Montezuma County sheriff will not issue eligibility cards under new Colorado gun law

Coloradans who live in Montezuma County and want to buy certain types of guns will not be able to get a newly required eligibility card from their local sheriff, the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

Instead, they will need to travel to another county and likely pay an out-of-county resident fee to get that card.

Sheriff Steven Nowlin, a Republican, cited financial and staffing capacity concerns for the decision, as well as a constitutional consideration.

“As a Colorado Sheriff, and every member of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, each of us have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Colorado, and perform the duties of the Office of Sheriff in Colorado by protecting those rights for all citizens in Montezuma County,” he said in a statement.

A new law, Senate Bill 25-3, went into effect Aug. 1 that requires a permit to purchase many semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines. A person now needs to pay for a background check and get an eligibility card from a sheriff, take a safety course and pass a written exam to have the ability to buy certain guns for five years. The law covers some of the most popular types of semiautomatic firearms, such as AR- and AK-style rifles and pistols.

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Nowlin pointed out that the new law does not provide funding to manage and facilitate the new expectations in the law, and the sheriff’s office cannot afford to hire additional staff. Additionally, the office takes issue with tying hunter education requirements to firearm purchases, which has never before occurred in federal or state law, according to the sheriff’s office.

Buyers who have already completed hunter education training will be able to take an abbreviated four-hour safety course under the new law. Everyone else will need to take a 12-hour course.

Montezuma County’s decision does not create a carve-out for the new law. People who live in the county will still need to get an eligibility card and take a course to buy restricted firearms, and gun stores will be still need to ensure a person has completed the requirements before selling them. It means a Montezuma County resident who wants to become eligible to buy one of the guns will need to travel and pay more.

La Plata County, directly to the east of Montezuma County in the southwest corner of the state, will be issuing eligibility cards. The sheriff’s office is charging out-of-county residents $150 and in-county residents $63, which includes the mandatory $52 fee set by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced a sharp increase in firearm background checks in the month leading up to the new legal requirements.