Carrying Firearms in Vehicles

It is illegal to have a loaded rifle or shotgun in or on any motor vehicle. If you are checked by an officer, and they discover a loaded rifle or shotgun in your vehicle, you will receive a ticket.

Muzzleloaders are considered unloaded if the percussion cap or shotshell primer is removed or if the powder is removed from the flash pan.

If you have an electronic-ignition muzzleloader (which is not allowed during muzzleloader season in Colorado but could be used during rifle season), the chamber must be empty or the battery must be disconnected and removed from its compartment to be considered unloaded.

These rules also apply when your vehicle is an off-highway vehicle (OHV) or a snowmobile.

• You cannot operate or ride a snowmobile with a firearm unless it is completely unloaded and fully cased.
• If you are archery hunting, your bow must be unstrung or fully cased.
• Compound bows do not need to be unstrung, but they do need to be cased.
• It is illegal to carry firearms (except handguns) on an OHV during deer, elk, moose, pronghorn, and bear seasons unless they are unloaded in the chamber and magazine.
• Firearms (except handguns) and bows carried on an OHV must be fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Scabbards or cases with open ends or sides are prohibited.