Lead Patriot

Right Leaning Commentary

Despite SCOTUS Ruling, VA Tries to Ban Common Rifles
The Scoop

Despite SCOTUS Ruling, VA Tries to Ban Common Rifles

Virginia Democrats just detonated one of the biggest Second Amendment fights the state has seen in years, and the legal fireworks started almost immediately.

On Thursday, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Senate Bill 749 into law, officially banning the purchase, sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of a wide range of firearms classified by the state as “assault weapons,” including AR-15-style rifles. Starting July 1, 2026, violating the law could land Virginians with a Class 1 misdemeanor charge and a temporary loss of firearm rights for three years after conviction.

And wow, the backlash hit fast.

The bill itself came from Democrat State Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, who represents heavily progressive Fairfax County. Salim, a Bangladesh-born lawmaker, pushed the measure through the Democrat-controlled General Assembly earlier this year, but then things got even more aggressive. Spanberger actually sent the bill back with amendments that would have tightened the restrictions further. Lawmakers ultimately rejected her additions, but the original legislation still made it to her desk for signature.

Now Virginia is staring straight at a constitutional showdown.


The law goes beyond simply banning certain rifles. It also targets “large capacity ammunition feeding devices,” criminalizing their sale, transfer, or purchase. The wording carves out some exceptions for antique firearms and manually operated rifles like bolt-action or lever-action guns, but gun-rights groups argue the scope is still enormous and directly conflicts with Supreme Court precedent.

That’s where this gets politically dangerous for Spanberger.

The lawsuits were filed almost before the governor finished the signing ceremony. The NRA launched challenges in both federal and state court. The Second Amendment Foundation jumped in with its own complaint. Then Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon tossed gasoline on the fire by reposting the legislation online with a blunt message: “See you in court!”

That wasn’t just social media theater. A lot of legal analysts think Virginia may have walked directly into a losing battle.

Professor Jonathan Turley immediately pointed to one sentence in Spanberger’s own signing statement that could become a massive problem in court. The governor said she regretted that lawmakers refused to adopt her amendment carving out “certain firearms frequently used for hunting.”

That line matters because under recent Supreme Court rulings, firearms that are commonly owned for lawful purposes receive much stronger constitutional protection.

And here’s the awkward part for Spanberger: by publicly acknowledging that commonly used hunting rifles are covered under the ban, critics argue she may have just handed challengers evidence to use against her own law.

Turley and other legal observers believe the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen could ultimately doom the legislation. Heller established that Americans possess an individual right to bear arms, while Bruen dramatically tightened the constitutional test governments must meet when restricting firearms.


Translation? Courts now have to examine whether modern gun restrictions fit within the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Gun-rights groups insist Virginia’s new ban doesn’t come close.

And then there’s the rebellion happening inside Virginia itself.

At least two commonwealth’s attorneys — Philip Blevins in Smyth County and Ryan Mehaffey in Spotsylvania County — have already announced they will not enforce the law. Blevins flatly called the measure “unconstitutional” and “unenforceable,” which is about as direct as it gets from a prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Salim is celebrating online, calling the bill a “monumental victory for public safety,” while gun owners across the state are preparing for what could become one of the next major Second Amendment battles to reach the Supreme Court.

Politically, this may become bigger than Virginia.

Written by Arthur Higgens - May 19, 2026