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Monday, Mar. 24, 2025

Did Boulder County ban firearms on hiking trails? 

Por Jaijongkit, The Colorado Sun
yes

Firearms and projectile weapons including paintball guns and slingshots are prohibited in all parks and open space in unincorporated Boulder County. 

Open and concealed carry of firearms are also prohibited in other “sensitive” public areas including hospitals, county government buildings, child care centers and polling places. The ordinance says the presence of firearms in those locations poses unreasonable risks of gun violence. 

A person can generally be charged only if these locations post signs regarding the prohibition. A conviction is punishable by up to 364 days in jail. Boulder County also prohibits the sale of firearms to people younger than 21 and has a 10-day waiting period for gun sales.

The cities of Boulder and Louisville likewise prohibit open carry in public areas. 

In 2021, Senate Bill 256 allowed local governments to set their own regulations for gun possession and sales, so long as municipal rules are no less restrictive than state law.

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The Colorado Sun is a journalist-founded, award-winning and nonprofit news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, we believe we can contribute to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado. We are committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. We cover everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education. Our goal is to produce the best possible journalism. We do that with the help of you, our readers, and community backers. We launched on Sept. 10, 2018.

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