Colorado Gun Range Under Fire for Requiring Background Check To Shoot

March 11, 2026
4:21 pm

▶

Listen to Article

Imagine pulling up to your local gun range, eager for some trigger time, only to be hit with a mandatory background check just to rent a firearm and punch paper. That's the reality at a Colorado shooting range that's ignited a firestorm in the 2A world, demanding NICS checks for every renter—complete with fingerprints and personal data—before handing over a single round. Proponents claim it's about safety, but critics, including vocal gun owners and privacy hawks, are calling it a blatant overreach that treats law-abiding citizens like felons-in-waiting. This isn't some backwoods outlier; it's a state where red-flag laws and assault weapon bans already squeeze the life out of Second Amendment freedoms, and now ranges are volunteering as government checkpoints. Dig deeper, and this reeks of mission creep straight out of the anti-gun playbook. Background checks for purchases are one thing—mandated federally since 1998 via the Brady Act—but extending them to range rentals? That's not safety; it's surveillance theater. Colorado's already a patchwork of local gun control experiments, from mag bans in Boulder to universal checks statewide, fostering a culture where businesses bow to progressive pressure or risk boycotts and lawsuits. Remember the post-Parkland wave? Ranges nationwide faced similar do this or else ultimatums from activists. Here, the implications are chilling: if private ranges must vet every shooter, what's stopping ranges from sharing that data with authorities? It normalizes the idea that your FFL transfer isn't enough—you need permission to practice. For the 2A community, this is a canary in the coal mine, signaling how incrementalism erodes rights. One range today, statewide mandates tomorrow, and soon, your home range session requires a government nod. The backlash is building fast, with boycotts brewing and calls for a deluge of one-star reviews. This story underscores a core truth: true safety comes from skilled, responsible shooters, not databases that snag the innocent on clerical errors (hello, 99% false positives in some NICS denials). 2A warriors, hit the range elsewhere, support pro-rights businesses, and keep the pressure on—because if we let this slide in Colorado, your local spot could be next. Stay vigilant; our rights depend on it.

Best FFL Software Ranked and Compared!

Imagine pulling up to your local gun range, eager for some trigger time, only to be hit with a mandatory background check just to rent a firearm and punch paper. That’s the reality at a Colorado shooting range that’s ignited a firestorm in the 2A world, demanding NICS checks for every renter—complete with fingerprints and personal data—before handing over a single round. Proponents claim it’s about safety, but critics, including vocal gun owners and privacy hawks, are calling it a blatant overreach that treats law-abiding citizens like felons-in-waiting. This isn’t some backwoods outlier; it’s a state where red-flag laws and assault weapon bans already squeeze the life out of Second Amendment freedoms, and now ranges are volunteering as government checkpoints.

Dig deeper, and this reeks of mission creep straight out of the anti-gun playbook. Background checks for purchases are one thing—mandated federally since 1998 via the Brady Act—but extending them to range rentals? That’s not safety; it’s surveillance theater. Colorado’s already a patchwork of local gun control experiments, from mag bans in Boulder to universal checks statewide, fostering a culture where businesses bow to progressive pressure or risk boycotts and lawsuits. Remember the post-Parkland wave? Ranges nationwide faced similar do this or else ultimatums from activists. Here, the implications are chilling: if private ranges must vet every shooter, what’s stopping ranges from sharing that data with authorities? It normalizes the idea that your FFL transfer isn’t enough—you need permission to practice. For the 2A community, this is a canary in the coal mine, signaling how incrementalism erodes rights. One range today, statewide mandates tomorrow, and soon, your home range session requires a government nod.

The backlash is building fast, with boycotts brewing and calls for a deluge of one-star reviews. This story underscores a core truth: true safety comes from skilled, responsible shooters, not databases that snag the innocent on clerical errors (hello, 99% false positives in some NICS denials). 2A warriors, hit the range elsewhere, support pro-rights businesses, and keep the pressure on—because if we let this slide in Colorado, your local spot could be next. Stay vigilant; our rights depend on it.

Share this story