CCW

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I'm thinking of moving to Englewood for work and I'm thinking of getting my CCW I've looked at the official info on it but I do not know If I missed it or not but do you have to be an American citizen to apply for a Colorado CCW permit. Thanks in Advance

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There isn't anything in the Colorado statues that require US Citizenship, though you have to (and probably do) meet the Federal requirements of being a legal resident alien. The Colorado Consitution, Section 13, was changed during ratification from "every citizen" to "every person" to include legal immigrants in the RKBA.

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Wow! Great question!
Getting a little close to the "Evil Empire" otherwise known as Denver! LOL
I checked both the Arapahoe County Sheriffs site, CBI's site, and my own counties site, and no where does it ask whether or not you are a US citizen. They only ask if you are a legal resident of Colorado and legal resident of the county in which the permit is being applied for.
Quick disclaimer: IANAL!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe that you would have to adhere to Federal Law on this. If you're legal to purchase and own a firearm, then you should be able to apply for a permit in Arapahoe Co, CO. If you're status is "Resident Alien", and you have a clean record, you should have no problem. Anyone out there know if there are more alien status' that are valid in the US for firearm ownership?
The only parts of the app that says anything about being a US citizen is the part where it asks if you've ever denounced your US Citizenship, and if your an alien ILLEGALLY in the US (dumb question IMHO).
Quick qualifier question: Have you ever bought a firearm in the US thru legal channels? (Form 4473 filled out and submitted, thru the NICS check, etc). If yes then you should be good to go.

Link to the criteria for Arapahoe County CCW:
http://www.co.arapahoe.co.us/departments/sh/concealed weapons/info pack 072408.doc

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Dom wrote:

There isn't anything in the Colorado statues that require US Citizenship, though you have to (and probably do) meet the Federal requirements of being a legal resident alien. The Colorado Consitution, Section 13, was changed during ratification from "every citizen" to "every person" to include legal immigrants in the RKBA.

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I think I do I've been here over 18 months and I'm waiting on my permanent residency to be OK'ed by the FBI

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Evil Ernie wrote:

Wow! Great question!
Getting a little close to the "Evil Empire" otherwise known as Denver! LOL
I checked both the Arapahoe County Sheriffs site, CBI's site, and my own counties site, and no where does it ask whether or not you are a US citizen. They only ask if you are a legal resident of Colorado and legal resident of the county in which the permit is being applied for.
Quick disclaimer: IANAL!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe that you would have to adhere to Federal Law on this. If you're legal to purchase and own a firearm, then you should be able to apply for a permit in Arapahoe Co, CO. If you're status is "Resident Alien", and you have a clean record, you should have no problem. Anyone out there know if there are more alien status' that are valid in the US for firearm ownership?
The only parts of the app that says anything about being a US citizen is the part where it asks if you've ever denounced your US Citizenship, and if your an alien ILLEGALLY in the US (dumb question IMHO).
Quick qualifier question: Have you ever bought a firearm in the US thru legal channels? (Form 4473 filled out and submitted, thru the NICS check, etc). If yes then you should be good to go.

Link to the criteria for Arapahoe County CCW:
http://www.co.arapahoe.co.us/departments/sh/concealed%20weapons/info%20pack%20072408.doc

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No not yet but I've spoken to a person in a gun shop here and he looked in the big book of rules and said that If I went and brought a hunting license for what ever was in season I would be OK

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I'm not a lawyer or anything, but my wife is not a citizen so I try to keep tabs on the laws:

The Federal law states you cannot purchase or posses a weapon if you have a non-immigrant Visa, i.e. you have to have a Green Card or an I-94 "A" number. There are exceptions for hunting trips and other things, but it would be iffy buying a pistol based on a hunting license, though I dont' think a long gun would be an issue with a hunting license.

If you don't have a Green Card, I would wait on a pistol purchase because you definitely wouldn't want a "NO" coming in on your background check, and then have to deal with that negative issue when you are legal.

If you're waiting for an FBI check to say OK you probably aren't eligible for a cc permit until you get that ok, and you definitley aren't without a Green Card. Once your permanent residiency is final it should be fine; you will have the same gun rights as a citizen. That's not to say you won't get asked more questions than a citizen though.

You may have to wait 90 days after you come to Colorado as well, since that's the Federal standard for establishing residency. Since it takes 90 days for Arapahoe County to approve the permit, you'll be waiting awhile...I think it took 86 days for me and I'm a citizen and lived in Arapahoe County for 10 years.

