DOJ Sues Denver Over Assault Weapons Ban

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against the City of Denver and its police department, claiming the city's nearly 40-year-old ordinance banning certain semiautomatic rifles and magazines holding more than 15 rounds violates the Second Amendment. The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, seeks to halt enforcement of the ban and require remedies for past violations.

Enacted in 1989 amid concerns over gun violence in Denver, the ordinance prohibits possessing, carrying, storing, selling or manufacturing what the city terms assault weapons. These include AR-15-style rifles with standard-capacity magazines, which federal officials describe as among the most commonly owned rifles in the United States, numbering in the tens of millions and used for lawful purposes such as self-defense.

The lawsuit follows a DOJ letter sent in late April, in which Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon warned Denver officials that continued enforcement would prompt legal action unless the city ceased the practice and acknowledged the ban's unconstitutionality. City leaders rejected the demand. In a letter dated Monday, City...