Does Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) get some sort of perverse thrill from being smacked down by the courts, or does she truly believe that the constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia don't actually apply to her? Either way, she's on one heck of a judicial losing streak, with the latest ruling out of Lynchburg putting her and every public official on shaky legal ground over universal background checks.
To understand what's going on, we need to back up a bit. Last October, Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge Patrick Yeatts issued a permanent injunction that halted all background checks for private firearm sales in Virginia, including gun-show sales. Spanberger decided she didn't like that injunction and tucked an amendment into a bill she signed in April that reinstated background checks on private gun sales.
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A Virginia news outlet reported on May 26 that Virginia State Police (VSP) were following the rule of law and not conducting the background checks, which clearly irked Spanberger (who seems to be under the impression that she is the supreme law of the land.) Her spokesperson announced VSP would start the background checks immediately – in direct violation of the court injunction.
A spokesperson for Gov. Abigail Spanberger confirmed to Virginia Scope on Wednesday night that Virginia State Police will resume conducting background checks for private gun sales after a court order paused the practice last October.
Attorney General Jay "Two Bullets" Jones immediately confirmed Democrats would not be following the court ruling.
BREAKING: The Virginia Attorney General's office just informed us that the Virginia State Police intends to enforce Universal Background Checks for private sales IN DIRECT DISREGARD OF THE COURT ORDER HALTING ENFORCEMENT!@GunOwners and @VCDL_ORG's motion for contempt of court…
— Philip Van Cleave VCDL (@VCDL_ORG) May 28, 2026
Fast forward to this past Tuesday, when the Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) issued an open letter to "All Law Enforcement Officers and Prosecuting Officials Within the Commonwealth of Virginia" warning them that they could be held personally and financially liable for violating the civil rights of Virginians if they proceed with the background checks.
We trust that you, as sworn law enforcement officers, deputies, troopers, sheriffs, chiefs, commonwealth’s attorneys, and prosecuting attorneys, will uphold your oath to Virginians’ constitutional rights, and also abide by your duty to obey lawful court orders.
That said, it is also important for you to know that any action taken in furtherance of the Attorney General’s unconstitutional edict, to enforce or administer the universal background check statute, is a trap that could strip you of qualified immunity, should your actions be challenged. This could expose you to personal financial liability for civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, should you enforce the statute in violation of the Lynchburg Court’s order.
On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Yeatts reentered the chat and "declared that his previously-issued injunction on Virginia's universal background check scheme is still intact, despite Democrats' efforts to do an end-run around the injunction."
Major breaking news! VCDL, GOA, the Constitution, and Virginia gun-owners had a huge victory in court today! A judge has kept the permanent injunction against Universal Background Checks in place! R.I.P Universal Background Checks!
— Philip Van Cleave VCDL (@VCDL_ORG) June 3, 2026
The Virginia State Police immediately updated their website to read, "VSP currently cannot provide criminal history background checks for the private sale of firearms." AG Jones will likely appeal the injunction, but, for now, all eyes will be on Virginia Democrats to see how far they're willing to go – and how many laws and court orders they're willing to ignore – to get their way.
I covered the GOA/VCDL letter to all Virginia law enforcement and public officials in my most recent video. You can check it out here:
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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