Gun group sues Colorado over gun magazine 15-round limit

DENVER (AP) — A gun rights organization is suing Colorado over the state’s 2013 ban on magazines that hold over 15-rounds, arguing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a New York gun law reinforces the group’s belief that it infringes on Second Amendment rights.

The National Foundation for Gun Rights’ lawsuit marks one of the first in what is expected to be a wave of gun control measures across the country following the June 23 Supreme Court decision that struck down a New York law requiring people to show why they needed a concealed weapons permit. It was filed Thursday in federal District Court in Denver.

The foundation and its sister organization, the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, have been fighting to repeal the magazine capacity limit since it’s passing in 2013. The law followed the 2012 mass shooting at a theater in Aurora, a city on the outskirts of Denver, which killed 12 people and injured 70.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision “gave us a four-ton wrecking ball to use against all different types of gun control,” said Hannah Hill, director of research and policy for the National Foundation for Gun Rights, that “gave us an opportunity to take another whack at the mag ban.”

This lawsuit is one of the first the organization plans to file, said Hill, “we expect to be announcing some additional fights soon.”

Conor Cahill, spokesman for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, declined comment. He said the administration doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners saw an early success this month when they sued the Town of Superior over an assault weapons ban. In that case, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the town from enforcing their ban.

David Pucino, deputy chief council at Gifford Law Center, a gun control advocacy group, said that he expected a flood of litigation following the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

But when it comes to magazine capacity limits and other gun restrictions, Pucino said, “I have every confidence that the laws we have in the books are strongly grounded.”

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Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Bedayn on Twitter.