There is no legal definition of open carry in Colorado. State law does not specifically address the open carry of firearms; therefore, it does not prohibit the practice. However, several municipalities have banned open carry in some form or other--either citywide or in specific designated areas. This practice was upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals in 2002 in the case of Trinen v. Denver, and the State Supreme Court refused to review the COA's ruling. SB25, which went into effect nearly a year ago, requires that cities post any place where open carry of firearms is prohibited. Cities with limited (bans confined to limited areas such as specific buildings or areas) bans appear to be in compliance with the law; cities with unlimited (city-wide) bans have not posted to the satisfaction of the state statute. As such, it is the position of CSSA that such unlimited bans, unless posted at all entry ways to the city, are unenforceable. If you want to know the law for your city, or a city you are visiting, go to the city's website and look up the city's laws on the subject in the municipal code. Hope this answers your question. -Tony Fabian President, CSSA
