Judge Extends Scope of AR-15, Magazine Ban Injunction to Rest of Virginia State Agencies

Virginia Democrats wrote the playbook that the rest of the Democrat Party is trying to follow now. They campaigned on things like affordability, but once in power, they immediately jump to pushing gun control instead. That's precisely what happened in the Old Dominion State, with numerous anti-gun measures coming up and being passed in the immediate aftermath of them taking office, while not doing much of anything to actually keep their campaign promises.

But things didn't go according to plan, even there. Almost immediately, the courts got involved and things didn't exactly break the anti-gunners way.

And, happily, they still aren't.

Virginia gun owners have secured another victory in court as a judge expanded an existing injunction against Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s ban on commonly owned semiautomatic firearms and standard-capacity magazines. The latest ruling extends the court’s order beyond the Virginia State Police to the Commonwealth itself, its agencies, and its employees.

On November 2, Lancaster County Circuit Court Judge John S. Martin entered an order in Crump v. Katz, Case No. CL26000201-00, partially granting the plaintiffs’ second motion to enlarge the preliminary injunction. The ruling broadens the reach of an injunction that has already prevented enforcement of Virginia’s controversial restrictions on AR-15-style rifles and magazines holding more than 15 rounds.

The Commonwealth opposed the expansion, but Judge Martin granted it anyway.

...

The original case named Virginia State Police Superintendent Jeffrey S. Katz as a defendant. The plaintiffs subsequently sought to expand the injunction’s reach, ensuring that enforcement could not simply shift to other state authorities.

Following an October 20 hearing, Judge Martin granted part of that request.

The November 2 order states:

“Plaintiffs’ Motion is GRANTED to the extent that the Commonwealth of Virginia, its agencies and employees are hereby preliminarily enjoined subject to the same terms and duration outlined in the Preliminary Injunction entered June 30, 2026 and Order entered September 10, 2026.”

The court denied the motion in all other respects.

Of course, the injunction also kind of holds the law in check until after the Supreme Court rules on Viramontes, which challenges a similar restriction in Illinois. By the time the Court rules, all of this may be moot, and while Democrats passed the law, they'll never get to enforce it.

That's the dream, anyway, and unlike some of the other dreams out there, it has a good chance of coming true. Especially as magazine bans often co-exist with bans on modern sporting rifles like the AR-15 and similar firearms.

For now, though, knowing that enforcement can't just be shifted to another agency means people can proceed as desired with purchases of magazines and so-called assault weapons, which also happen to be the most popular style of rifle in the country today. In common use, baby.

That's not going to work out well long-term for Virginia's anti-gun lawmakers, but I'm sure they'll learn to deal with the disappointed in a mature, rational manner.

Just kidding. We all know there will be temper tantrums along with an effort to still ban these guns, but by trying to wiggle through whatever language the Viramontes decision possesses.

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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