AR-15s and 20-Round Magazines Back on the Menu at Virginia Gun Shops

As of today, a statewide injunction is in place that prevents police and prosecutors from enforcing Virginia’s ban on so-called assault firearms and large capacity magazines that took effect on July 1. 

There was originally some confusion about the scope of the injunction issued by Washington County Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell in Santolla v. Katz, an NRA-backed challenge to the gun and magazine ban alleging the new law violates Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution. On July 9, though, Campbell issued an order explicitly stating that the injunction applies to all law enforcement in the state. 

Attorney General Jay Jones has appealed that decision, but so far the Court of Appeals hasn’t scheduled a hearing for his request. And across the Commonwealth, gun store employees I spoke with today informed me that they’re back to selling magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds, along with the semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols banned by the Democrat-controlled legislature and Gov. Abigail Spanberger. 

Employees at Trojan Arms & Tactical and Nova Armory, both located in northern Virginia, said that sales have been brisk, though selection is somewhat limited at the moment since some distributors refused to ship firearms and magazines affected by the ban until the injunction kicked in today. A surge in sales ahead of the July 1 effective date cleared out the inventory for many gun stores, so it may be a few days before they’re able to restock and the targeted firearms and magazines are back in stock. 

Virginia, we’re back!

A temporary injunction is now in effect and PSA is resuming shipments! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4ZfIsIajem

— Palmetto State Armory (@palmettoarmory) July 21, 2026

Caleb Clinton, director of business development at Lynchburg Arms and Shooting Range in central Virginia, told Bearing Arms that sales have been “pretty good” today, and that they’ve been moving both magazines and rifles. Clinton said there was some speculation among employees about just how busy the shop would be today, given the overwhelming number of sales that took place just a few weeks ago, but it looks like some of us still have a few bucks in our wallets or were keeping some cash in reserve in the hopes of making a celebratory purchase when the ban was rescinded. 

It’s still possible that the Court of Appeals or Virginia Supreme Court could stay the Washington County injunction while litigation continues. Jones has actually requested all four state-based lawsuits be put on hold until the Supreme Court issues its decision in Viramontes v. Cook County and two challenges to Connecticut’s “assault weapons” ban, which will likely come down next June or early July. 

It’s also possible that one or more of the circuit court judges could agree to the AG’s request, but given that the state-based litigation is all using the Virginia Constitution and not the Second Amendment as the basis of their complaints, the judges don’t have to do so. And even if the lawsuits are put on hold, there’s good reason to keep the injunction in place until SCOTUS decides whether bans on commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms are constitutional. 

We’re talking about the exercise of a fundamental right here, and there is genuine harm done to Virginians who cannot purchase some of the most popular firearms and commonly-owned magazines in the country. Jones claims that the injunction harms public safety in Virginia, but these guns are rarely used in crime in the Commonwealth, and are far more likely to be owned for lawful purposes like self-defense, hunting, and competitive or recreational shooting. 

From the gun store employees I spoke with, it sounds like gun sales today are nowhere near what they were in the final days before the gun and magazine ban took effect, but there’s good reason for that. If these firearms and magazines are back in stock and available for sale for the foreseeable future, then there’s no pressing need to run out and grab an AR-15 or a half-dozen 30-round magazines. That wasn’t the situation Virginia gun owners found themselves in just a few weeks ago, but I’m hopeful that it will remain the case going forward.