The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSR) releases monthly adjusted FBI figures on NICS background checks for gun purchases, both raw and adjusted to exclude permit applications and other non-retail functions.
While national figures show a continued appetite for legal firearms and ammunition, one state in particular stands out in the most recent NSSF tally.
Old Dominion gun owners are stocking up before July 1
Virginians know that Gov. Abigail Spanberger, on May 14th, signed into law a ban on so-called “assault firearms,” including the uber-popular AR-15. On July 1, law-abiding state residents will no longer be able to purchase or transfer prohibited firearms.
That’s why anti-gunners should not be shocked by the glaring 103 percent increase in NICS checks from Virginia last month over May 2025. That’s more than double the previous figure, and the state ranks only behind Texas in monthly sales of long guns.
The May total continued the meteoric increase in Virginia firearm purchasers after the Spanberger regime began its all-out assault on the right to keep and bear arms.
Prosecutors and even sheriffs refuse to violate the Second Amendment
NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi noted that misguided state leaders are solely responsible for the explosion in gun sales.
“It’s not coincidental that firearm sales are skyrocketing in the Old Dominion at the same time that Governor Abigail Spanberger put a deadline for Virginians to legally purchase a Modern Sporting Rifle,” Bartozzi observed in a statement. “This is cause and effect. The exponential increase of background checks in Virginia has been rising each month this year as the unconstitutional gun ban became clearer and is now a political reality.”
Smyth County Commonwealth’s Attorney Phillip Blevins Jr. is one of at least 14 prosecutors who have already taken a stand against the looming gun ban.
“I took an oath to uphold both the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia,” Smyth told law enforcement officials. “That oath requires more than mechanical enforcement of statutes. I must exercise prosecutorial discretion, constitutional judgment, and fidelity to the rule of law. As such, my office will not support criminal charges resulting solely from technical violations of the unconstitutional assault weapon ban.”
Imagine the unbridled fury from anti-2A state officials. One glaring example came from Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi (D), who claimed these prosecutors are somehow in violation of their oaths.
“Although these prosecutors cite concerns related to the Second Amendment, 11 states, now including Virginia, have similar laws, and just last year, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear a case on Maryland’s prohibition of assault weapons and declined to consider a challenge to Rhode Island’s ban on large-capacity magazines.”
Multiple wrongs hardly make a right, but Hashmi went on to say that the high court “seemingly agrees with state-level regulations.”
Of course, civil libertarians do not excuse SCOTUS for mishandling the controversy. However, that’s another issue for another time, and the pending law demands strong opposition.
The open rebellion by prosecutors and even some sheriffs does not sit well with Delegate Dan Helmer (D), who helped write the “assault weapon” ban.
“The expectation of those who elected you and the oath that you have sworn to uphold is that you are going to follow the law,” Helmer said. “We have passed the law. We have made it clear. We had elections that elected the people who ran on a platform of saying we were going to do this. The people were with us. And now, it is your job to do your job or get out of the way.”
As for Virginia Citizens Defense League President Phillip Van Cleave, he voiced his respect for the more than a dozen state officials who put duty over politics.
“You cannot pass a law that violates the Constitution. If you do, it’s not a law,” Van Cleave declared. “So, the fact that these prosecutors and sheriffs are saying that they will honor their oath to defend and protect the Constitution is fantastic.”
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