An increasing number of prosecutors in Virginia have declared they will not implement the state’s ban on assault weapons, as reported by WAVY10.
On Monday, Breitbart News highlighted that Ryan Mehaffey, a prosecutor in Virginia and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, stated he would not enforce the assault weapons ban enacted by Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger.
Mehaffey, who serves as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Spotsylvania County, communicated his stance in a letter to the county sheriff, asserting that the ban is “unconstitutional and cannot be legally enforced.”
He remarked, “When our nation’s founders crafted the original documents, they were deliberate in preserving the essential rights of the people to protect themselves and their communities. . . . The pivotal question for constitutional evaluation will be whether this measure has any sensible connection to the sustenance of a regulated militia.”
WAVY10 also noted that prosecutors from Pulaski and Powhatan counties have joined this refusal to enforce the ban.
Justin Griffith, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Pulaski County, expressed in a letter that, “The enforcement of criminal law is up to each local Commonwealth’s Attorney.”
Griffith further stated, “I will not penalize a law-abiding citizen on June 30, 2026, or July 1, 2026, simply based on this new law.”
