Will you still be able to get or keep a concealed carry permit with a DUI in Colorado Springs? DUI defense attorney James Newby explains what you need to know.
A common question Front Range residents often ask is whether they can get or keep your concealed carry permit with a DUI in Colorado Springs. The answer gets complicated.
There’s a lot at stake if you’ve been charged with a Colorado Springs DUI. Even for a first time DUI conviction, the consequences could include substantial time behind bars.
Your freedom is not the only thing you can lose if you’re convicted for DUI, however. You can lose your hard-earned reputation. You can lose your job and lose out on future employment opportunities. You can lose your ability to obtain loans, financial assistance, education, and housing.
You can, of course, also lose your driver’s license for an extended period.
But the privilege to drive is just one of many freedoms we can take for granted, and is one of the many legal rights and privileges that can be taken away from you once you have a criminal record that includes a Colorado DUI. These rights include your right to carry a firearm.
Colorado law allows individuals to apply for and obtain a permit for the concealed carry of firearms. Even though the right to concealed carry in our state is comprehensive, your application will likely be denied, and your permit could be revoked upon more than one DUI conviction.
“Chronically and Habitually Use Alcoholic Beverages” Can Limit Your Concealed Carry Permit
Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-12-203(1)(e)(I) provides that individuals who “chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages to the extent that the applicant’s normal faculties are impaired” can be denied a concealed carry permit. You’ll fall within this harsh definition if you have two or more DUI or DWAI convictions within the ten-year period immediately preceding the date on which your permit application is submitted (C.R.S. 18-12-202(3)(b)).
arrested for dui
If you already have a concealed carry permit and then get a second DUI conviction, the county sheriff who issued it can take it away. If the sheriff has a reasonable belief that you “no longer meet” the criteria for issuance of a permit – and a second DUI conviction within ten years of your application means you don’t – he or she can revoke your concealed carry permit for an extended period at the sheriff’s discretion. (C.R.S. 18-12-203(3)(b))
If you’ve stayed sober for three years after your second DUI conviction and you obtain an affidavit from an alcohol addiction counselor that you are a recovering alcoholic, you may be able to get your concealed carry rights restored, but it is far from guaranteed.
Call to Speak with a DUI Attorney – No Obligation
You don’t want to be shackled with all of the burdens of a Colorado Springs DUI conviction for the rest of your life.
If you’re a proud gun owner, who wants to maintain their right to conceal carry a weapon and are worried that this DUI charge could result in your permit being taken away then don’t wait another minute. Contact a criminal defense attorney in the Colorado Springs area that has experience reducing or stopping DUI charges. Our DUI consultations are FREE, confidential, and no risk to you. Don’t lose your rights!
Whether you made an error in judgment or the police made errors in stopping, testing, or arresting you, don’t take chances with your future if you are facing Colorado Springs DUI charges.
