Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), alongside Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and 2A journalist John Crump, have filed a lawsuit today in direct response to Virginia's enactment of SB749 and SB727, the "assault weapons" ban and public carry ban. These two bills represent the most immediate threat to the rights of every law-abiding gun owner in Virginia.
By criminalizing the purchase and transfer of the most popular firearms in America and effectively banning self-defense in public spaces, these laws are a direct assault on the Second Amendment and stand in open defiance of Virginia's own constitution and necessitate an immediate strike in court.
Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution guarantees that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Therefore, our lawsuit demands a declaratory judgment and an injunction to prevent these unconstitutional laws from taking effect on July 1st.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement:
"Governor Spanberger has declared war on the rights of all Virginians. By banning the most commonly-owned firearms and standard-capacity magazines in America, the state is disarming law-abiding citizens, while doing absolutely nothing to stop violent crime."
Chris Stone, Director of State Affairs for Gun Owners of America, added:
"Governor Spanberger and the anti-gun Democrats in the General Assembly are proud to openly violate the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Virginians, and their glee is an affront to the motto and ethos of this commonwealth. Gun Owners of America and our friends at Virginia Citizens Defense League look forward to challenging them in court."
GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA's Press Center.