{"id":117167,"date":"2026-06-03T19:04:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=117167"},"modified":"2026-06-03T19:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:04:16","slug":"117167","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=117167","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shootingnewsweekly.com\/gun-control\/more-virginia-counties-announce-they-wont-enforce-spanbergers-assault-firearms-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More Virginia Counties Announce They Won\u2019t Enforce Spanberger\u2019s \u2018Assault Firearms\u2019 Ban<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While Virginia\u2019s bans on \u201cassault firearms\u201d and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20260514\/virginia-spanberger-doubles-down-on-semi-auto-ban-nra-doubles-down-on-lawsuits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">signed into law<\/a>\u00a0on May 14, and is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, it remains to be seen if the bans actually go into effect, and if they do, whether and where they will actually be enforced in the Old Dominion.<\/p>\n<p>As we reported the day Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the clearly unconstitutional ban on some of the most popular firearms and magazines in America, NRA, working with other organizations and two individuals, immediately\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20260514\/nra-files-federal-lawsuit-challenging-virginia-s-assault-firearm-and-magazine-bans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed a federal lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The complaint argues that Virginia\u2019s bans are unconstitutional because they prohibit many of the most commonly possessed arms in the nation. As the U.S. Supreme Court held in\u00a0<em>District of Columbia v. Heller<\/em>, a ban on arms \u201cin common use\u201d violates the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>NRA, working again with others,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20260514\/nra-announces-state-lawsuit-challenging-virginia-s-assault-firearm-and-magazine-bans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed a separate suit<\/a>\u00a0that same day that challenges the new law in state court. That complaint argues that the bans violate the arms guarantee in Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution. It further contends that, because the Virginia Supreme Court has interpreted that provision as coextensive with the Second Amendment, it bars prohibitions on commonly-owned arms.<\/p>\n<p>There have been other legal challenges to these bans, and there may soon be one coming from the Trump administration\u2019s Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division. U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, has been leading the charge to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20251222\/doj-again-goes-to-court-to-defend-2a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">file federal challenges<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20251223\/doj-files-lawsuit-challenging-district-of-columbia-s-assault-weapons-ban\">a number of anti-gun laws<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20260511\/beyond-colorado-doj-lawsuits-herald-a-national-defense-of-the-second-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">violate the protections enshrined in the Second Amendment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After it was announced that the Virginia bans had been signed, Dhillon quickly posted to X,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AAGDhillon\/status\/2055099927659790555\">\u201cSee you in court!\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p><center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2055099927659790555&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shootingnewsweekly.com%2Fgun-control%2Fmore-virginia-counties-announce-they-wont-enforce-spanbergers-assault-firearms-ban%2F&amp;sessionId=ff972ac4264a1f8e91ff857153788ee3d4e8a936&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2055099927659790555\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/center><br \/>\nHow quickly the courts will act on these challenges is anybody\u2019s guess, and regardless of what decisions are handed down, it\u2019s unlikely any of them will be resolved until every step of the appeals process in either the federal or state courts is exhausted. If the courts rule in favor of the Second Amendment or the Virginia arms guarantee, anti-gun Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones will surely appeal. And if any ruling goes the other way, NRA and others will appeal.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>So, we could be looking at several years of court cases.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, there\u2019s the very real possibility that the bans will be neutered in other ways; at least in parts of Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2026\/may\/26\/virginia-prosecutors-refuse-enforce-new-gun-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Washington Times<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that prosecutors in five Virginia counties have indicated there will be no prosecutions under the new law in their jurisdictions. Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys in Powhatan, Pulaski, Scott, Smyth, and Spotsylvania Counties have all signaled there will be no prosecutions for otherwise law-abiding Virginians simply possessing the items Governor Spanberger is trying to eradicate.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, prosecutions for actual offenses committed by criminals while in possession of<em>\u00a0any<\/em>\u00a0firearms\u2014irrespective of their status as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d guns as determined by anti-gun extremists\u2014will continue in these counties.