COMING SOON:
The Colorado Voluntary Firearms Waiver Program
Expected Fall 2026
Donna's Story
Behind Donna's Law is the story of Donna Nathan. She was a mother, a grandmother, an artist, and had four beloved cats.
Her preventable death by firearm suicide has led to a new way for people to plan ahead for their future safety.
Donna's Law in Colorado:
The Colorado Voluntary Firearms Waiver Program
Colorado's Voluntary Firearms Waiver Program is a free & confidential online tool providing individuals a safeguard to prevent a future firearm purchase if they fear self-harm or suicide.
Change your mind? You can request to revoke the firearm purchase waiver through the same secure portal. After a required 30-day waiting period, the safeguard is removed.
In 2025, CO became the fifth state to enact Donna's Law — a suicide prevention tool that offers self-harm protection for those who choose to sign up if they have concern about their future risk from firearm injury or suicide.
Our state is the first to feature direct and secure online access for people to easily sign up.
This secure sign-up portal will have its own website and will also be linked through the Colorado Department of Public Safety website.
Why sign up?
You know yourself best. Donna's Law gives you an actionable step that you can take today to protect your future self.
Someone may choose to sign up because they:
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Have experienced thoughts of suicide or self-harm,
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Experienced a past trauma, depression, or sudden shift in mood
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Know that they may be at elevated risk during stressful times,
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Have a personal commitment to nonviolence, or
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Desire additional safety in place before they ever need it
A familiar idea, applied to firearm safety.
We make decisions in advance about our health, finances, and other parts of our lives all the time.
Advance directives allow us to document future health care wishes, while similar self-exclusion programs, like Bet Smart Colorado, have been created to promote more responsible gaming.
This program/tool applies that same idea to firearm purchases:
you can choose today to put a safeguard in place for your future safety.
My moods can get really low. Donna's Law will be part of the safety plan I have in place to protect both myself & my family.
-C.B., from Northern CO
How does it work?
Signing up is easy & convenient:
Decide you want the protection for yourself
Go to the CO Voluntary Firearms Waiver Program website
Sign up
News & Media
Stay in the know:
Podcast
Back From the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories
How can we actually prevent suicide? Guns, access to means, and the hope of Donna's Law
Article
Rocky Mountain PBS
Colorado’s ‘do not sell’ firearms registry on pace to go live by end of year
Podcast
In the NoCo
Article
Podcast
Red County Blue State
Ep26. A lifesaving new suicide prevention tool in Colorado: Donna's Law
Feature
University of Alabama: Capstone Lawyer
Donna's Law: Preventing Gun Suicide While Preserving 2A Rights
Video/Podcast
Wooden Teeth
Commentary
New Hampshire Bulletin
The right to be on a ‘do not sell’ list for firearms is a matter of life and death
