The legislation signed Thursday by Governor Abigail Spanberger makes Virginia the latest Democratic-led state to enact a ban on semi-automatic firearms frequently targeted by gun-safety advocates. Spanberger, a former CIA officer and volunteer with Moms Demand Action, called the weapons “firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties” and said they “do not belong on our streets.” The law goes into effect July 1.
The NRA, joined by the Second Amendment Foundation, sued in both federal and state court, arguing the ban violates the Second Amendment. “The firearms and magazines banned in this law aren’t bizarre and unusual outliers, they’re among the most commonly owned guns and magazines in the country,” said Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation. The U.S. Department of Justice has also vowed to challenge the law. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, wrote to Spanberger in April that the measure would “infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to enjoy and use AR-15 rifles.”
Legal precedent, however, has favored such bans. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Virginia, twice upheld Maryland’s similar law, describing the firearms as “military-style weapons” ill-suited for self-defense. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in that case last year, though three conservative justices dissented and a fourth expressed skepticism, leaving gun-rights advocates hopeful.
Spanberger’s action represents a dramatic policy turn in Virginia. Her predecessor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, vetoed similar legislation in each of the past two years. But Spanberger’s election and Democratic legislative majorities gave advocates an opening. The bill was among more than two dozen gun restrictions the governor has signed since January. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, noted the symbolism: “The fact that a former Moms Demand Action volunteer just signed an assault weapons ban in the home state of the NRA speaks volumes about how dramatically the political calculus around gun safety has shifted.”
The same day, Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature gave final approval to a school ranger program that could allow trained volunteers, including teachers, to carry firearms in schools. In recent weeks, Spanberger also signed laws raising the handgun purchase age to 21 and opening new grounds for lawsuits against the firearms industry. Meanwhile, West Virginia lowered its concealed-carry age to 18, and Utah limited liability lawsuits against gun makers.