Boulder Judge Ends Assault Weapons Ban Amid National Debate Over Gun Control

In this Dec. 9, 2015, photo, a sales associate walks past semiautomatic rifles at Bullseye Sport gun shop in Riverside, Calif. The massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in which a mentally disturbed young man killed 26 children and teachers galvanized calls across the nation for tighter gun controls. But in the three years since, many states have moved in the opposite direction, embracing the National Rifle Associations response that more good guys with guns are whats needed to limit the carnage of mass shootings. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The Boulder, Colorado supermarket shooting that left 10 people dead on Monday has put a spotlight on a recent court decision that blocked the city from enforcing a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Boulder County District Judge Andrew Hartman on March 12 agreed with plaintiffs that Boulder’s ban on possessing and transferring commonly-possessed “assault weapons” and ten-round magazines were not allowed under city law, effectively overturning the ban.