Colorado legal term
Handgun in Colorado Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Colorado legislative session
In Colorado criminal law, “Handgun” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Colorado criminal code.
What does “Handgun” mean in Colorado criminal law?
"Handgun" means a pistol, revolver, or other firearm of any description, loaded or unloaded, from which any shot, bullet, or other missile can be discharged, the length of the barrel of which, not including any revolving, detachable, or magazine breech, does not exceed twelve inches. (C.R.S. § 18-12-101)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
- Enforcement of large-capacity magazine ban by regulating the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, and purchase of specified semiautomatic firearms
- Possession of handguns by juveniles
- Unlawfully carrying a weapon
- Secure firearm storage in a vehicle
- Unlawful carrying of a firearm in government buildings
- Unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon
- Unlawfully providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a handgun
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.