(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) As overreaching Democrats inflict a tyrannical reign of terror on the right-leaning, rural citizens of Virginia, gun owners hope to stave off a proposed ban by Gov. Abigail Spanberger the only way they know how: with more guns.
Spanberger, a former CIA operative, announced her extreme crackdown on Second Amendment rights in April, notably targeting any weapons with more than 15 rounds of ammunition. Most standard rifle magazines hold double that, while 15 rounds marks the lower threshold of a typical handgun clip.
The laws also appeared to go after all semi-automatic weapons, which Spanberger referred to vaguely as “assault” weapons.
Gun owners in violation could face a Class 1 misdemeanor charge, although the law does permit those who owned their weapons before July 1 to be grandfathered in.
As a result, data suggested that purchases in May were more than double those of May 2025, when Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in charge. Background checks surged last month from a monthly average of around 37,000 to around 75,000.
Journalist Eric Daugherty noted that the spike undermined Spanberger’s stated goal of reducing gun ownership in the commonwealth through costly gun-buyback programs.
“Virginia is turning out to be a total failure since Spanberger took over,” he wrote. “The people need to wake up and vote red!”
🚨 NOW: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's gun control law just MASSIVELY BACKFIRED, firearm sales are SKYROCKETING before the "assault" ban takes effect in July
It cracks down on guns that have magazines over 15 rounds 🤡
A more than 100% increase, to over 75,000 background… pic.twitter.com/AEKZXWbpUm
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 6, 2026
The ban also faces a likely challenge from the federal Justice Department, which has said it violates the U.S. Constitution.
“This letter provides formal notice that the Civil Rights Division will commence litigation in the event the Commonwealth of Virginia enacts certain bills that unconstitutionally limit law-abiding Americans’ individual right to bear arms,” wrote Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, in an April letter to Spanberger.
“President Trump issued Executive Order 14206 making clear that this Administration will take affirmative steps to ensure that Second Amendment rights ‘must not be infringed,’” Dhillon added.
The ban echoes an earlier gun-grab attempt by Virginia Democrats in 2020 under then-Gov. Ralph Northam, which faced similar backlash. However, Northam’s bill failed to clear the state Senate after some moderate Democrats defected.
Spanberger currently holds legislative majorities in both branches of the state General Assembly and, despite having campaigned as a moderate, has used them controversially to pursue an aggressive left-wing agenda.
Notably, Democrats’ attempt to gerrymander four GOP-held congressional seats failed after the state Supreme Court determined they had violated the state Constitution.
But another possible cause for the spike in firearm sales may tie to Spanberger’s assault on public safety by refusing to cooperate with federal immigration-enforcement officers.
Critics have highlighted the rise in violent crimes, including some high-profile murders by illegal immigrants in areas like Fairfax County, where George Soros-sponsored district attorney Steve Descano refuses to prosecute non-citizens.
Spanberger addressed the issue of ICE cooperation in her gun-ban announcement as part of a separate newly passed bill.
“[W]hen masked agents operate on Virginia’s streets, our citizens have no way of distinguishing them from bad actors, and that is unacceptable,” she wrote.
“These amendments simply set the terms of our ongoing collaboration,” she added. “Keeping Virginians safe has always been a two-way street, and when we work with our federal law enforcement partners, we will do it the right way.”
