Colorado Court of Appeals upholds lawsuit against law banning the purchase of rifles for citizens under 21

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners against a law that would have prevented people between the ages of 18 and 21 from buying any rifle in the state of Colorado.

According to the Governor, the intent was to close a loophole in an original law put into effect in 1968, which prohibited people under 21 to buy a pistol. But anyone over 18 could still buy a rifle.

"This new law approved by the legislature closes that loophole and Governor Polis hopes that the courts agree with him that the law is fully consistent with the Second Amendment and reduces confusion," the Governor's office said in an email statement.

"I think it makes sense to extend that because a long gun can do just as much damage, in many cases, even much more damage than a handgun." Tom Mauser, board member and spokesperson for Colorado Ceasefire said.

Tom's son died in the Columbine shooting. In support of this law, he says that he wanted no one else to go through what he had -- losing a son to gun violence.

"Groups like the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners are going to be challenging every gun law possible," said Mauser. "They just do not believe in having any restrictions whatsoever. And that's just simply not realistic in this day and age. We can't go back. We can't go back to 1789."

But Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the organization behind this lawsuit, says that as soon as the ink dried on the new law, they filed an injunction because they thought it was unconstitutional. Taylor Rhodes, the executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners estimates that this suit will cost their organization $750 thousand dollars and could take years to get through the court system.

"This lawsuit is essentially saying that every peaceable 18 to 20-year-old has the exact same rights as those of a 25-year-old or 30-year-old, a 50-year-old, 80-year-old and so on," Rhodes said.

And after yesterday's decision, Rhodes is confident that their case will win.

"Frankly, after our ruling yesterday, this is a slam dunk," said Rhodes.

It's not that Rhodes isn't concerned about gun violence. He just doesn't think that banning guns will solve the issue. For now, Rhodes is prepared to fight for the next few years, if that is what it takes.

"It could take a very long time. And that's why this last ruling is so important to us," Rhodes said.