El Paso County Sheriff's Office Colorado Online Instructor Verification Application

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Verified CHP Instructor Verification

General Information

Firearms Instructor applicants in El Paso County, Colorado will need to complete the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Verified Firearm Instructor Application pursuant to C.R.S. 18-12-202.7.

The Concealed Handgun Permit Unit will receive the applications and verify the applicant’s information.

This includes:

Verifying the applicant’s personal CHP is valid and is in good standing with the issuing county.
Verifying the applicant’s Colorado driver's license or identification card is valid.
Verifying the applicant’s instructor status with certifying organization.
Verifying course curriculum(s) for the offered class(es).

The Concealed Handgun Permit Unit will finalize the instructor’s verification by issuing a letter of approval or denial that will be sent via postal mail to the residence address provided on the application pursuant to C.R.S. 18-12-202.7 (3)(b).

The verified instructor’s names and verification expiration date will be posted on the El Paso County Sheriff's Office website pursuant to C.R.S. 18-12-202.7 (3)(c).

According to C.R.S. 18-12-202.7 (3)(a), an instructor verification issued pursuant to this section is valid for ten years and may be renewed at any time prior to expiration.

The sheriff has waived all fees to apply for instructor verification in El Paso County.

Concealed Handgun Permit Requirements: ^{must meet ALL requirements}

Important Note: Effective August 7, 2024 verified instructors will be mandated to attest that the courses they teach adhere to all requirements of HB 24-1174.

Required Documentation:

(Please verify that you have the following documents and provide a COPY with your application)

- Valid Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit

- Valid Colorado driver’s license or Colorado state identification card

- Proof of Certification Type (Affiliation)

- Concealed Handgun Training Course Syllabus - Must Include the following elements as required per C.R.S. 18-12-202.5 (3):

- Knowledge and safe handling of firearms and ammunition.
- Safe storage of firearms and child safety.
- Safe firearms shooting fundamentals.
- Federal and state laws pertaining to the lawful purchase, ownership, transportation, use, and possession of firearms.
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders described in Article 14.5 of Title 13.
- Requirements for reporting lost or stolen firearms as described in C.R.S. 18-12-113.
- Requirements for secure firearms storage as described in C.R.S. 18-12-114.
- State laws pertaining to the use of deadly force for self-defense.
- Instruction on any other state law enacted within 5 years before the class that pertains to the purchase, ownership, transportation, use, and possession of firearms.
- Best practices to ensure concealed handgun permit holders safely interact with law enforcement personnel who are responding to an emergency.
- Instruction regarding techniques for avoiding a criminal attack and how to manage a violent confrontation, including conflict resolution and judgmental use of lethal force.
- Require students to complete a live-fire exercise on a range, discharging at least 50 rounds with a minimum 70% accuracy score. (This does not need to be conducted in a single day.)
- Require students to complete a written Concealed Handgun Competency exam that tests a student’s knowledge of the subjects described in C.R.S 18-12-202.5 (3)(a) to (3)(f), with a minimum score of 80%. (This exam must be an open book exam.)

- Refresher Training Course Criteria - Must Include the following elements as required per C.R.S. 18-12-202.5 (4):

- Instruction on changes to federal and state laws related to firearms enacted within 5 years before the refresher class.
- Require students to complete a live-fire exercise on a range, discharging at least 50 rounds with a minimum 70% accuracy score.
- Require students to complete a written Concealed Handgun Competency exam that tests a student’s knowledge of the subjects described in C.R.S 18-12-202.5 (3)(a) to (3)(f), with a minimum score of 80%. (This exam must be an open book exam.)

General Information:

All Concealed Handgun Training classes and/or Refresher classes will be held in person with the students, with no portion completed online.
New Concealed Handgun Training classes will be a minimum of 8 hours long. The 8 hours of instruction do not need to be consecutive.
Refresher Concealed Handgun classes will be a minimum of 2 hours long.
Training certificate of completion documents will include instructor’s printed name, original signature, the date of completion, El Paso County Verified CHP Firearms Instructor ID, and will clearly indicate the student completed a New Concealed Handgun Training class or a Refresher class.
All Concealed Handgun Training and/or Refresher classes will meet the requirements of the federal “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990”.
If your principal place of business changes location, please notify us within 30 days of your new business address.
Additionally, we understand that some firearms instructor certifications do expire. It will be your responsibility to let the CHP Unit know when you have renewed your firearms instructor certification. Failure to do so will result in suspension from the program and removal from our public list of Verified Instructors. There is no grace period for expired instructor certifications.

For More Information, Contact:

El Paso County Sheriff's Office
27 E. Vermijo Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Phone: 719-520-7249
Email: chp@elpasoco.com

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