Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said she believes the Supreme Court will ultimately affirm the legality of AR-15 rifles nationwide, following a new Justice Department lawsuit challenging Denver’s restrictions on certain semiautomatic firearms.

Dhillon made the remarks after the DOJ filed suit against the city of Denver this week, arguing that its long-standing ban on so-called “assault weapons” violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.

“We intend to make sure they do that,” Dhillon said during an interview with Just the News, referring to a potential Supreme Court ruling protecting AR-15 ownership nationwide.

She added that recent court decisions indicate the direction the justices may take. “The court has really signaled in several opinions where it is going with this. I think there is going to be a ruling eventually from the Supreme Court that AR-15s are legal for all law-abiding citizens to own and operate.”

The lawsuit focuses on Denver’s prohibition of certain semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15-style weapons, which the Justice Department argues are widely owned across the country.

The legal filing also takes issue with the term “assault weapon,” describing it as politically driven language advanced by gun-control advocates.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the case as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to reinforce Second Amendment protections.

“The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Blanche said Tuesday.

“Denver’s ban on commonly owned semiautomatic rifles directly violates the right to bear arms.”

Dhillon credited President Donald Trump, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Blanche for placing a renewed emphasis on gun rights through the DOJ’s recently created Second Amendment Section.

“I want to thank the president for setting the tone at the beginning of his administration,” Dhillon said.

She argued that recent Supreme Court rulings have already laid the groundwork for overturning restrictions on AR-15-style firearms, citing cases such as District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which affirmed protections for weapons commonly used for lawful purposes.

Dhillon pointed to language from the court identifying the AR-15 as the most commonly owned rifle in the United States.

“That leads to the inexorable conclusion that the AR-15 is presumptively legal all over America,” she said.

City officials in Denver, however, indicated they have no intention of reversing course.

Mayor Mike Johnston rejected the federal challenge, saying the city would continue to enforce its ordinance, according to CBS News.

“We’re here today to let them know that our answer is ‘Hell no,'” Johnston said, defending the restrictions as necessary to curb gun violence.

Denver’s law, originally passed in 1989, bans certain semiautomatic firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines.

Supporters of gun rights argue the measure unfairly targets weapons that are protected under the Constitution and owned by millions of Americans.

The Colorado State Shooting Association welcomed the DOJ’s involvement and said it recently met with Blanche to discuss firearm regulations in the state.

Legal experts say the case could set the stage for a split among federal appeals courts, a development that often leads the Supreme Court to take up the issue.