Overview

• On June 5, 2025, Judge Philip A. Brimmer upheld Colorado’s 2023 statute raising the minimum firearm purchase age to 21 after finding it constitutional.
• The law went into effect in November 2023 when the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a temporary injunction.
• The statute includes carve-outs allowing active-duty military members and peace officers to buy guns at 18 while serving.
• The decision diverges from a 5th U.S. Circuit ruling that struck down a federal age-21 ban on handgun sales to 18-to-20-year-olds.
• Advocates say the age increase aligns with federal handgun restrictions and will help curb youth suicides, accidental shootings and gun violence.