On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia State Police over a law that would ban the future sale of certain firearms.
The law was set to take effect on July 1, but had already been blocked by a judge in Lancaster County. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced at that time that plans were in place to appeal the temporary injunction.
Recommended Videos
The DOJ argues that the ban goes against the Second Amendment.
“The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right. This Justice Department has done more to protect the Second Amendment than any administration in our nation’s history, and we will continue to do so whenever necessary.”
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche
Chief Patron of HB217, Del. Dan Helmer, D-Clifton, issued a statement on X following the lawsuit:
“Weapons similar to those that I carried while serving overseas have no place in our schools, in our churches, and on our streets. Virginians elected a Democratic majority with an overwhelming mandate to take action against gun violence - and the General Assembly delivered.
Gun violence is the leading cause of death among young people in Virginia. But the Trump Administration has made its position clear: those lives matter less than satiating the gun lobby and gun manufacturers who have profited for years from the epidemic of gun violence in our Commonwealth.
We are going to fight this tooth and nail. We are going to continue to work every single day to deliver a future for Virginia’s children that is free from the specter of gun violence. And we are not going to cave to an authoritarian regime that chooses profits over innocent lives."
Del. Dan Helmer
You can read the lawsuit in its entirety here.