As Spanberger Signs Gun Control Bills, DOJ and Virginia 2A Advocates Vow Legal Response

Monday is the last day for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to veto legislation passed by the General Assembly this session, or else those bills will become law with or without her signature. 

The Democrat governor has already signed several gun control bills, including a measure designed to make it easier to sue gun makers, distributors, and sellers over the criminal misuse of firearms. So far though, there’s been no word from the governor’s office about what is arguably the biggest anti-2A bill passed this session: a ban on the sale, manufacture, and transfer of so-called assault firearms and “large capacity” magazines; defined as any magazine that can hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition. 

The Virginia Governor signed a few gun-related bills just now, but so far no update on the “assault weapon” one: pic.twitter.com/uomfM35W3Z

— Rob Romano (@2Aupdates) April 10, 2026

My guess is that Spanberger does end up signing the gun and magazine ban, though it’s possible that she’ll veto the bills with a message to Democrat lawmakers that she wants to see a few adjustments. Doing so would allow her to keep a gun ban out of the news ahead of the April 21 vote on approving gerrymandered maps that are designed to give Democrats a 10-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation, and with bigger opposition to the referendum than what Democrats were expecting, it’s not inconceivable that Spanberger would take that step in the hopes of tamping down voter enthusiasm among opponents of the gerrymandering plan… or at least not giving them another reason to turn out in force on Election Day. 

No matter which direction she takes, though, I believe the ban will ultimately get her blessing. And ahead of the July 1 effective date of all of these gun control laws, the Department of Justice is warning the governor that it will “commence litigation” if she allows any laws violating the rights of Virginia gun owners to take effect. 

🚨@SpanbergerForVA is on notice: 2A rights SHALL NOT BE infringed.

We are closely watching—in the event any unlawful legislation is enacted, we will sue. @CivilRights will protect the 2A rights of law-abiding citizens in Virginia.

2A Section Lawyers are standing by… 🚨 pic.twitter.com/h2DfXwgaKC

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) April 10, 2026

I doubt that matters much to Spanberger, but as a gun-owning Virginian, I’m glad to see Dhillon isn’t going to let the Demcrats’ assault on our Second Amendment right go unchallenged. 

Second Amendment advocates in the commonwealth are also declaring their eagerness to fight these new laws in court. 

All of these new reforms have drawn the scrutiny of Second Amendment advocates like Justin David, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association (NRA). The part that draws Davis’s attention is the fact that the Virginia Democrats have created a number of hurdles for those attempting to buy a firearm. 

Similarly, Philip Van Cleave, who has served as president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) since 2001, is unhappy with potential changes to Virginia’s gun laws. He believes that lawmakers are looking through the wrong lens when making amendments. 

“All of the gun control out there is pretty much unconstitutional to begin with, and none of it is aimed at criminals,” said Van Cleave. “The end goal is ultimately to have civilian disarmament.”

Moreover, both the NRA and VCDL are planning on suing Spanberger and Virginia as a whole over the legislation. The two organizations will independently take her to court to get any gun laws she signs overturned. 

The issue raised by the signing of this set of laws deeply confounds Davis. He thinks these laws are indicative of a much more worrying trend in Virginia politics, where the progressive region in Northern Virginia can control the entire state by pushing as many liberal candidates to Richmond. 

“It is such a deviation from what Virginia has been and what it is,” said Davis. “It is really just showing that Northern Virginian politicians are overtaking the state and remaking it in Northern Virginia’s image… They’re disenfranchising from the rest of the state, and it’s unacceptable.”

While The Fairfax Times focused on NRA and VCDL, I expect the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, Gun Owners of America (also headquartered in Virginia), Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, and National Association of Gun Rights will all be involved in litigating the infringements imposed on Virginia gun owners this session. And while many of these laws will be challenged in federal court, I believe they’ll also face challenges in state court as well, where 2A groups have seen some success in recent years; including Virginia’s “universal” background check scheme, which was ruled out of order by a circuit court judge last year.

The federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is pretty hostile to our right to keep and bear arms and has upheld bans on “assault weapons”, permit-to-purchase laws, and many “gun-free zones” in the past couple of years, but federal court is still the best way to get these challenges to SCOTUS. 

The flood of gun control legislation is going to lead to a deluge of lawsuits, and in the short term its going to continue to juice gun sales across the commonwealth. Come July 1, though, Virginia gun owners are likely to live under a very restrictive regime when it comes to our Second Amendment rights, and Democrats are already eyeing up more legislative attacks on the right to keep and bear arms next session. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun control policies and schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.