NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
The Commonwealth of Virginia, once the cradle of American freedom and the home of the Bill of Rights, is witnessing a historic betrayal in real time.
On March 14, the Virginia State Assembly concluded its 2026 legislative session and repealed more than 15 pieces of anti-gun legislation. In just 60 days, the remaining guns have nearly rolled back gun rights for millions of law-abiding Virginians.
Their crown jewel of dictatorship? SB 749 and HB 217, two bills called “assault weapons”.
These same bills landed on the desk of newly elected Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger during the final days of the legislative session and are currently awaiting her signature.
SUPREME COURT DECLARES DC BAN ON CERTAIN GUN MAGAZINES UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, left; gun shop, right. (Mike Kropf/Getty Images; Charly Triballeau/Getty Images)
He promised to sign them into law.
For years, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and our dedicated members have opposed this unconstitutional violation as it has appeared in state legislatures across the country.
A few weeks ago, thanks to strong grassroots activism and pressure from gun rights organizations like GOA, a similar “assault weapons” ban was defeated in New Mexico. And last year in Virginia, former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin voted for 27 anti-gun bills – including an “assault weapons” ban.
DA UPDATED AS SOROS BACKWARDS AFTER HE BLAMES OLD REGIME SHOOTINGS ON LAWMEN WITH GUNS: ‘F— I’M GOING ON’
But with the election of Spanberger-backed billionaire Michael Bloomberg in November 2025, the governor’s seat is now rubber-stamped by the big gun control lobby. Anti-gun Democrats also picked up a dozen seats in the Virginia House of Delegates while maintaining a slim majority in the Virginia Senate.
And within hours of gaining control of the governor’s mansion and the legislature, anti-gun lawmakers began drafting more gun control measures, promising to pass them through the General Assembly as quickly as possible.
Make no mistake: SB 749/HB 217 has nothing to do with “safety” and everything to do with taking away your Second Amendment rights. This law targets America’s most popular firearms – tools used by millions of law-abiding citizens for self-defense, competition and sport. According to the FBI, almost twice as many people are killed by fists than by guns of any kind. And more than three times as many knives. Yet anti-gun radicals want us to believe that automatic weapons should be banned.
SUPREME COURT CONNECTED PROPERTY GUN RIGHTS
But by unfairly labeling automatic rifles, shotguns and rifles as “assault rifles” based on common features like collapsible stocks or threaded barrels, anti-gunners are taking away your ability to protect yourself and your family with your weapon of choice.
In addition, the law aims to equip standard capacity magazines, labeling anything over 15 rounds as a “large ammunition feeding device.”
But with the election of Spanberger-backed billionaire Michael Bloomberg in November 2025, the governor’s seat is now rubber-stamped by the big gun control lobby.
Supporters of SB 749 point to similar laws in place in other states, but the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision made it clear: the government must prove that gun control is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition.
DOJ PROMISES ‘MASSIVE STEP’ ON GUN RIGHTS WITH NEW SECOND AMENDMENT ENFORCEMENT SECTION
There is no historical tradition of banning the most widely owned firearms in the country. There is no constitutional basis for targeting certain automatic firearms and using state power to punish anyone who buys, sells or transfers one after July 1, 2026.
The argument by anti-gun Democrats that these are “weapons of war” is a lazy term. These weapons are the modern day equivalent of the musket – the common arm of the citizen soldier.
And let’s be clear – the Second Amendment was not written for deer hunting; it was written to ensure that the “body of the people” would always have a way to resist a tyrannical government.
‘OPINION’ SAINTS DEFEND GUN OWNERSHIP AS WEALTH TESTS AFTER YEARS OF QUESTIONS CRITICIZE GUN RIGHTS
When George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, he didn’t mince words when it came to our right to own guns. “That a well-regulated military force, composed of a body of men, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free country, and therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed…”
It is easy to see where the inspiration for the Second Amendment to the American Bill of Rights came from.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE FOX NEWS
By depriving Virginians of these tools, Spanberger and his allies are deliberately shifting the balance of power from the people to the government and jeopardizing liberty and freedom in the process. It is clear that they have forgotten, or worse, deliberately ignored the slogan of this great gathering: “Sic semper tyrannis” which means, “so always to tyrants.”
And within hours of gaining control of the governor’s mansion and the legislature, anti-gun lawmakers began drafting more gun control bills, promising to move them through the General Assembly at a faster pace.
Make no mistake – Gun Owners of America will not stand idly by while the Spanberger-led government of Virginia throws our gun rights in the trash.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
The Gun Owners Foundation – the official arm of GOA – is already working with our friends at the Virginia Citizens Defense League to challenge this violation in court. No law abiding Virginian should be subject to such horrible and un-American laws.
The political and legal battles to restore gun rights in Virginia will be long and difficult, but GOA will continue until one voice of gun control is struck down. And as we fight, we carry the words of the great Founding Father and Virginian Patrick Henry with absolute determination, “The great thing is that every man be armed. Every man that knows how can have a gun.”
