Thirteen Virginia commonwealth's attorneys have now said they will not enforce Gov. Abigail Spanberger's (D-VA) new gun ban when it takes effect on July 1, including the top prosecutors in Page, Shenandoah, and Warren counties.
The law Spanberger signed in May bans the future sale, manufacture, transfer, import, and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms and magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. Anyone charged under it faces up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine, plus a three-year ban on buying or possessing firearms.
Spotsylvania County Commonwealth's Attorney Ryan Mehaffey was among the first to go on record.
WATCH: Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey is among the group of Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys vowing not to enforce the new assault firearm ban and public carry ban signed by Governor Abigail Spanberger.
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) June 1, 2026
“The assault weapons ban and the public carry… pic.twitter.com/hyDzlxeSwA
"The assault weapons ban and the public carry ban are obviously unconstitutional. And it's incumbent upon constitutional officers in Virginia to come out and clearly state that they cannot be lawfully enforced, and to defend the people's rights to keep and bear arms."
Mehaffey also drew a contrast with Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat who has reportedly dropped charges against multiple violent suspects, including Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien who went on to murder Stephanie Minter at a bus stop after Descano's office declined to prosecute him despite police warnings.
"The law should be vigorously enforced against violent and dangerous people," Mehaffey said. "The laws that were not being enforced in some other jurisdictions were not being enforced not out of constitutional concern, but just out of an ideology.”
Warren County Commonwealth's Attorney John Bell issued a formal memorandum stating his office would not prosecute law-abiding citizens for possessing, purchasing, selling, or transferring firearms and magazines that were legal before the ban, citing pending constitutional challenges.
Prosecutors and sheriffs in Clarke, Goochland, Patrick, Appomattox, Powhatan, Pulaski, Smyth, Scott, and other counties have also issued statements saying they won't bring charges under the ban. In Clarke County, the sheriff and the commonwealth's attorney issued a joint statement stating that the law "will not be enforced against nonviolent offenders where no other criminal conduct is alleged.”
Democrat Attorney General Jay Jones said commonwealth's attorneys are "elected to enforce our laws, which is what we expect them to do when these laws take effect on July 1."
Read More: Virginia's Rebellion Has Officially Begun
VA Prosecutor Draws Line in Sand Over Spanberger Gun Ban
A Spanberger spokesperson said firearms "designed to inflict maximum casualties" do not belong on Virginia streets and that "the people of Virginia must be able to trust that all Commonwealth's Attorneys will uphold the rule of law.”
The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action has filed a federal lawsuit arguing the ban targets firearms and magazines "overwhelmingly possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes" and cannot be justified under the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The Firearms Policy Coalition, Gun Owners of America, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation have also filed separate challenges.
In Spotsylvania County, the Board of Supervisors has already passed a resolution declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary.
Republicans don't expect the lower courts to block the law; the Fourth Circuit upheld a similar Maryland ban last year, and the Supreme Court declined to take it up, but they are hoping the accumulation of challenges will eventually force the Supreme Court to weigh in. The law takes effect July 1 unless a court steps in first.
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