Virginia Judge Blocks Assault Weapons Ban in 6 Localities Until July 2027
Updated
Updated · Courthouse News Service · Jun 29
Virginia Judge Blocks Assault Weapons Ban in 6 Localities Until July 2027
3 articles · Updated · Courthouse News Service · Jun 29
Summary
A Virginia circuit judge halted enforcement of the state’s new assault-weapons and large-capacity magazine ban just two days before it was set to take effect, covering six localities and the Virginia State Police.
Judge Jeffrey Campbell said the law likely violates Virginia’s 1971 right-to-bear-arms provision and would also likely fail under the Second Amendment framework set by Heller and the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision.
The seven-page ruling found the ban swept in commonly owned semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15-style firearms, and rejected the state’s reliance on a 1934 automatic-weapons law as a historical analogue.
Attorney General Jay Jones said Virginia will appeal, while the NRA and Republican state Senator Bill Stanley, who argued for the plaintiffs, called the injunction an early but significant win.
The order remains in force until July 1, 2027, or a final ruling, and follows a separate preliminary injunction issued four days earlier by a Lancaster County judge against the same ban.
With Virginia's gun ban on hold, can the state's appeal satisfy the Supreme Court's strict historical standard?
Virginia’s Assault Weapons Ban Halted: Legal Showdown Over Gun Rights and Public Safety Intensifies Ahead of July 1, 2026
Overview
Just before Virginia's new assault weapons ban was set to take effect on July 1, 2026, Lancaster County Circuit Judge John Martin issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily halted its enforcement. This decision came after a lawsuit from gun rights groups, who argued that the ban violated the right to bear arms under both the Virginia Constitution and the Second Amendment. Judge Martin based his ruling on the argument that the banned firearms, such as AR-15-style rifles and standard capacity magazines, are commonly used across the country, following the US Supreme Court's 'common use' standard. As a result, the law is paused while the legal battle continues.