Harmeet Dhillon Discusses DOJ Lawsuit Against Gun Bans

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant Attorney General for civil rights, stated during an appearance on NEWSMAX’s Carl Higbie Frontline that “high-capacity magazines” should be considered “standard issue magazines.”

She was elaborating on the Department of Justice’s recent lawsuit against the city of Denver’s ban on “assault weapons,” as well as Colorado’s restriction on magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

According to reports, the DOJ initiated legal action against Denver on May 5, 2026, followed by a lawsuit regarding Colorado’s magazine ban the very next day.

Dhillon remarked to Higbie that the term “assault weapons” is misleading and is being used to sway public opinion against these items, pointing out that the AR-15 is one of the most commonly owned rifles in the U.S.

She noted, “The Supreme Court has clarified that weapons used for lawful purposes by responsible citizens are generally lawful under the Second Amendment.”

Following this, Dhillon criticized Colorado’s magazine ban, claiming they are playing a semantic game by labeling certain magazines as “large-capacity.”

“High-capacity magazines are actually standard-issue in many countries,” she stated, emphasizing that these firearms fall under the so-called “assault weapons” ban.

She expressed concern that the magazine restriction could pave the way for anti-gun politicians to seek broader bans on “assault weapons,” potentially targeting popular handguns as well.

For example, she mentioned that handguns like the Glock 17 would be rendered unusable under a limit of 15 rounds—calling this a backdoor approach to restricting commonly owned and legal firearms, which the DOJ does not endorse.