Colorado’s SB25-003 says you need two things before you can buy a specified semiautomatic firearm (SSF): a Firearms Safety Course Eligibility Card from your county sheriff, and a passing grade in the Colorado SSF safety course, the Firearms Safety Program (FSP) course required under SB25-003. We’re bringing that course to Steamboat, taught by our own staff, so you don’t have to drive to the Front Range for it.
There’s no class date yet. Our instructors are finishing the state’s certification steps first. The interest list hears about the first date before anyone else.
Which course you need
The state sets two versions. Which one you take depends on whether you hold a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) hunter-education credential.
- Basic, 4 hours. For students whose CPW hunter-education credential is verified in CPW’s system.
- Extended, 12 hours over at least two days. For everyone else.
Both are taught in person with the instructor in the room, and both are passed at 90%. Hunter education doesn’t excuse you from the course; it shortens it. If you’re a hunter, getting your hunter-ed credential verified with CPW first can save you eight hours.
Get your eligibility card first
You need the card before class. The instructor checks it, and a student without one can’t be passed. Getting it takes three steps:
- Start your application in the state’s Firearms Safety System at coloradofss.com.
- Get a name-based background check from an approved vendor.
- Take your ID and the background check to your county sheriff. The state record fee is $52; Routt County adds no county fee.
What the class covers
The curriculum and the exam are the state’s, not ours. The state’s required topics include:
- Safe handling of semi-automatic firearms and magazines
- Child safety and safe storage
- Firearm deaths associated with mental illness
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Victim awareness and empathy
It’s a classroom course with hands-on handling. There’s no live fire, and no live ammunition in the room.
Who teaches it
Our own staff. Jae Seifert, David Good and Marria Quinn are NRA Certified Pistol Instructors, and their applications to be verified instructors with the Routt County Sheriff are in. CPW’s Train-the-Trainer comes next. Meet the instructors.
After class
Your instructor enters your result in the state’s Firearms Safety System within 3 business days. Once your record shows the passed course and your eligibility card, come see us about the firearm.
Cost and what’s included
The price is set when the first date is. Every student gets:
- Lunch both days on the 12-hour Extended course
- A printed reference packet
- A completion credit when you pass: $100 toward a specified semiautomatic firearm at Elk River Guns for the Extended course, $50 for the Basic. Good for 6 months.
The Injunction Guarantee
SB25-003 is being challenged in court. If a court blocks it before your class runs, we refund your tuition in full. Nobody should be stuck having paid for a class they no longer need.
The rest of our refund policy is in the training FAQ.
Dates
Get on the interest list
No date is open yet. Add your name and we’ll send you a plain-English walkthrough of getting your eligibility card, and you’ll hear about the first local class before anyone else.
More questions? See the training FAQ, or call the shop at (970) 879-7565.
Nothing on this page is legal advice. For the law itself, see Colorado Parks and Wildlife and your county Sheriff’s Office.
