Abigail Spanberger didn’t talk much about gun control on the campaign trail (neither did Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, though that’s a topic for another post), but her website did boast of her support for bans on “large capacity” magazines, storage mandates, and several other gun control measures.
More importantly, Spanberger is likely to sign any and all gun control bills that get to her desk. With Democrats in control of both the House and Senate in Virginia, gun owners in the Old Dominion should prepare themselves for an onslaught of attacks on their Second Amendment rights.
What’s coming? Well, let’s look at some of the dozens of gun control bills that were vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this year. As NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action reported in March:
The bills vetoed by Governor Youngkin came from the long wish list of radical gun control activists. This included attempts to restrict the Constitutional rights of 18- to 20-year-old adults, dramatically expand gun-free zones that would have left law-abiding Virginians defenseless and enact a mandatory waiting period to take possession of a legally purchased firearm. In addition, the vetoed legislation would have banned a wide range of commonly owned firearms used by Virginians to hunt, compete and for self-defense.
At the very least, Virginians can expect bans on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, waiting periods for gun purchases, new “gun-free zones”, and a further weakening (if not outright repeal) of the state’s firearm preemption law. We may very well see bills banning the sale of handguns with cruciform trigger bars (like Glocks), legislation making it easier to sue gun makers for the actions of criminals, and a permit-to-purchase scheme for handguns.
The only thing that might prevent Democrats from turning Virginia’s gun laws into a mirror of California’s or New York’s is the risk of voter backlash two years from now, when every seat in the legislature will be up for grabs. But Democrat legislators could easily decide to pass the bulk of their anti-gun laws in 2026 and then take a breather in the 2027 election year.
We’ll also have to wait to see what the specifics of these bills look like. I wouldn’t be surprised to see competing “assault weapon ban” bills, for instance. Some rural Democrats might want to feign moderation on the issue by grandfathering in existing owners or limiting the ban to firearms with certain features, but I expect urban and suburban Democrats from Richmond and northern Virginia to push for a broader ban on almost all gas-operated semi-automatic firearms with registration requirements for existing owners.
Either way, though, we’re talking about severe infringements on a fundamental civil right, and if history is any guide we won’t have to wait long to see the first gun control bills of the 2026 session filed at the state capitol in Richmond.
There are dark days ahead for gun owners and Second Amendment advocates in Virginia, but we aren’t going to give up or stop fighting for our right to keep and bear arms. What can gun owners do to fight back?
I suspect we’ll see the return of thousands of gun owners to the Virginia Citizens Defense League’s Lobby Day rally, as opposed to the dozens who’ve attended while Youngkin was around to veto anti-gun bills. A second wave of Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions and ordinances adopted in the red parts of the Commonwealth is also likely, and there will undoubtably be lawsuits filed against the most egregious gun control bills that Spanberger signs into law.
If you’re a Virginia gun owner and not yet a member of VCDL or the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, now’s the time to sign up. Support national groups like NRA, GOA, SAF, and FPC, who’ll be leading the way on litigating new anti-2A laws. And lets start organizing now so that in 2027 we can regain control of at least one chamber of the legislature and block the advancement of any more gun control legislation.
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