Though a Virginia judge has granted an injunction blocking the state police from enforcing the gun and magazine ban that’s set to take effect on July 1, a spokesperson for Virginia Attorney General Jay “Two Bullets” Jones says the injunction doesn’t stop local prosecutors and police from enforcing the law.
A spokesperson for @AGJayJones says it’s their understanding that yesterday’s decision in Lancaster County on Virginia’s assault weapons ban applies only to the Virginia State Police, and that local Commonwealth’s Attorneys can still enforce the ban on July 1, as of right now.… pic.twitter.com/ntbc4WDwLP
— Tyler Englander (@TylerEnglander) June 26, 2026
More than a dozen Commonwealth’s Attorneys have publicly stated they have no plans to do so, and that was before a judge in Lancaster County granted a motion for an injunction in Crump v. Katz on Thursday afternoon.
We’re also still awaiting a decision from a judge in Washington County, Virginia, where the NRA and Virginia Shooting Sports Association, along with other individual plaintiffs, have filed their own challenge to the upcoming ban on so-called assault firearms and large capacity magazines. In that case, plaintiffs attorney (and state senator) Bill Stanley is asking for an injunction blocking all law enforcement in the state from enforcing the ban on manufacturing, selling, and transferring many commonly owned firearms and magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds, along with a separate law that criminalizes the carrying of “assault firearms” in public.
While Jones is encouraging law enforcement to arrest anyone carrying, selling, manufacturing, or transferring these items, Gov. Abigail Spanberger responded to the news of the injunction with a statement that raises questions of its own.
Statement from Governor Spanberger spox: pic.twitter.com/lfrT6A8VB1
— Joe Dodson (@joedodson16) June 25, 2026
As I wrote on X, if Spanberger really believes that these guns are designed to “inflict maximum casualties”, then why are police exempt from the ban? And if she thinks that these guns have no place in our communities, can we assume that she also believes it should be illegal to possess these firearms, even if the ban grandfathers in current owners?
It’s also worth noting that Spanberger originally vetoed the gun and magazine ban bill and proposed a couple of changes. One would have made it a crime to carry a firearm equipped with a magazine that has a capacity greater than 15 rounds. The other would have removed several semi-automatic shotguns from the list of banned guns, because Spanberger said they have legitimate use for hunters. The Democrat-controlled legislature rejected those changes and Spanberger ultimately signed the bill, which means that even the governor admits the new law will prohibit the sale of at least some arms that are in common use for lawful purposes.
In a bizarre twist, though, the governor has also proposed new amendments to the law that she’s already signed. Spanberger released the text of the proposed amendments on Friday night, with lawmakers set to convene to vote on these measures on Monday at noon.
So far, this seems to be the only one dealing with the ban on “assault firearms”.
The governor is proposing a delayed enactment to the possession of firearms in public areas pic.twitter.com/Vqjx9Mlibx
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) June 26, 2026
There was speculation that Spanberger’s recommendations will be meant to strengthen the state’s defense of the ban, but so long as it still targets guns that are in common use for lawful purposes it remains susceptible to a court challenge. I’m not sure why she’s proposing this amendment, to be honest, especially since Jones and other Democrats have insisted that this can still be enforced by county and local law enforcement. This might moot a portion of the existing lawsuits that have been filed, but the ban on manufacture, sale, and transfer of “assault firearms” and “large capacity” magazines can still be challenged.
With less than a week to go before the July 1 effective date of the gun and magazine ban, the law is still very much in flux. One thing is certain, though: crowded gun stores across the Commonwealth this weekend, and booming sales for the arms Virginia Democrats want to remove from store shelves and online shopping carts.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun control policies and schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Read the full article here
