US President ‘s administration on Tuesday (local time) sued Denver and its police department, seeking to strike down an assault weapons ban that has been in place in Colorado’s largest city since 1989.
The lawsuit by the came a day after Denver officials openly rejected calls by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to repeal the longstanding city rule that makes it a crime to keep assault weapons.
The administration has alleged that such a ban violates the US Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms, the DOJ said in a press release.
What did the Attorneys General say on Denver’s ban?
Acting Attorney General , in a statement, said, “The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right.” He added, “Denver’s ban on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles directly violates the right to bear arms.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “I have directed the Civil Rights Division, through our new Second Amendment Section, to defend law-abiding Americans from restrictions such as those we are challenging in these cases.” Dhillon added, “Law-abiding Americans, regardless of what city or state they reside in, should not have to live under threat of criminal sanction just for exercising their Second Amendment right to possess arms that are owned by tens of millions of their fellow citizens.”
Arguing its case, the federal government pointed to two landmark cases: 2008’s District of Columbia v. Heller—protecting law-abiding citizens’ right to possess lawful weapons—and 2022’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which directs courts to compare modern gun restrictions with historical firearm regulation.
What is the Second Amendment right?
According to an official website, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Denver rejects DOJ’s request
Last week, DOJ attorneys asked the city to stop enforcing the ban, asking it to enter into negotiations with federal officials to resolve the matter. However, the city’s mayor and police chief, during a Monday news conference, forcefully rejected the Trump administration’s request.
Denver’s Mayor Mike Johnston said, “Our answer is hell no,” and added, “No, we will not roll back a common-sense policy that has kept weapons of war off these city streets for 37 years. No, we will not put first responders at greater risk every time they respond to a dangerous incident. No, we will not go back to a time when folks are worried about walking into movie theaters, grocery stores, or public elementary schools.”
Why did Denver impose an assault weapons ban?
According to AP, the assault weapons ban in Denver was enforced during a period of heightened concern over gun violence in the city. It preceded several notorious in Colorado—the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that killed 14 people, the 2012 killing of 12 people inside an Aurora movie theater, and the 2021 killing of 10 people at a supermarket in Boulder.
Federal officials said in their lawsuit that Denver’s ban includes AR-15-style rifles that are owned by at least 16 million people in the .
“They use those ordinary semiautomatic rifles for a variety of lawful purposes, including but not limited to self-defense,” government attorneys wrote.
