The legal war against Virginia’s pending “assault firearm” ban produced two significant victories for those opposed to the state’s brazen gun grabbing. Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) radical suppression of fundamental rights was to take effect on July 1, but barring a last-second surprise, it is on hold.
Lawmakers passed, and Spanberger signed into law, a measure to prohibit the most popular long guns in the U.S., as well as magazines with a 15-plus round capacity. Powerful Second Amendment groups rose up and challenged the ban.
The National Rifle Association (NFA) sued state officials in May.
Judge agreed that Virginia’s ‘assault firearm’ ban violates the state constitution
On Monday, Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell of the Washington Circuit Court found a high likelihood that, based on the clear wording of the Virginia Constitution, courts will reject the controversial ban on popular semi-automatic weapons.
Campbell wrote: “This injunction shall remain in effect until further Order of this Court or no later than July 1, 2027, consistent with the Governor’s recently passed budget amendment, and this matter is continued on the docket of this Court for any additional proceedings as the parties may so advise.”
Gun groups won favorable rulings in separate legal actions
NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford celebrated the 11th-hour legal victory over Virginia’s anti-Second Amendment cabal.
“The NRA’s world-class legal team delivered a clear, powerful argument demonstrating that Abigail Spanberger’s gun ban is a blatant constitutional infringement on the rights of law-abiding Virginians,” Commerford announced in a statement. “Our strategy has now secured a comprehensive statewide injunction, blocking enforcement of this law until the courts hear our full case.”
The gun rights advocate cautioned supporters that “the mission is not complete.” State officials have a deep reservoir of taxpayer dollars to prop up oppressive laws that they will undoubtedly dip into.
Monday’s important ruling was the second blow delivered to Virginia officials in recent days.
Last week, Lancaster County Circuit Judge John Martin granted an injunction to the plaintiffs in Crump v. Katz. Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundation, the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), and a private citizen sued the state government over the looming ban.
The GOA noted on social media that Martin’s injunction “delays enforcement from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026.” The favorable ruling came despite the court finding that only the private citizen, John Crump, had standing to sue Virginia officials over the sweeping firearm ban.
While multiple courts found the semi-automatic ban is likely illegal under the Virginia Constitution, gun owners rushed to retailers to purchase these ubiquitous weapons.
This created yet another controversy, though there are mixed opinions from gun rights supporters as to the cause.
Firearms flew off the shelves for weeks ahead of the prohibition, creating yet another mess for officials to clean up. No less than the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission accused law enforcement officials of purposefully stalling background checks for the law-abiding public.
Andrew Ferguson has intimate knowledge of Richmond’s machinations, having previously served as the state’s solicitor general. He posted on X Saturday that a visit to a local gun dealer revealed the stalling tactics.
“The Virginia State Police is delaying background checks en masse in one of the most flagrant violations of our rights that I’ve seen,” Ferguson wrote.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon replied that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is following the state’s slide into more oppressive gun control. “We are all over this and other gun-grabbing nonsense nationally. Stay tuned!”
While federal officials suspect foul play, someone with boots on the ground in Old Dominion is not convinced.
VCDL President Philip Van Cleave argued that the rush to acquire soon-to-be-banned arms created a logjam in the VSP.
“I don’t want to be unfair to the Virginia State Police,” Van Cleave posted. “I’m not convinced that the delays are intentional. What has happened is gun sales have exploded ever place I go. Every gun store is packed. Gun shows are packed.”
The advocate added that the VSP likely has a system in place that is incapable of handling the recent rush to purchase weapons.
Either way, Virginia’s gun owners must be in a whirlwind over the state’s actions and judicial reactions. Stay tuned.
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