The list of prosecutors in Virginia who say they won't enforce the new "assault firearm" and "large capacity" magazine ban when they become law on July 1 has grown to at least 13, and we'll probably see more announcements later today.
Virginia Democrats have been lashing out with increased hostility and haughtiness towards those commonwealth's attorneys who've said they'll use their discretion to not enforce an unconstitutional law, State Sen. Saddam Salim, who was one of the primary sponsors of the ban, demanded these prosecutors drop their "tough guy posturing" and warned that even if prosecutors refused to prosecute, law enforcement could still enforce the ban.
Now Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine has gotten into the mix with an even dumber argument.
If I was a business looking for a new site, a public announcement that local law enforcement wouldn’t enforce a law banning assault weapons would make me look elsewhere. Ignoring the law is bad for business. https://t.co/SccO2JOZLZ
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) June 1, 2026
Did Kaine have similar concerns a few years ago when local prosecutors, including Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, were refusing to prosecute some marijuana offenses?
He did not. In fact, he endorsed Descano even though the candidate had already vowed to "ignore the law" when it came to marijuana possession.
When it's a misdemeanor charge related to pot, Kaine's cool with prosecutorial discretion. When it's a misdemeanor charge related to some of the most popular firearms in the country, Kaine wants CAs to throw the book at defendants. I'm not really surprised by Kaine's hypocritical stance, though I was a little perplexed to see him try to turn this an argument about job creation.
The only business you've even known is living off the taxpayers' hard earned money. You might want to read the Constitution some time. Take a look at the 2nd Amendment to said Constitution. It's a lot of words for you, but try to work through it.
— Philip Van Cleave VCDL (@VCDL_ORG) June 1, 2026
They said they would not enforce an unconstitutional law. There is a difference. The real question is why do you & Gov Spanberger support an unconstitutional law? BTW, she acknowledge the law bans commonly owned hunting firearms. Please re-read Heller and Bruen. @NSSF #NSSF. #2A
— Larry Keane (@lkeane) June 2, 2026
Is that kind of like the Democrats ignoring our immigration laws?
— Just a Bama Gal 🇺🇸🍊🐕🧜♀️ (@derrickstheman) June 1, 2026
Like sanctuary cities that do not follow federal immigration law!
— David Johnson (@davidjohns95333) June 2, 2026
This is how it starts and sets a dangerous precedent. Elected officials say I’m not doing that and people of all persuasions begin to follow. How many elected democrats have voiced that exact sentiment?
Actually, there is a slight difference between what these pro-2A sheriffs and prosecutors are doing and what Democrats are doing in not enforcing federal immigration law. In Printz v. U.S., which dealt with the federal government's demand that sheriffs conduct background checks on gun sales while the NICS system was being developed, the Supreme Court ruled that local and state governments do not have to help enforce federal statutes.
What these prosecutors and sheriffs are doing in Virginia is more akin to what their progressive counterparts were doing with cannabis just a few years ago. And when those prosecutors were told by the state Supreme Court that they couldn't just decide not to enforce a particular statute, the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a law signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam that explicitly told judges they must grant a motion to dismiss filed by a commonwealth's attorney. It was Kaine's fellow Democrats who supercharged prosecutorial discretion in the state, and the pro-2A commonwealth's attorneys who are now declining to enforce the impending gun and magazine ban are well within their authority to do so.
If businesses decide not to relocate or open up shop in Virginia right now, it won't be because prosecutors are refusing to enforce a gun ban. Thanks to the Democrat-controlled legislature and Gov. Abigail Spanberger, the biggest increase in payroll taxes in state history is set to take effect on July 1 as well, and it's those kinds of attacks on business that will keep companies away from the commonwealth. If Kaine's truly worried about job creation, he should be directing his ire at his fellow Dems, not the prosecutors who are taking a stand for the Constitution.
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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