Justice Department Sues the City of Denver for Unconstitutional Weapons Bans

Today, the Justice Department filed suit against the City of Denver, Colorado alleging that the City unconstitutionally bans certain constitutionally protected semi-automatic rifles. These laws unconstitutionally infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms in common use for lawful purposes.

As the complaint explains, the City enforces an ordinance that makes it a crime to possess so-called "assault weapons." But that the City's ban includes AR-15-style rifles, which are the most popular rifles in America. Law-abiding Americans own tens of millions of rifles like those banned by the City.

"The Constitution is not a suggestion and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Denver's ban on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles directly violates the right to bear arms. This Department of Justice will vigorously defend the liberties of law-abiding citizens nationwide."

"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," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "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 which are owned by tens of millions of their fellow citizens."

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark decision District of Columbia v. HellerLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., held that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to possess weapons that are in common use for lawful purposes.

The Civil Rights Division's Second Amendment Section enforces the Second AmendmentLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. If you believe your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed, please submit a complaint through justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.