DOJ Sues Colorado Over Magazine Ban — Dhillon Calls It 'Virtue Signaling' Against Common-Use Arms

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said Colorado's ban is "political virtue signaling at the expense of Americans' constitutional right to keep and bear arms." The complaint notes Colorado previously admitted the statute bans magazines that come standard on many of the nation's most popular firearms. Law-abiding Americans own hundreds of millions of such magazines nationwide.

The case anchors on District of Columbia v. Heller's common-use test — the same framework Bruen made operational against modern prohibitions. DOJ's Second Amendment Section is inviting additional complaints through justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section when states infringe carry, acquisition, or hardware rights.

Colorado is not alone on the target list. The May filing sits in a broader federal push — including a second Colorado challenge on overlapping weapons restrictions — that treats magazine and semi-auto bans as civil-rights cases, not partisan theater.

For gun owners, the practical read is litigation plus politics: federal suits do not suspend state criminal statutes until injunctions land. Comply with current law, fund the challengers, and document inventory if you are a plaintiff class candidate in parallel private suits.