On Thursday, Gun Owners of America secured an injunction that blocks the Virginia State Police from enforcing the ban on AR-15s and similar rifles in the state.
The ban is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
The Courthouse News Service noted that Lancaster County Circuit Judge John Martin issued the injunction in a case filed by GOA, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, and Virginia resident John Crump.
GOA, VCDL, and Crump argued that the ban “conflicts with a provision of the Virginia Constitution enshrining the right to keep and bear arms.”
The Commonwealth suggested that the guns in question are not in common use, which would mean they are not protected by the Second Amendment.
But the plaintiffs’ attorney responded, “They are not just common, they are ubiquitous. The challenged statutes in this case concern some of the most commonly used arms and magazines in the nation.”
VCDL president Philip Van Cleave lauded the judge’s ruling, saying, ““VCDL is pleased with the temporary injunction that came out of Lancaster County today against the ‘assault firearm’ ban and carry prohibition. We expect the commonwealth to appeal the decision, but we also expect to prevail.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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