Virginia Prosecutor Refuses to Enforce 15-Round Magazine Ban Signed by Spanberger
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 25
Virginia Prosecutor Refuses to Enforce 15-Round Magazine Ban Signed by Spanberger
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 25
Spotsylvania Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey told the county sheriff he will not enforce Virginia’s new gun ban, calling the law unconstitutional before it takes effect in July.
The measure signed last week by Gov. Abigail Spanberger bans future sale and manufacture of many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns, and bars magazines holding more than 15 rounds.
Mehaffey argues the Second Amendment protects ownership of a basic infantry weapon for community defense, saying modern equivalents include rifles such as the M4A1 with a 30-round magazine.
Smyth County prosecutor Phillip Blevins has also said he will not enforce the law, while the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation are challenging it in court.
Spanberger’s office called the ban a critical public-safety step, but the dispute sets up a broader clash over local enforcement discretion and the law’s constitutional fate in Virginia.
When local prosecutors openly defy a new state gun law, who ultimately holds the power to enforce it?
With modern rifles having no 18th-century equivalent, how can courts use history to judge Virginia's new gun ban?