I really don't like hypocrisy, though I'm afraid we all fall into that trap from time to time. What I really despise, though, are people in power who seem to think the rules should work one way for things they like, then work completely differently when it's convenient.
Like, say, sanctuary policies for guns versus illegal aliens.
In Virginia, a handful of cities decided they weren't going to prosecute low-level marijuana offenses anymore. The courts, however, said they had to, so Democrats in the legislature passed a bill that basically said prosecutors could opt not to prosecute anything if they so desired.
Which was fine when it was marijuana offenses, but when several prosecutors throughout the Old Dominion State said they weren't going to prosecute people for Virginia's new assault weapons ban, that was too much.
Now, one lawmaker who sponsored the bill is lashing out.
On May 29, 2026, Sen. [Saddam Azlan] Salim used an X post to address prosecutors who are standing against his ban, saying, “I know these Republican prosecutors see this as an opportunity for tough guy posturing and amateur constitutional lawyering, but ending the sale of assault weapons in Virginia isn’t something an individual prosecutor can do anything about.”
He added, “Local prosecutors don’t enforce, they prosecute — and my message to anyone thinking about breaking Virginia law is, don’t bet on Virginia law enforcement ignoring it.”
Salim, however, forgets that his own party made it so they had that discretion. They can, in fact, opt not to prosecute anything because of his party.
The fact that it's not something he wants to see prosecuted doesn't change that fact beyond making the state's Democrats look like colossal hypocrites.
Plus, it's funny how someone refusing to simply inform the feds that an illegal alien was arrested and charged with a crime is a principled stand for what is right, but refusing to prosecute anyone under an unconstitutional law is "tough guy posturing."
I wish I could say that's surprising, but it's not. I've been in this game for way too long to be shocked by anything as pathetic as this.
But is Salim right? Does it mean absolutely nothing?
Not necessarily. The bill bans the sale of AR-15s and similar firearms. Some people have these and may want to sell them to friends. Other people may move into the state with such a firearm, which may fall under the heading of "importing" such a firearm. All of these are, apparently, illegal under Virginia's law.
If these happen in counties where the DA isn't going to prosecute anything, it's unlikely that there will be any kind of issue.
Sure, state authorities might still catch someone and make an arrest, which means prosecuting the person would fall to the office of Attorney General Jay "Shoot 'in twice" Jones, and he will prosecute. However, while state resources are much larger than any city's or county's resources, state police can't be everywhere.
In other words, yeah, there's a real chance that people will continue to buy and sell at least some of these rifles and get away with it if they do so in these counties.
Personally, I wouldn't risk it, but that's because I know how my luck goes, and I'd be selling or buying from Jay Jones's personal henchman or something.
Still, I find it amusing that Salim is upset by these DAs and their comments when he's never blinked when a left-leaning prosecutor said he wasn't going to prosecute a particular charge.
Hypocrisy is a way of life in politics, and I get that. But I'd really just like to see one anti-gun lawmaker try to stop from being such a massive hypocrite while pretending that the right to keep and bear arms is completely different than literally anything else in American law.
