< p>DENVER (AP) — The Colorado sheriff whose county includes the movie theater where 12 people were killed says law-enforcement officers have no right to ignore gun-control laws unless the courts rule them unconstitutional.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson issued a statement Tuesday criticizing law-enforcement officials who have said they wouldn't enforce gun-control laws they consider unconstitutional.

Robinson says only courts have the authority to determine whether a law is constitutional. He says for police chiefs or sheriffs to do that would be the equivalent of having officers deciding whether people they arrest are guilty.

Robinson adds he supports gun rights under the Second Amendment.

Robinson's deputies helped respond to the July theater shootings in Aurora and are guarding the suspect in the county jail. Aurora city police are in charge of the investigation.