Virginia House Delays Semi-Automatic Firearm Ban after Court Ruling
The Virginia House of Delegates decided on Monday to push back the start date of a ban on carrying modern semi-automatic firearms, following a recent court loss.
A judge in Lancaster County issued a preliminary injunction on Friday after a lawsuit was brought by a Second Amendment advocacy group. The Virginia state assembly, under Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, passed amendments with a vote of 56-34 on Monday.
“The public carry ban on ‘assault rifles’ will now be postponed for one year,” said Philip Van Cleve, president of the Virginia Civil Defense League, as he spoke about the decision. “So, you can’t purchase it yet.”
A little while after the announcement, social media buzzed with reactions. Gun Owners of America (GOA) mentioned, “Obtaining a preliminary injunction against Virginia’s ban has resulted in Congress agreeing to delay the gun ban until 2027. They clearly know they’ve lost.”
Spanberger had previously signed the “assault weapons” ban, SB 749, which took effect on May 14, provoking immediate legal challenges from advocacy groups. This legislation not only targets “assault weapons” but also restricts standard-capacity magazines to a limit of 15 rounds as of July 1.
In the state budget amendment passed during a special session, there was a call for a one-year delay in the carry ban. A judge in Lancaster County noted that the ban on modern semi-automatic firearms was blocked until December 31. The NRA announced a statewide injunction originating from a ruling by Washington County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Campbell.
Gun owners across Virginia, including Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, have been trying to purchase modern semi-automatics before the ban takes effect. Ferguson expressed frustration over apparent delays in processing background checks, claiming, “I recently visited a local gun shop in Virginia and saw rights being violated,” insisting the Virginia State Police were lagging.
“The General Assembly has postponed the implementation of the ban on carrying ‘assault rifles’ in public until July 1, 2027, so the current Carry Law remains unchanged for another year,” Van Cleve noted.
Moreover, Virginia State Police are currently overwhelmed, processing over 100,000 transactions in June alone, averaging more than 5,000 per day. Public Affairs Director Robin Lawson assured the public that they are trying to expedite these transactions amidst the surge. Van Cleve added that many of these issues seem to stem from the unexpected volume of requests rather than any malicious intent from the police.
However, Ferguson did not answer multiple requests for comments on the situation.
