Virginia Del. Dan Helmer routinely brags about his role in pushing the state's new gun and magazine ban through the General Assembly, but there's a really good chance that a year from now, the only thing Helmer really accomplished was ensuring that tens of thousands of Virginians ended up purchasing the guns he was trying to ban.
In addition to the half-dozen lawsuits that have already been filed in state and federal court over the ban, the Justice Department announced today that it's bringing suit against Virginia over the law that was authored by Helmer and Sen. Saddam Salim. I predict that Helmer's going to be on the losing end of that decision, and it will come soon after the Supreme Court rules against similar bans in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois next year.
Helmer's not waiting for the court loss to start his whining, though.
Delegate @HelmerVA, who helped write the assault weapons ban, says in part, “Gun violence is the leading cause of death among young people in Virginia. But the Trump Administration has made its position clear: those lives matter less than satiating the gun lobby and gun… https://t.co/b7SGjmvuQj pic.twitter.com/Enr7oNFuYE
— Tyler Englander (@TylerEnglander) July 1, 2026
Helmer cites no specific data for his claim that "gun violence" is the leading cause of death for young people, nor does he explain who all is encompassed by that phrase. We know that nationally, that statistic really only applies to those between the ages of 15 and 17; individuals who are, it should be noted, aren't old enough to legally purchase any firearm.
There's also no evidence that the guns banned in Helmer's bill are prevalent in violent crime in Virginia. Even if they were, though, it wouldn't matter from a legal perspective. Handguns are, by far, the weapon of choice for violent offenders. The Supreme Court said in Heller that bans on those arms violate the Second Amendment, because handguns are also in common use for lawful purposes. Lawful gun ownership of firearms, estimated to be somewhere between 80 and 100 million, dwarfs the number of gun-involved crimes of any kind in this country. That's true whether we're talking about rifles, shotguns, or pistols.
Helmer frames the lawsuit as the Trump administration siding with "the gun lobby and gun manufacturers," without any acknowledgement whatsoever of the tens of thousands of "assault firearms" that have been purchased by flesh-and-blood Virginians over the past few months. There is not even a scintilla of concern that the bill might tread upon a constitutional right, only contempt for those who oppose his gun ban.
In closing, the delegate says the state will fight the DOJ's lawsuit "tooth and nail," declares the state won't stop fighting for "a future for Virginia's children that is free from the specter of gun violence," and "will not cave to an authoritarian regime that puts profits over lives."
The state will fight, and the state will lose. As for Helmer's other claims, violent crime reported by the state's largest agencies shows a 9.1% reduction compared to this point in 2026. Violent crime was already at historic lows across Virginia before the ban took effect, and given that these firearms aren't often used in crime their prohibition will have no impact on making the state safer.
It's true that Donald Trump loves capitalism, and the firearms industry requires a profit to operate, but that isn't the issue here. The issue, sadly, is that once again Virginia Democrats are trampling on the civil rights of residents. The federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, has repeatedly sought to end those abuses in cases like Brown v. Board of Education and Loving v. Virginia. Before long USA v. Virginia will join the ranks of those earlier civil rights victories, and I'm really looking forward to the conniptions that Helmer will have when that takes place.
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.
Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun control policies and schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member