Here’s Why Judge Blocked Blue State’s Gun Ban
A Virginia judge informed officials in the state that a newly passed ban on modern semiautomatic firearms was blocked across the state in a Tuesday letter, citing the potential for a “treacherous patchwork” in the state.
A Virginia judge informed officials in the state that a newly passed ban on modern semiautomatic firearms was blocked across the state in a Tuesday letter, citing the potential for a “treacherous patchwork” in the state.
Shortly after Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the ban on so-called “assault weapons,” SB 749, into law on May 14, pro-Second Amendment organizations, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), Gun Owners of America (GOA), Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed lawsuits seeking to have the ban invalidated on Second Amendment grounds. The letter from Washington County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Campbell extending the injunction to cover non-parties cited issues that could arise should someone transport a modern semiautomatic firearm across county lines.
“If they crossed the line into Grayson County then, arguably, they could be charged… since the coverage of the injunction would not extend therein,” Campbell wrote in the letter. “This court has concerns about the treacherous patchwork of enforcement that this may lead to for the Plaintiffs and law enforcement alike.”
The court also addressed whether it had the authority to issue a statewide injunction, noting the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in CASA v. Trump, in which the high court said that district courts exceeded their authority with “universal injunctions.” In the semi-auto case, the judge granted the injunction citing provisions of Virginia state law.