Is Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) a mole for the National Rifle Association (NRA)? After the recent scandal involving the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), some may wonder given a curious turn of events in Virginia. Gun sales have surged after Spanberger and the Democrats passed sweeping gun bans. Spanberger also issued a public statement that could help tank the legislation in court — resulting in the striking down of the law (or parts of the law) after spurring record gun sales.
After July 1st, it will be a misdemeanor to buy, sell, transfer, or make an “assault firearm.”
With a July 1 deadline looming, background checks and sales are surging in Virginia. Stores are reporting that they cannot keep weapons on the shelves as Virginians flood stores to beat the deadline.
State Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, a Spanberger ally who introduced the bill, further fueled the panic by declaring that the legislation will “gradually” take these guns because these firearms “do not belong on our streets.”
Gun rights groups have long challenged the claims of Democratic leaders on these guns.
As I have previously written, these calls often appear entirely disconnected from the actual crime or the constitutional protections afforded gun owners, including President Biden demanding a ban on assault weapons after a shooting with a handgun. Biden and others often collectively call these guns “assault weapons,” a standard reference to such popular models as the AR-15.
The AR-15 is the most popular gun in America and the number of these guns in private hands is continuing to rise rapidly, with one AR-15 purchased in every five new firearms sales. These AR-15s clearly are not being purchased for armored deer. Many are purchased for personal and home protection; it is also popular for target shooting and hunting. Many gun owners like the AR-15 because it is modular; depending on the model, you can swap out barrels, bolts and high-capacity magazines, or add a variety of accessories. While it does more damage than a typical handgun, it is not the most powerful gun by caliber; many guns have equal or greater calibers.
That is why laws banning or curtailing the sale of the AR-15 would likely run into constitutional barriers.
The challenges to the Virginia law were greatly assisted by Spanberger herself, who admitted that the law would ban commonly used hunting guns. If the law is not amended, she could prove the main witness against her own signed legislation.
We have a Second Amendment protection of gun ownership, with over 490 million guns in private hands, as of 2022. In 2008, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, recognizing the Second Amendment as encompassing an individual right to bear arms. The Supreme Court further strengthened the right in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.
So, media reports indicate that, since January, the number of background checks has skyrocketed with 75,376 background checks in May alone, more than double the amount in May 2025.
The peak was reached in March when 79,846 background checks were done compared to only 47,069 last year. These citizens are going to make large payments for these guns and have a heightened interest in the political issue.
After adding tens of thousands of assault weapons to her state, Spanberger’s comments may then help greatly in striking down all or parts of the law.
If this trend continues, Abigail Spanberger may prove to be the greatest pro-gun influencer since Charlton Heston.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
this along with a ban on assault spoons will go a long way. assault rubber bands must be banned. I had an assault cat: no es bueno.
likewise be sure to oil the tactical zipper on your pants. tactical underwear is preferred. buy tactical snow cones for the kids (can’t be too careful).
(if there is actually anything called an assault rifle, it is a fully automatic machine gun, illegal since 1934 as a reaction to the banks robberies by those famous outlaws. the guns of today they’re talking about can’t be classified as ‘assault weapons.’)
Spanberger and those who wish to limit possession of firearms in general and eliminate certain firearms in particular have a mission. They’re going to pass their legislation and then spend the taxpayers money to defend that legislation. They figure they’ll eventually-with the cooperation of suitably inclined courts, and opponents who are financing both sides with taxes and donations-succeed.
The Virginia state courts seem to have much higher regard for Bruen and Heller than the 4th Circuit. I’m not sure when Snopes v Brown (Maryland “Assault Weapons” and magazine capacity limits was argued with respect to the Bruen ruling, but the decision to uphold appeared to totally ignore Bruen-or any other applicable decision. I expect an appeal to that court will succeed in that court and the matter will end up stalled waiting for SCOTUS to grant review.
Virginia is weird, even before her. I used to live in Virginia. I am a retired professional pilot and Virginia had some kind of program requiring licensing of pilots, which is a Federal function. I don’t think they have pilot licenses anymore but they had them for years.
Good ol’ Spamburglar is just following in the footsteps of Billy Clinton and Diane Feinstein in putting many thousands more AR-type weapons on the streets of America.
Billy and Diane did it with their silly “ban” from 1994-2004, which also created many more manufacturers of those weapons.
But Democrat politicians know their voters are just idiots and won’t equate those reactions to the actions of their politician heroes.
Eventually, SCOTUS will put an end to these silly “bans”, but until then, we gun nuts LOVE have so many more choices, calibers, options and accessories from which to choose! 😉
So, the demons kill all humans and then wait for their next feeding? The humans are demon food?
Wow. No one knows it.
The left refuses to learn: 20 seconds.
https://thomassowell.substack.com/p/the-man-who-built-his-ideas-to-last?utm_source=podcast-email&publication_id=6492447&post_id=199011061&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_content=watch_now_button&r=k5b8j&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them
“why they’re nothing but a pack of cards!” exclaimed Alice.
25 years ago, the TV show The West Wing had a wonderful line about this: It’s not that Democrats don’t like guns, it’s that they don’t like the PEOPLE who like guns.
Bring back McCarthyism and put little commie Sen. Chris Murphy on trial first.
“The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend.”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero
___________________________
The Communists Are Internal And External
Why would anyone disparage McCarthy, a patriot, for revealing that the enemy is inside the gates.
Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury related to the communist infiltration of America; the statute of limitations was allowed to run out on the espionage charges against Hiss.
Is there a good investigation into how many ex-CIA agents have moved into public positions and where their politics lie?
Spanberger is not the first.
It is ironic that both Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the New York legislature have mightily contributed to the strengthening of 2nd Amendment rights. Yet they keep trying, never learning.
Partly because they don’t know what an assault weapon is. An M-16 is an assault weapon. An AR 15 is not. Other than some cosmetic similarities. They are very much different.