Not relinquishing your firearms is a violation of the protection order that you were given. For a civil protection order, this is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in the county jail. For a protection order related to a domestic violence case, it is a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 18 months in county jail, and the DA can file a new case against you.
If you are convicted of either of these offenses, you WILL lose your right to own firearms PERMANENTLY, and the police can confiscate and destroy your guns!
The law gives you three options to legally relinquish your firearms and ammunition:
1. Relinquish your guns to a friend.
You have to take the firearms to a licensed gun dealer; they must run a background check on your friend, they have to pay a $10.50 fee to the state for the background check, the gun dealer will charge you a fee for the background check, your friend has to give you a receipt for the guns that he now owns, and you have three days to turn in the signed receipt and copies of the background checks to the proper office in the courthouse before the Judge is required to issue a warrant for your arrest.
2. Relinquish your guns to the police.
Your local police department and sheriff’s office have the option of accepting your firearms and ammunition, but by law are not required to take them. Each department is allowed to set their own fees and procedures for taking your guns, there’s no guarantee on how well they will be cared for, and prices can vary wildly between different agencies. When it’s time to get your firearms back, it will be done at their convenience, not yours. Finally, if you are convicted and lose your right to own firearms, law enforcement can decide how they will dispose of them, and there’s no guarantee that you will get any money back for your weapons and ammunition.
3. Turn your guns and ammunition over to Cooks’ Gun Storage
At Cook’s Gun Storage, we provide the following services:
• Arrange with you to pick up your guns and ammunition at your house, so you are not in danger of violating any court orders to vacate your home;
• Take the utmost care in storing your firearms in our fire resistant safes, at our licensed and insured facility;
• Prepare the proper paperwork for the courts, and file it for you, and will certify to the courts that you are in compliance with the law;
• Unlike transferring the firearms to a friend, you are still the owner of the firearms, and we will not fire, abuse, or dispose of them without your permission first;
• Same day returns once CBI clears you to get the guns back;
• If your case does result in a loss of your right to own a firearm, we can transfer it to a friend, or sell your firearms on consignment and give you the proceeds;
• As a class III dealer, we are able to take your NFA items, including legally registered silencers, SBRs, machine guns, and AOWs.
*** Much lower rates than pawn shops, with no time limits on redeeming your guns ***
Monthly Storage Fees
Long Guns
• $25 first long gun
• $15 each additional long gun
Handguns
• $15 first handgun
• $10 each additional handgun
Ammunition
• $5 Up to ½ banker’s box
• $10 full banker’s box
Intake and Pickup
1-10 Firearms
• $50 one time intake fee
10+ Firearms
• $75 one time intake fee
At home pickup: El Paso County
• $150 (includes intake fee)
There is an additional $50 travel fee for Teller, Pueblo, Douglas, and Fremont counties. Travel fees for other counties available on request.