Trump DOJ Takes Aim at Major City’s Decades-Old Assault Weapon Ban

Liberty Check

• DOJ filed federal lawsuit challenging Denver’s 1989 ban on modern semiautomatic firearms including AR-15s
• Legal challenge marks Trump administration’s aggressive defense of Second Amendment rights against blue state gun control
• Ban was enacted following high-profile shooting incident, now faces constitutional scrutiny under current DOJ

The Trump administration is taking a hardline stance against gun control overreach in blue cities. The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has filed a federal lawsuit against Denver, Colorado, directly challenging the city’s long-standing ban on modern semiautomatic firearms.

The lawsuit specifically targets Denver’s prohibition of the AR-15, America’s most popular rifle and a platform protected under the Second Amendment. The ban was originally passed in 1989 in the aftermath of a shooting involving a criminal with an extensive arrest record who used a semiautomatic rifle.

For over three decades, law-abiding Denver residents have been denied their constitutional right to purchase and possess one of the most common firearms in America. The AR-15 is used by millions of Americans for home defense, sporting purposes, and as a safeguard against tyranny.

This legal action represents the Trump administration’s commitment to rolling back unconstitutional gun control measures that have proliferated in Democrat-controlled cities. Denver’s ban has survived for 36 years, outlasting multiple legal challenges and persisting through changing political climates.

The DOJ’s move comes as part of a broader effort to restore Second Amendment rights that have been systematically eroded by progressive local governments. Cities like Denver have used tragic incidents as justification to strip constitutional protections from citizens who had nothing to do with criminal acts.

Legal experts note the lawsuit arrives during a favorable climate for gun rights, with the Supreme Court having established important precedents protecting individual firearm ownership. The Bruen decision in particular has forced lower courts to apply strict scrutiny to gun control laws.

Denver officials have yet to respond publicly to the federal lawsuit, but the city will now face the full weight of the Justice Department’s resources in defending a ban that predates the modern understanding of Second Amendment protections.

The Constitution must be defended.