Spanberger Signs Assault Weapons Ban as NRA Files Lawsuits
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an assault weapons ban on Thursday, setting a July 1 start date for a law that bars the sale and manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms. The National Rifle Association responded with lawsuits in federal and state court, and the Justice Department said it will seek to block enforcement.
The measure makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, to buy, sell, transfer, import or manufacture an assault firearm. For most people, simple possession is not penalized.
Spanberger's new gun law
The law defines an assault firearm to include semi-automatic rifles or pistols with magazine capacity of more than 15 rounds, along with rifles that accept a detachable magazine and have a second handgrip or a collapsible stock. It also applies to magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds. Spanberger said Friday, “Firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets” and added, “We are taking this step to protect families and support the law enforcement officers who work every day to keep our communities safe.”
The legislation is one of two dozen new gun restrictions and regulations Spanberger has enacted in her first few months in office. Eleven other states and Washington, D.C., already prohibit the sale and manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms, though the details vary. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Virginia, Maryland and several additional states, has previously upheld a Maryland law banning dozens of types of semi-automatic weapons.
NRA and Justice Department lawsuits
The NRA sued after Spanberger signed the measure, arguing in federal and state court that the law should not take effect. The Justice Department’s civil rights division took the same position earlier, with assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon writing in an April letter that the measure would “infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to enjoy and use AR-15 rifles for lawful purposes by making it a crime to purchase and sell them.”
Adam Kraut of the Second Amendment Foundation said after the lawsuits were filed, “The firearms and magazines banned in this law aren’t bizarre and unusual outliers, they’re among the most commonly owned guns and magazines in the country” and “They’re owned in the tens of millions by peaceable Americans who use them overwhelmingly lawfully.” The court fight now moves ahead before the law’s July 1 start date, with the state facing challenges in both federal and state court.
