Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation Thursday that bans the sale and manufacturing of assault weapon-style guns in Virginia. Republicans have vowed to sue over the ban.
The legislation creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases or transfers an assault firearm.
“This achievement is the collective work of countless advocates, elected leaders, and groups who have fought tirelessly for gun violence prevention long before my time in the General Assembly,” said Sen. Sadam Salim, D-Fairfax, who sponsored the Senate legislation. “When I ran for State Senate against an incumbent who voted against prior versions of an assault weapons ban, the people who believed in this vision stood with me to make the impossible possible. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues who gave me the opportunity in my third session to lead as chief patron of this bill, building on years of prior efforts to protect our communities from weapons of war.”
Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, sponsored the House version of the bill.
“After years of work and multiple vetoes, the assault weapons ban I authored has been signed into law – the first in the South,” Helmer said. “We’ve taken on the gun lobby, passed it through the legislature, and now delivered. This is a major step toward safer communities across Virginia.”
Spanberger proposed amendments to the legislation, but the General Assembly did not accept them. She signed the original bill into law.
The National Rifle Association has vowed to fight the ban in court.
“We’re not going to stand idly by and let this new governor ban America’s rifle in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford.
🚨BREAKING: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed legislation banning America’s Rifle!
— NRA (@NRA) May 15, 2026
The NRA is filing two major lawsuits in Virginia to challenge @GovernorVA's anti-Second Amendment agenda.
"We're not going to stand idly by and let this new governor ban America's rifle… pic.twitter.com/iYH212Sqa5
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who has vowed to fight against this legislation in court, responded to the news on social media with a screenshot of the bill.
“See you in court!” she wrote.
The legislation goes into effect on July 1.