<\/p>\n<p>Pulaski County Commonwealth\u2019s Attorney Justin L. Griffith stated, \u201cI am not going to take law-abiding citizens as of June 30th, 2026, and criminalize that same behavior on July 1st, 2026, solely on the basis of this new law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJustice has been and will continue to be sought against those that use guns in the commission of crimes, outside of this new law,\u201d Griffith went on to say. \u201cAs such, my office will not support criminal charges resulting solely from technical violations of the unconstitutional assault weapon ban.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/royalexaminer.com\/warren-county-prosecutor-says-office-will-not-pursue-certain-new-virginia-gun-law-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The\u00a0<em>Royal Examiner<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Warren County Commonwealth\u2019s Attorney John S. Bell has stated his office will also not prosecute violations of the new law as long as no other criminal activity is involved.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019re currently at six counties, thus far, where Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys will do what they can to protect the Second Amendment against Spanberger\u2019s unconstitutional bans.\u00a0 In addition,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoland.com\/2026\/05\/virginia-officials-rebel-sheriffs-and-prosecutors-refuse-to-enforce-new-gun-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ammoland reports<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cseven sheriffs from Amherst, Campbell, Carroll, Page, Floyd, Scott, and Washington counties have told their departments that the ban will not be enforced. Additionally, 58 localities have enacted protections to prevent the enforcement of the new gun laws.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to this deluge of opposition, radical anti-gun AG Jay Jones\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginiascope.com\/some-commonwealth-attorneys-vow-to-not-enforce-new-gun-ban-in-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told the\u00a0<em>Virginia Scope<\/em><\/a>, \u201cGun violence is a key driver of violent crime, and the leading cause of death for young people in our Commonwealth. The General Assembly passed and the Governor signed critical legislation to reduce violent crime and protect our communities. Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys are elected to enforce our laws, which is what we expect them to do when these laws take effect on July 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the same Jay Jones\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20251013\/firearm-prohibition-advocates-mute-on-jay-jones-two-bullets-to-the-head-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">who once implied<\/a>\u00a0that, in a hypothetical scenario of deciding to eliminate two of history\u2019s worst genocidal madmen or a specific current Republican politician (no, not Donald Trump), he suggested eliminating the Republican. Jones was also accused of suggesting the same Republican, then Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, should experience his \u201cwife (watching) her own child die in her arms so that Gilbert might reconsider his political views\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spanberger\u2019s office issued a similar message (similar to the response to the new gun ban, not the horrific personal attack on Gilbert) to the\u00a0<em>Virginia Scope<\/em>, stating, \u201cGovernor Spanberger believes that firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on Virginia streets.\u00a0 This important step to protect families, law enforcement officers, and communities from gun violence was passed by majorities in the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor. The people of Virginia must be able to trust that all Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys will uphold the rule of law and keep Virginians safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while prosecutorial discretion has always been a hallmark of our nation\u2019s judicial process, the apparent objection to it in this case by these top Virginia Dems is tinged with a bit of irony. During the administration of another recent anti-gun governor, Ralph Northam, a law was enacted that strengthened this discretion. This was in response to certain Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys deciding they wouldn\u2019t prosecute some misdemeanor marijuana cases, but the law that forced judges to grant a motion to dismiss certain cases emanating from Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys would also apply to cases involving Spanberger\u2019s bans.<\/p>\n<p>Will anti-gun extremists now try to force through a new law that would create a carve-out to force the prosecution of these gun cases? Only time will tell, but such an effort would certainly be met with strong opposition, and if successful, yet another round of lawsuits.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Virginia is likely to remain headline material in the debate over the Second Amendment for the foreseeable future, so stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More Virginia Counties Announce They Won\u2019t Enforce Spanberger\u2019s \u2018Assault Firearms\u2019 Ban While Virginia\u2019s bans on \u201cassault firearms\u201d and magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds was\u00a0signed into law\u00a0on May 14, and is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, it remains to be seen if the bans actually go into effect, and if &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=117167\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law-order"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117168,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117167\/revisions\/117168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}