Late last week, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a slew of controversial gun control measures into law, blocking the sale and proliferation of so-called assault weapons in the Commonwealth and enacting a ban on magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds.
Spanberger claimed the legislation would make Virginians safer. “Firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets,” she said in a press release. “We are taking this step to protect families and support the law enforcement officers who work every day to keep our communities safe.”
Though the term “assault weapon” has no official definition, Virginia’s laws now state that commonly owned semiautomatic rifles are illegal weapons of war, effective July 1.
Notably, this applies to the most popular semiautomatic firearm in the country, the AR-15. As of 2022, there are an estimated 44 million such guns in America. Far from using them to execute acts of mass violence, the average American uses the AR-15 to defend property or hunt.
Indeed, Spanberger noted that the version of the legislation she signed into law didn’t include a carve out common hunting rifles. “While the General Assembly chose not to adopt my amendment that specifically carves out certain firearms frequently used for hunting, I will work with the patrons to clarify this language,” she wrote.
The governor’s statement implies that she’s aware this legislation targets weapons used for nothing less than constitutionally protected behaviors. But she didn’t care enough to veto it.
The Constitution is not on Spanberger’s side, and neither is the data. Rifles simply aren’t the source of mass violence. Banning them makes nobody safer.
Over the past five years, just 58 homicides in Virginia were carried out with a rifle, per FBI crime data. That’s more than 16 times less than handguns and almost three times less than knives. Yet, Spanberger and the Democrats in the Virginia Statehouse seem to think they represent a dire threat.
An even better argument against these gun control measures is that they’re rarely ever applied to criminals. More often, they’re used to target law-abiding citizens or prevent them from accessing arms at all.
As one local example, Virginia resident Akuamoa Boateng was arrested multiple times for several different alleged crimes, including firearm offenses. His assault and gun possession charges were dropped by Soros-backed Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano.
What exactly is the point of this legislation if it’s not going to be used against violent criminals? Sheriffs from several conservative parts of the state, those that actually throw the book at criminals, have already said they won’t enforce the new gun laws, claiming they’re unconstitutional. Thus, this legislation is solely an attempt to target law-abiding citizens and advance the Democrats’ strategy of a total gun ban.
Thankfully, gun rights groups like the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) are already taking on these laws in court.
“Virginia lawmakers lied to their constituents and to themselves when they said these laws weren’t bans,” SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said in a press release. “These bans are an affront to the Constitution and an insult to the intelligence of Virginians who were fed lies and misrepresentations by their elected officials.”
Kostas Moros, director of legal research and education at SAF, told The Daily Signal “Virginia’s ban on so-called assault weapons will do nothing to reduce crime, as very few crimes involve such weapons anyway. If the state wants to better address violence, it should focus on enforcing existing laws against known criminals, rather than harassing law-abiding people with gun bans.”
By banning common arms used for self-defense and hunting while allowing criminals to run free, Spanberger and Virginia Democrats are making the state less safe for those Americans seeking to protect themselves and their families.
It seems unlikely these laws will survive judicial scrutiny as the Supreme Court has flexed its muscles lately in striking down unconstitutional gun laws. But while the court waits to rule, everyday Virginians will be at risk.
A government that refuses to keep violent criminals behind bars should think twice before demanding new powers over law-abiding citizens.
