HB 25-1238
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
HB 25-1238: GUN SHOW REQUIREMENTS
Prime Sponsors:
Rep. Joseph; Camacho
Sen. Kipp; Danielson
Published for: Senate State Affairs
Drafting number: LLS 25-0770
Fiscal Analyst:
Clayton Mayfield, 303-866-5851
clayton.mayfield@coleg.gov
Version: First Revised Note
Date: March 14, 2025
Fiscal note status: This revised fiscal note reflects the reengrossed bill.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill repeals and reenacts statute related to the operation of gun shows.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis starting in
FY 2025-26:
Minimal State Revenue
Minimal State Workload
Local Government
Appropriations. No appropriation is required.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $0 $0
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
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March 14, 2025 HB 25-1238
Summary of Legislation
The bill repeals and reenacts statute regarding the operation of gun shows effective
January 1, 2026. The bill retains current law requirements for gun shows, including the volume of
activity that constitutes a gun show and requirements for background checks at gun shows.
Additional changes for gun shows—which does not include gun collector show events where
only curio, relic, or antique firearms are sold—include:
requiring that security plans by promoters be submitted to appropriate local law
enforcement;
requiring promoters to carry liability insurance for incidents that may occur at gun shows;
requiring that firearms brought into the gun show are tagged to ensure chain of custody;
prohibiting persons under 18 years old from entering gun shows without a parent,
grandparent, or guardian, unless the 18 year old serves in the military;
requiring certification of vendors by promoters;
requiring that notices be posted related to vendor and gun show requirements; and
setting display and storage requirements of vendor items; and
removing the $10 limit on the fee a federal firearms licensee (FFL) may charge for their
services in completing required background checks at a gun show.
The bill creates new offenses for unlawful gun show activity. Violations by promoters are
punishable as a class 2 misdemeanor for a first offense, or as a class 1 misdemeanor for a
subsequent offense. Additionally, promoters are prohibited from conducting gun shows for
five years upon a subsequent offense. Unlawful participation in a gun show by a vendor is
punishable as a class 2 misdemeanor, or a class 1 misdemeanor for a subsequent offense. Other
unlawful vendor activity is punishable as a separate offense with the same penalties. A person
without a FFL who brings a firearm to a gun show to transfer or sell through a FFL holder is not a
vendor.
Comparable Crime Analysis
Legislative Council Staff is required to include certain information in the fiscal note for any bill
that creates a new crime, changes the classification of an existing crime, or creates a new factual
basis for an existing crime. The following section outlines crimes that are comparable to the
offense in this bill and discusses assumptions on future rates of criminal convictions resulting
from the bill.
Prior Conviction Data and Assumptions
This bill creates three new offenses related to unlawful gun show activity, all class 2
misdemeanors for a first offense, and class 1 misdemeanors for subsequent offenses. To form an
estimate on the prevalence of these new crimes, the fiscal note analyzed the existing offense of
failure to conduct required background checks at a gun show, a class 1 misdemeanor, as a
comparable crime. From FY 2021-22 to FY 2023-24, zero offenders have been convicted and Page 3
March 14, 2025 HB 25-1238
sentenced for this existing offense; therefore, the fiscal note assumes that there will be minimal
or no additional case filings or convictions for the new offenses under the bill. Visit
leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes for more information about criminal justice costs in fiscal notes.
State Revenue
Based on the assumptions above, this analysis assumes that there will be a minimal impact on
state revenue. Under the bill, criminal fines and court fees, which are subject to TABOR, may
increase by a minimal amount.
State Expenditures
Criminal Justice System Impacts
The bill will minimally increase workload and costs for the Judicial Department, including the
trial courts, Division of Probation, and agencies that provide representation to indigent persons.
No change in appropriations is required.
Department of Revenue
By adding a potential violation of Article 12 of Title 18, the bill may increase workload and costs
for the Firearms Dealer Division in the Department of Revenue (DOR), which will begin issuing
state dealer permits on July 1, 2025. Current law requires the DOR to issue warnings for a first
violation of any of the provisions of Article 12 of Title 18, with suspension or revocation of a
permit as a penalty for a second or subsequent violation. Assuming 1 percent of permit holders
violate the provisions of the bill, this results in approximately 450 hours of work for the
department, which is an absorbable impact. If the number of violations exceeds this estimate,
additional resources will be requested through the annual budget process.
To the extent that the Department of Law must provide legal services to the DOR for
enforcement actions, workload for the department will increase. Based on the assumed minimal
number of violations, no change in appropriations is required.
Local Government
Similar to the state, it is expected that any workload or cost increases for local law enforcement
to enforce the laws, district attorneys to prosecute more offenses, or for county jails to imprison
more individuals under the bill will be minimal. Page 4
March 14, 2025 HB 25-1238
Effective Date
The bill takes effect January 1, 2026, and applies to gun shows held on or after this date.
State and Local Government Contacts
District Attorneys
Judicial
Public Safety
Revenue
Law
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.