The curtain is coming down on the 2026 Virginia General Assembly’s legislative session, and it is as bad as Second Amendment advocates feared after the last election.
The previous virtual deadlock in state politics shifted toward the anti-gunners’ agenda, and they are flush with excitement over their newfound power.
At least five gun control measures cleared the session already and are destined for Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) to sign—and she doubtlessly will. Even more are in the works as lawmakers prepare to return home in the coming days.
Lawmakers this week approved a sweeping ban on modern sporting rifles
On Monday, lawmakers approved the crown jewel of the session: Senate Bill 749. This would ban virtually all popular sporting rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds.
John Commerford is the Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). He responded to the bill’s passage with a scathing rebuke for anti-gunners who lack respect for fundamental rights.
“Gun-grabbing politicians in Virginia are leaving no stone unturned in their relentless pursuit to harass and disarm lawful gun owners,” the advocate observed. “These extreme bills heading to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk represent yet another blatant attempt to implement sweeping bans on commonly owned firearms and essential firearm parts.”
Governor is expected to sign sweeping new gun control bills into law
Commerford added that if these bills are indeed signed into law, Virginia’s leaders will face a powerful legal challenge.
State Sen. Mark Obenshain (R) ripped his colleagues for advancing “one of the more extreme bills that is gonna pass this year.” The pro-Second Amendment legislator noted that the only Virginia residents who will abide by this prohibition are those not committing violent crimes.
“The people who are gonna obey this law, they’re gonna be the law-abiders, they’re not gonna be the people who engage in the mass shootings or other criminal conduct,” Obenshain said.
Without intervention, the ban will take effect on July 1, 2026. And there are many more moving on to the governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 27 and House Bill 21 directly target the firearms industry by exposing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to malicious lawfare intended to drive them into the ground.
Never mind that strong federal protections have been in place for two decades to shield the industry from frivolous lawsuits supported by unlimited taxpayer dollars.
These institutions must abide by arbitrary standards of “responsible conduct” as determined by Virginia’s Second Amendment opponents. Then there’s the opening for civil actions against industry members for alleged violations of these standards.
Senate Bill 727 would ban possessing a wide array of standard firearms on public property. These include popular semi-automatic weapons that are owned by tens of millions of law-abiding Americans, and the prohibition extends to standard capacity magazines.
And if House Bill 40 is signed into law as expected, Virginians will no longer be permitted to build firearms with their own hands. A fine American tradition of craftsmanship and self-sufficiency will be no more if and when Spanberger signs the measure.
Philip Van Cleave with the Virginia Citizens Defense League blasted the proposals already rammed through the Legislature and those still in the pipeline.
“It’s clear from a previous Supreme Court decision you cannot prohibit popular firearms in common use, and the AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America,” Van Cleave declared.
Again, expect a legal challenge before the ink is dry on the documents after Spanberger signs them. Second Amendment organizations knew this was coming after November’s disappointing results, and the fight will soon enter a new phase.
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