It depends on the
felony. Colorado’s
POWPO law – which stands for “possession of a weapon by a previous offender” – prohibits you from possessing weapons (which probably includes
crossbows) for any purpose if you have been convicted of certain serious felonies, but not all felonies.
For example, POWPO does
not apply if your felony conviction was for
grand theft or
trespass. Meanwhile, POWPO
does apply to you if your conviction was for
any crime related to
domestic violence, even if it was just a
misdemeanor.
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In sum, you may possess a
crossbow in Colorado as long as your prior convictions are not covered by POWPO (you can
see the full list of POWPO crimes here). Though before you take your
crossbow out hunting, be sure to check with
Colorado Parks and Wildlife: There are many rules and regulations regarding licenses, seasons, and what type of game you can hunt.
Overview of “Felon in Possession” Laws
If you are convicted of certain serious felonies (or misdemeanors related to domestic violence), you may not possess prohibited weapons such as firearms in Colorado. State law is unclear whether this also includes crossbows, though my guess is that it does since crossbows are very deadly.
Possession of a weapon by a previous offender (“POWPO”) under C.R.S. 18-12-108 is generally a
class 5 felony, carrying:
- 1 to 3 years in prison (with two years mandatory parole) and/or
- a fine of $1,000 to $100,000.
The judge can grant you probation unless you
used – or threatened the use of – a firearm in the commission of another crime.2
POWPO-Prohibited Weapons
If POWPO applies to you, you may not possess any type of firearm (such as pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles). It does not matter if the firing mechanism is broken. It also does not matter whether you are using the guns for hunting.
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I could make a strong legal argument that POWPO does not prohibit crossbow possession. After all, the statute never mentions it. Though a conservative reading of the law does suggest that POWPO covers all deadly weapons, which certainly includes crossbows.
Do I need a license to hunt in Colorado?
Yes, you need a license from
Colorado Parks and Wildlife to hunt lawfully in Colorado. Interestingly, this government agency does not run criminal background checks on applicants.
Therefore, you may obtain a hunting license if you have been convicted of serious felonies or domestic violence-related misdemeanors. However, having a hunting license does not mean you can violate POWPO by possessing a weapon, even for hunting purposes.
Therefore, if you press your luck and hunt with a crossbow despite your criminal record, you risk getting caught and convicted of POWPO. This would add another felony to your criminal record.
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Can I avoid POWPO with a pardon?
You can try to restore your right to possess weapons by applying for a
Governor’s Pardon. However, pardons are typically available only if you finished your criminal sentence at least ten years earlier. Even then, there is no guarantee that a pardon will be granted.
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The following graphic shows the most important factors that determine whether you may be granted a Governor’s Pardon in Colorado.
Learn more about
applying for a Colorado Governor’s Pardon.
How do crossbows work?
Crossbows consist of a “prod” that is mounted perpendicularly to a “tiller.” The weapon shoots projectiles called bolts or quarrels, which are similar to arrows.
Crossbows have a lock to hold back the bowstring. This is unlike bows and arrows, which require the user to manually pull back and hold the bowstring. So all crossbow users need to do to release the bowstring is depress a trigger similar to a gun’s.
What about federal law?
Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms by people convicted of:
- any felony or
- any domestic violence crime, felony or misdemeanor.
This federal law bans the possession of only guns, not other weapons such as crossbows. Therefore, a person with a crossbow could be violating Colorado’s POWPO law without also violating federal law.
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Additional Resources
For more information, see these articles from the
Colorado Department of Wildlife website.
Legal References:
