Denver leaders defiant as DOJ demands city end its longstanding ban on assault weapons

Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post on May 4, 2026

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DENVER — The U.S. Department of Justice last week demanded Denver end its longstanding ban on assault weapons and threatened to sue should officials fail to comply, prompting defiance from city leaders who on Monday vowed to defend the decades-old municipal law.

“Denver’s law has stood for 37 years because it works, it saves lives and it reflects the values of our community,” Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement Monday. “No demand or lawsuit from Washington is going to change that.”

Since 1989, Denver has restricted the possession and sale of guns with magazines carrying more than 15 rounds — which includes AR-15-style rifles as well as other types of guns.

In an April 28 letter to Johnston and Denver City Attorney Miko Brown, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon demanded that Denver stop enforcing the ban, acknowledge the law is unconstitutional and enter into a consent decree to ensure the ban is not enforced.

Should the city fail to take those steps, the Justice Department will sue to protect Denver residents’ Second Amendment right to bear and keep arms, Dhillon wrote in the two-page letter, which gave a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline for the city to respond before the federal government filed the lawsuit.

“The Ordinance bans many weapons, including AR-15 style semiautomatic rifles,” the letter reads. “Law-abiding Americans own and use for lawful purposes literally tens of millions of AR-15 style rifles. Indeed, it is the most popular rifle in America. The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens. Therefore, the Ordinance violates the Second Amendment.”

City officials wholly rejected the DOJ’s stance in a response letter Monday.

“Your request is baseless, irresponsible and a clear overreach of the federal government’s power,” Brown wrote in the response.

She noted that six different federal courts have upheld bans on assault weapons or large-capacity magazine bans and that other legal challenges to Denver’s ban have failed.

“This ordinance has helped keep Denver safe for decades,” Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said in a statement. “Repealing it would put my officers and our residents at greater risk and would violate our duty to protect and serve our city.”

City officials and advocates gathered at the City and County Building at noon Monday to speak in favor of the ban. They framed the DOJ’s demand as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to widely weaken gun control efforts.

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