DOJ now suing Colorado and Denver over assault weapons; Swipe fee bill passes CO Senate; Scaled-back AI bill moves ahead

Headlines Thursday, May 7, 2026

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    DOJ now suing Colorado and Denver over assault weapons; Swipe fee bill passes CO Senate; Scaled-back AI bill moves ahead KGNU News

 

US DOJ suing Colorado and Denver over assault weapon bans

The U-S Department of Justice sued Colorado today/Wednesday over the state’s ban on high-capacity gun magazines. The suit challenges a 2013 law banning magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

The DOJ argues the law violates the Second Amendment because 15-round magazines are standard for many firearms. But Attorney General Phil Weiser is calling the lawsuit “dangerous overreach” from the federal government.

State lawmakers passed the ban following the 20-12 Aurora movie theater shooting, where the gunman used a high-capacity magazine during the attack.

The DOJ also filed a lawsuit against Denver this week over the city’s ban on assault weapons.

 

Swipe fee bill passed CO Senate

An effort at the state capitol to reduce credit card swipe fees is pitting banks against retailers, restaurants and other businesses. Senate Bill 26-134 passed the legislature Wednesday and now heads to the Governor’s desk.

When you pull out your credit card at a store or restaurant, that business pays the bank a percentage of your total charge as a swipe fee. The bill removes sales tax from the calculation, basing swipe fees only on the underlying purchase. Backers say it will help struggling local businesses, saving them thousands of dollars a year.

Democratic House Speaker Julie McCluskie is a sponsor. “When a merchant takes a credit card from a consumer and processes that card, they should not have to pay fees on the local or state taxes that they are collecting from that customer,” said McCluskie.

Banks are pushing back hard. They say it’s too complicated to isolate sales tax from the fees… and argue big box stores, not mom and pop shops, will benefit the most. A spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis said he would review the final bill when it reaches his desk.

 

Scaled-back AI bill moves ahead

A compromise and scaled back artificial intelligence bill is moving forward at the Colorado capitol to deal with potential discrimination in AI systems used to make consequential decisions about people’s lives. The bill targets AI used to determine everything from bank loans, to hiring. If someone gets an adverse decision the consumer can request human review. The proposal strips away a lot of the requirements set to go into effect this summer such as disclosures and testing from developers.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez is the main sponsor. He said “I’m not happy with the end product of this bill, but it’s a start and we’re still recognizing that.”

The AI law has taken multiple years to iron out. Opponents said it didn’t do enough to proactively protect consumers. But deployers of AI systems and developers and some civil liberty rights groups say they’re on board with it.

 

Idahoans petition to lift abortion ban

Idaho could join at least four other states this fall in voting on the future of abortion access. That’s after the ‘End the Ban’ initiative collected more than enough signatures by last week’s deadline.

Idaho’s abortion ban went into effect in 2022 and grants few exceptions, making it one of the strictest bans in the country. About a third of Idaho’s OB-GYNs left the state, creating both a maternal care and abortion services desert.

Kat Brand lives in Tetonia. But she’s looking out of state for care as she looks to start a family. She’s not alone. “My understanding is most women in the valley out of concern for their safety are opting for Jackson because Idaho Falls is in Idaho,” said Brand.

She was one of about 50 Teton Valley residents gathering signatures over several months to try and change that. “We set lofty goals that were beyond what the state required to get this on the ballot and we even surpassed those goals,” said Brand.

County clerks have until July 1 to confirm over 100-thousand signatures for the mid-terms.

 

Governor staff transparency law heads to Polis’ desk

Colorado lawmakers overwhelmingly approved legislation to treat some of the governor’s staff more like other lobbyists, an effort the Governor’s staff called absurd.

Only two House members rejected the bill. The rest – all 62 of them – thumbed their noses at Governor Jared Polis, voting in favor of making his staff publicly disclose their legislative positions and follow the same transparency rules as any outside lobbyist. That is if the governor signs the bill into law, which he does not seem inclined to do.

A Polis spokesperson says it’s an attempt to block his administration from crafting policy and called it quote “absurd” to treat his staff like lobbyists. He said Polis would sign the bill only if legislators also agreed to hold themselves to the same standards.

While it appears lawmakers do have the votes to override a governor’s veto, there’s not enough time left in the legislative session to pull that off.

 

You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show, with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

 

 

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