Virginia Court Widens Gun-Ban Injunction to Cover All State Agencies

A Virginia judge just made it harder for the Commonwealth to dodge its own gun-ban injunction. On November 2, Lancaster County Circuit Court Judge John S. Martin expanded a preliminary injunction against Virginia's AR-15 and magazine restrictions, extending it beyond the State Police to cover the Commonwealth itself, its agencies, and its employees.

Key points

• The case: Crump v. Katz challenges Senate Bill 749, which bans commonly owned semiautomatic rifles and restricts magazines over 15 rounds, signed by Gov. Spanberger in May.
• The order: Judge Martin partially granted plaintiffs' second motion to enlarge the injunction, applying the same terms from the June 30 and September 10 orders to the Commonwealth and its agencies, not just Virginia State Police.
• The plaintiffs: John Crump, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Virginia Citizens Defense League, and Virginia Citizens Defense Foundation, arguing the law violates Virginia's own constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
• The limits: This isn't a final ruling striking down the law. It's still a preliminary injunction, doesn't name every local sheriff or prosecutor, and the Commonwealth's attorneys objected to the expansion on the record.
• The bigger picture: AmmoLand notes the Supreme Court hears arguments December 2 in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, cases that could directly decide whether AR-15 bans survive Second Amendment scrutiny.

Quick take

This is a procedural win, not a final verdict, but it closes an obvious loophole state officials might have used to keep enforcing a law that's currently blocked. Worth watching alongside the December SCOTUS arguments, since whatever happens there will shape how far Virginia's litigation ultimately goes.

Read the full story: ammoland.com