VA Prosecutor Draws Line in Sand Over Spanberger Gun Ban

Ryan Mehaffey is a Marine veteran. He's also the Spotsylvania, Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney. And he's taking a stand on principle, which is something that Virginia's Governor, Abigail Spanberger, seems to have little experience with.

That stand involves Virginia's new "assault weapons" ban, the Second Amendment, and Ryan Mehaffey's personal and professional discretion. To put it plainly: He's refusing to enforce the ban.

Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, is taking a hard-line stance against what he believes is an "unconstitutional" new gun ban signed by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Spanberger, who has been slipping in the polls amid criticisms of her progressive policy agenda, signed a new bill last week banning the future sale and manufacture of "assault weapons," including many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. The law also bans the future sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
The move caused immediate backlash from many Virginians and raised new Second Amendment violation concerns. Rather than protest, however, Mehaffey, who serves as the commonwealth attorney for Spotsylvania County, is drawing a line in the sand and flatly refusing to enforce the ban.

That's how you do it. Some of the most powerful words in the English language are "I will not comply," and that's what Ryan Mehaffey is invoking here. Let's hope he starts a trend.

Spanberger Signs AR-15 Ban, Then Immediately Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Mehaffey explained his opposition:

According to Mehaffey, the Second Amendment is not just an assurance of personal freedoms, but also a safeguard for a community’s ability to defend itself through a "well-regulated militia."
"Our founders were careful to make sure when they drafted our founding document, that the ultimate right of the people was preserved to defend themselves and to defend their community," he explained. "So, the linchpin of the constitutional analysis is going to be does this instrument have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a regulated militia."

It's important to remember that, at the time the Second Amendment was written, "well-regulated" meant "properly equipped and trained," not "regulated by government." Furthermore, the notorious "militia clause" in the Second Amendment is a subordinate clause; it's one of the reasons that the people have a right to keep and bear arms. The militia clause doesn't stand on its own; there's a reason that the primary clause is this:

The right of the people, to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Mehaffey isn't the only Virginia commonwealth attorney to have said, in effect, "I will not comply."

Mehaffey is not alone in his stance. In addition to what he characterized as the "overwhelmingly positive" response from his community, Smyth County Commonwealth’s Attorney Phillip Blevins, an Air Force veteran, has also refused to enforce the bill, arguing it is unconstitutional. The ban is also facing lawsuits from gun-rights groups, including the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation.
Blevins told Fox News Digital that "ultimately, courts will continue to address these issues, and I respect the role of the judiciary. But as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Smyth County, I will continue to stand for what I believe the Constitution requires, without apology or hesitation."

They may not be the last.

The Second Amendment is in place for a reason. It recognizes a basic human right: The right to defend ourselves, our families, our home, and our property. It recognizes the right for citizens to band together to protect their communities, with or without any action from the government. And most of all, it recognizes the right of the people to properly equip themselves for the task, meaning, with the primary weapon in common use at the time.

Today, that means the AR-15 platform, far and away the most popular single rifle in use today. Abigail Spanberger can rant and rave about "assault weapons" all she likes, but she can't rewrite the Constitution, and she can't ignore principled people making a principled stand, evoking those four powerful words: I. Will. Not. Comply.

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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