Spanberger Boots Anti-Gun Lawmakers From Ceremonial Bill Signing Over Data Center Feud

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger got her gun control dog and pony show on Tuesday, hosting anti-gun activists for a ceremonial bill signing for multiple pieces of legislation that she had already approved. 

A pair of gun control-loving lawmakers were denied the chance to participate in the photo-op, however, after the governor had her staff boot the legislators for daring to take part in a listening tour about data centers hosted by the governor’s biggest Democrat nemesis, state Sen. Louise Lucas. 

They were allowed back in to get their stuff and staff and told they could stay to watch other peoples bills get signed if they wanted. Both left instead.

— Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) June 16, 2026

Ironically, Spanberger’s X account posted this shortly after the intra-party squabble. 

I know we’re living in a time of great division. But if there’s one thing that can unify us, it is the notion that we want to keep our communities safe.

We want to protect our children and our loved ones from violence. We want to make sure our brave members of law enforcement… pic.twitter.com/hgqIfrP01Y

— Governor Abigail Spanberger (@GovernorVA) June 16, 2026

I love the smell of a good ratio in the morning, don’t you? 

The governor is right that most of us want to keep our communities safe. The gun control bills at the heart of Spanberger’s photo opportunity, though, aren’t about public safety. They’re aimed at lawful gun owners, not the 1% of Virginia’s population responsible for half or more of its violent crime. 

Speaking of getting ratioed, state Senator Saddam Salin, who was one of the authors of the gun and magazine ban set to take effect on July 1, received a heaping helping of scorn from X users as he celebrated outlawing the sale of some of the most popular firearms in the country. 

Today @GovernorVA signed SB749, my bill to ban the sale of assault weapons starting July 1. This is a policy I ran on – and together, we delivered! pic.twitter.com/jeoOf08koQ

— Senator Saddam Azlan Salim (@SalimForVA) June 16, 2026

the courts will overturn this in 10 nanoseconds.

— Mike (@thinkorswim0712) June 16, 2026

I certainly hope so, but unfortunately that’s far from guaranteed. The federal court challenge to the gun and magazine ban is almost certain to lose in district court, and at the Fourth Circuit as well, given that the appellate court has previously upheld similar bans instituted by Maryland Democrats. 

The Supreme Court currently has two magazine bans and three “assault weapon” bans sitting before the justices, but they have yet to grant cert to any of them and it’s unclear what they’ll end up doing with the cases as we near the end of this term. 

As I wrote about on Monday, though, there are four other lawsuits in state court challenging the ban under Article 1, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution, including one that argues the ban violates the state constitution’s militia clause. A hearing in Curtis v. Katz isi scheduled for this morning in Spotsylvania County, and with any luck the judge will grant the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction; if not from the bench, then soon after. 

Virginia Democrats can’t agree on much these days, including a budget. When it comes to infringing on our right to keep and bear arms, though, they’re marching (or goose-stepping) in lockstep with each other. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll get the legal relief we’re asking for, and before the ban kicks in on July 1, but even if it doesn’t happen immediately I’m confident that Spanberger and company are going to come out on the losing side when the Supreme Court finally gets around to addressing these bans on commonly-owned arms. 

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.

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