A CCW or CHP does not satisfy SB 25-003. The in-person course is still required to purchase a specified semiautomatic firearm.
That is our Injunction Guarantee. If SB 25-003 receives an injunction and is stayed from going into effect, all customers whose class has not yet taken place receive a refund. Enroll with confidence either way.
Yes. Hunter education by itself does not make you eligible to purchase. It qualifies you for the shorter 4-hour Basic course instead of the 12-hour Extended.
Yes, once CPW verifies it. Colorado accepts hunter education cards issued by any U.S. state, Canadian province, or Mexican state, but the card must be verified with Colorado Parks and Wildlife first. Two practical routes: bring a legible copy of your card, front and back, to any CPW office, where staff call your original state to confirm, or have CPW run a phone verification with that state's wildlife agency for about a $5 fee. Once confirmed, CPW issues you a Colorado customer ID marked verified, and that record qualifies you for the 4-Hour Basic course. An out-of-state hunting license alone does not count, and temporary cards are honored only in the year they were issued. Full details are on CPW's Proof of Hunter Education page.
From the sheriff of the county you live in, through CPW's Firearm Safety System. Lionheart does not issue the card, and it is not tied to Adams County. Use the county lookup in the walkthrough above to find your sheriff's process.
TruDiligence, a PBSA-accredited background screening firm based in Lakewood, Colorado, offers a check built specifically for the SB25-003 eligibility card application. Anthony ordered his own background check through TruDiligence and confirmed the process works end to end. The check costs $30 plus a county court fee (typically $1–$96), is completed entirely online, and averages under 24 hours. When it's done you'll receive a secure link to your report by email — submit that to your county sheriff with your eligibility card application. Order at mytruseal.com or call (303) 692-8445. We are not affiliated with TruDiligence, and some counties may name their own provider, so check your sheriff's instructions before ordering.
Plan on three pieces: a $52 state fee to CPW, a county processing fee your sheriff sets (free in some counties, up to $150 in others), and the course itself at $147 for the 4-Hour Basic or $247 for the 12-Hour Extended.
CPW's Firearms Safety System opened July 20, 2026. Some sheriff's offices started taking applications right away, and others begin processing August 1. The county lookup above shows what your county has published.
Most counties are still standing up their process. Create your profile in CPW's Firearm Safety System, then contact your sheriff's office directly. The county lookup above lists each office's phone and email, and you can always message or text us for help.
Yes. The course can be taken from any verified instructor in Colorado, so students from every county train with us.
Your eligibility card from the sheriff is valid for five years, and passing the course gives you five years of purchase eligibility from the day you pass the written exam and practical at 90% or better.
No. SB 25-003 applies to purchases and transfers of specified semiautomatic firearms from August 1, 2026 forward. Firearms you already own are unaffected.
August 2026. Dates post to the schedule above as they open, and seats are limited, so reserve early.
Hunter education from any U.S. state counts in Colorado once CPW verifies it, and that verified record is what qualifies you for the 4-Hour Basic course at $147 instead of the 12-Hour Extended at $247. Six states will certify you as a non-resident with a fully online course. There is no field day, and you finish from home at your own pace.
Ages 18 and up. The certificate you print at home is the permanent card.
Start the Montana courseAges 16 and up. Print your permanent Firearms Card the moment you pass.
Start the Maine courseOpen to any age. Certificate prints immediately; price includes Idaho's $8 state fee.
Start the Idaho courseAges 17 and up. Proof prints now; the permanent card arrives from Texas Parks and Wildlife in about 10 days.
Start the Texas coursePick a state, finish the course at your own pace, and print your certificate. Montana, Maine, Idaho, Louisiana, and Nevada issue it the moment you pass; Texas sends the permanent card in about ten days.
Bring a legible copy, front and back, to any CPW office, where staff phone your issuing state to confirm, or have CPW run a phone verification with that state's wildlife agency for about a $5 fee. Verification typically wraps the same day your issuing state picks up the phone.
Once confirmed, CPW issues your Colorado customer ID marked verified. That record qualifies you for the 4-Hour Basic at $147, which saves you $100 and eight classroom hours compared to the Extended course.
These are the states' own programs and prices, current as of July 2026, and an out-of-state hunting license alone does not count. Temporary cards are honored only in the year they were issued. Full verification details live on CPW's Proof of Hunter Education page, and you can always message or text us with questions about your card.
The fastest way to reach us is the form or a text to 720-734-8900. Texts route straight to the right person and get answered quickly. Calls work too, though during training hours we may miss them.