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<- First time posting, long time reader, only OC'd on rare occasions in rural areas.

This is slightly off-topic, but it still relates to your immigration status. If you do move to the Englewood area and begin to shop around the surrounding Denver areas for firearms, you'd best avoid 5280 Armory in Arvada. I worked for the owner for a short while, and ignoring my personal opinions or history with him, he stopped selling to anyone who isn't an American citizen after Virginia Tech. He WILL NOT accept Green Cards. If you eventually take the plunge and obtain full citizenship, then he'll do business with you.

Hope this word of wisdom saves you a car trip if you move to the area.

AC

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He's waaaaay too overpriced anyway. Good selection but at overly high premiums. Wanna decent handgun at a good price? Big R store in Elizabeth. Good selection and decent prices.

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I open carry, but I've also set up an appointment with the Sheriff for my CCW. I think is goodfor situations where open carry might not be considered appropriate. Please don't bash.

Plus, CCW priviledges might be taken away.

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Equinox wrote:

Please don't bash.

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No way! Probably 90% of us on this board have CCW permits. OC can be prohibited in specific areas in CO where CC is the only option and OC is prohibited in Denver. Plus, the CO permit is accepted in other states which prohibit OC, like TX.

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No bash at all!

One would be amazed at the times that a CCW will save yer butt. I've said it before: I just CARRY. Sometimes it open, sometimes it's concealed. Right now with the cold weather, it's concealed cuz pulling a heavy Carhardt coat behind a sidearm is stupid and uncomfortable. Summertime or warm buildings (such as my house) it's OC all the way unless I find myself in CC only areas, or heavy crowds.

Having the ability to do both OC and CC is a great thing!!! Hail Colorado!!! And until CC no longer requires a permit (not holding my breath for that one), we'll all have to play by the rules.

Thats just the way I roll..heh...

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Evil Ernie wrote:

One would be amazed at the times that a CCW will save yer butt.

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It's probably obvious that I'm new to the OC scene. In what ways, besides actually concealing your weapon, has this saved yer butt?

Do LEO often ask for a CCW permit even though one is open carrying? Since it's not illegal, because it's not prohibited, it seems like they would be calling into question Colorado's 2nd Amendment and crossinga civil rights violation boundary.

Or perhaps they just want to make sure you have credentials to be carrying a weapon...stop and identify, make sure you have no outstanding warrants, restraining orders, domestic violence charges, etc.

Seems to me, that having a CCW would make it easier to avoid LEO conflicts by simply concealing when need be. Out of sight, out of mind.

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By saving yer butt, I mean by having the so-called "legal" means to cover up when the moment arises. Example is today. Colder than an Iditarod sleddogs yambag, I'll be wearing a longcoat. I'm gonna need to cover up to stay warm and keep my shootin iron dry. Having the CCW will ensure that I'm "legal" to do so.
I didn't get my CCW because I felt the need to cover up, I got it because the current legal situation required it. Trust me, if we had Alaska/Vermont rules, then there would be no way in hell I'd get a CCW.
Now as far as having "credentials" in order to avoid unnecessary prosecution by LEO's, I guess it might help occasionally. It all depends on the LEO who's conducting the stop. We've seen many times where a CCW/LCTF/etc didn't mean squat to a LEO. But then my impromptu conversation with a local LEO was fine, we compared sidearms and my CCW was never even questioned or brought up.
Until things change in public perception and political climate (which they slowly seem to be), we'll need CCW's for CYA purposes.

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I agree...the Alaska/Vermont route is the way to go. Also, to stay legal in places like Denver, I'm applying for my CCW. The whole CCW 90 day waiting period is a drag though.

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Wow! Seriously? 90 freakin days?!?!? Douglas Co got my permit done in two weeks. El Paso would be even faster if they weren't so backlogged!
I rarely ever go near Denver, but one of the hobby shops I frequent is in Denver Co so having the CCW is necessary evil.

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Equinox wrote:

The whole CCW 90 day waiting period is a drag though.

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So they are estimating 90 days in Arapahoe County now? When I got mine herein 2004, they told me to expect 70 days but I got it in about 56 days.

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I got mine a year ago from the Arapahoe Sheriff and it was 86 days . I've been a homeowner & registered voter in the county for 10 years with no police record whatsoever!

edit: forgot I already posted how long it took me