Lawsuit Says Colorado-Denver Carry Rules Leave Visitors No Legal Option

A visitor who carries legally in four other states can't get a straight answer on whether they can carry at all in Denver, and that confusion is now the center of a federal lawsuit.

Snapshot

Firearms Policy Coalition's Hoffman v. City and County of Denver challenges how Colorado's reciprocity law and Denver's open-carry ban interact to potentially leave nonresident permit holders with no lawful carry option. In November 11, 2026 filings, Colorado and Denver each defended their own rule by pointing to the other's exception, a contradiction FPC says proves the combined scheme is unconstitutional.

Key points

• The core problem: Colorado generally allows open carry statewide but doesn't recognize California resident Gene Hoffman's concealed-carry permits from California, Utah, Arizona, or Florida, while Denver bans open carry within city limits.
• Denver's defense: The city argues Hoffman already qualifies for a concealed-carry exception under its municipal code, but that exception requires compliance with state law, which doesn't recognize his permits.
• Colorado's defense: State officials lean on the Tenth Circuit's 2013 Peterson v. Martinez ruling upholding nonresident permit restrictions, which predates Bruen.
• FPC's argument: President Brandon Combs says the two governments are each pointing to the other's loophole, calling it a "gun ban behind the curtain," and argues Bruen and Wolford v. Lopez make the restrictions unconstitutional.
• What's next: FPC's reply is due November 25, with no ruling yet on the preliminary injunction; a related case, Howeth v. Denver, brought by the NRA, is also pending.

Quick take

This is a case worth watching for any gun owner who travels, since it tests whether overlapping state and city rules can functionally disarm visitors even when each rule looks legal in isolation. Nothing here changes Colorado law yet, and carrying on the strength of an unrecognized permit still carries real legal risk.

Read the full story: ammoland.com