Judge Aileen Cannon is questioning a defense "theory" concerning a gun tied to last year's second alleged assignation attempt on then-former President Donald Trump.Newsweek reached out for comment to attorneys representing defendant Ryan Routh via email on Friday.Why It MattersRouth was arrested on September 15 after allegedly being spotted with a rifle pointed through a fence at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The incident came roughly two months after a bullet grazed Trump's ear during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.While Trump was not in the rifle's line of fire and no shots were fired, Routh was charged with the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and several other felony crimes. He has pleaded not guilty.Cannon, a Trump appointee, was assigned to handle the Routh case in what former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb called "a remarkable coincidence." She previously faced accusations of pro-Trump bias for her handling of his federal classified documents case, which was dismissed in July 2024.What To KnowDuring a court hearing on Friday morning, Routh defense attorney Kristy Militello told Cannon that her team wants to test the rifle used in the alleged assassination attempt to find out whether or not the weapon "is ever operable," according to WPTV in West Palm Beach.Since no shots were fired at the scene of the alleged crime, investigators never tested the weapon. Prosecutors reportedly objected to the request for testing on Friday, arguing that testing the weapon would be "irregular, unsafe and never been used.""Is it your theory that the weapon could not have fired within the distance alleged?" Cannon asked after Militello raised the issue, according to WPTV."It [the rifle] is old, and we want our expert to determine is it operable, is it accurate, what kind of distance can it reach?" Routh's attorney responded.Following Routh's arrest, federal prosecutors said that the FBI recovered an SKS semiautomatic rifle—a weapon designed in the Soviet Union roughly 80 years ago—along with a backpack and other items in an area where the suspect had allegedly been hiding. The age of the particular rifle tied to Routh was unclear.What People Are SayingPresident Donald Trump told the New York Post last month: "I want to find out about the two assassins....Why did the one guy have six cell phones and why did the other guy have [foreign] apps?...I'm entitled to know."What Happens NextRoth is facing a potential sentence of life in prison if he is convinced. His trial is scheduled to begin on September 8 and expected to last about two weeks.