New laws set to take effect in Colorado and Iowa on Tuesday show the growing divide between Democrat-controlled legislatures and ones dominated by Republicans when it comes to our right to keep and bear arms.
Colorado Democrats passed House Bill 24-1174 last year, making substantial changes to the state's concealed carry system. Starting tomorrow, all applicants will have to take a handgun training class conducted by an instructor "verified" by the county sheriff where the training takes place. That's going to greatly limit the number of instructors available. In Denver, for example, there are just fifteen verified instructors from seven different companies who are eligible to teach the course to serve a population of more than 700,000 residents.
The classes must all be attended in person, and applicants must pass both a written and live-fire test before submitting thier application to their local licensing authority. The new law also requires existing concealed carry licensees to take a two-hour "refresher" class that also includes a live-fire test when they apply to renew their license.
Ahead of the new law taking effect, at least one sheriff in the state has reported being deluged with applications under the current system.
"We thought we'd get here right at opening time, at nine o'clock," said Riley Andrews, a Castle Rock resident seeking a concealed carry permit.
"Coming at lunchtime is not a good idea," said Jason Kennedy, division chief for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Kennedy says the permitting office is as busy as ever, with some having to wait two or more hours.
"We're doing, you know, all-time highs," Kennedy said. "Over the last year, we saw about a 330% increase in new permits and then renewals, at 663%."
They've already issued more concealed carry permits so far in 2025 than they did in all of 2024.
"It's been absolutely a madhouse down here, but we're here to support the community get their permits," Kennedy said.
And this week, it's coming to a head as a change in requirements to get those permits nears.
"On Tuesday, we had an all-time high of 95 new permits. And I think it was like 53 renewals in one day," Kennedy said. "We have one fingerprint machine and one camera, and so we can only process that fast."
While Colorado is making it more time consuming and more expensive to exercise a fundamental civil right, a new law in Iowa will help ensure that young adults have the ability to bear arms without risking criminal charges.
Due to federal laws, gun buyers in Iowa and elsewhere will still have to wait until they’re 21 to buy guns from licensed dealers.
But 18 to 20 year olds can now own and carry a gun, and buy guns through private sales, such as selling to a relative or even an unlicensed dealer.
[Gun store owner Kemlin] Hart said the change is a win for the second amendment, even though it might make his job harder.
“How do we handle if a father comes in and buys his son and daughter, or mother for that matter comes in and buys a son or daughter a firearm is that a straw purchase? That’s something we have to be out on the lookout for all the time,” Hart said.
No, that's not a straw purchase, at least the way I read the law. There are two federal statutes related to straw purchases. The primary one is 18 U.S. Code § 932, which declares "It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly purchase, or conspire to purchase, any firearm in or otherwise affecting interstate or foreign commerce for, on behalf of, or at the request or demand of any other person, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such other person... meets the criteria of 1 or more paragraphs of section 922(d).
Section 922(d) lays out who is prohibited under federal law from purchasing and possessing a firearm, and adults younger than 21 aren't on the list.
So, a firearm purchased by mom or dad as a gift to their adult son or daughter isn't a straw purchase, even if they adult child is with them in the store. Mom or dad is still the actual buyer, and the gun in question is a bonafide gift. There's also no federal law prohibiting the private sale of a pistol to an adult 18 or older, though FFL's are prohibited from selling handguns to under-21s.
There are multiple lawsuits challenging the federal restriction on commercial handgun sales to those 21 and older, and Colorado's state level ban on gun sales to adults younger than 21 is already the subject of a federal lawsuit. We're almost certainly going to see more filed over Colorado's new concealed carry regime once the new requirements kick in on Tuesday, and sadly, I'm sure the Democrats in Denver are going to give us more reasons to sue when they 2026 legislative session gets underway.
