Virginia gun sales surge ahead of July 1 assault weapons ban deadline
Virginia Supreme Court rejects Democrats’ redistricting plan
The Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redistricting plan, upending new congressional maps and dealing a blow to midterm election hopes. Former President Donald Trump and former Governor Glenn Youngkin are praising the ruling as a major victory. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed great disappointment and vowed to explore options to appeal the court’s decision.
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Gun sales in Virginia have increased in recent months ahead of a July 1 ban on the sale of assault weapons, according to FBI data.
Democrat-backed bills that would ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles, or handguns with a magazine capacity of more than 15 rounds, were introduced to the legislature in January and Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed them into law last month.
Since January, the number of background checks for purchasing firearms has increased exponentially; 75,376 background checks were conducted in May alone; That’s more than double the amount in May 2025, when only 37,167 were made, according to FBI statistics.
The highest so far this year was in March, when 79,846 background checks were conducted, compared to just 47,069 last year, and 72,011 were conducted in April, compared to 40,343 in 2025.
A total of 347,167 background checks were conducted through the end of May this year, on track to surpass the 521,283 performed in all of last year.
WHILE WELCOME TO WEST VIRGINIA’S INCREASED ACCESS TO MACHINE GUNS, VIRGINIA DEMS SEND EXPANSION GUNS BAN TO SPANBERGER
AR-15 style rifles became available at Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Virginia, on January 9, 2015. (Samuel Çorum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
“I would say we’ve been running very hard for the last three months,” James Sprouse, manager of Ginger Mafia Tactic, told WDBJ-TV recently. “As soon as we let them in, they’re out the door.”
Trey Boyd, co-owner of Tactical Operations Vault, said he sells components for building AR-15 style rifles.
“It’s just like this closet…this is where I usually keep my stripped undercarriages,” he told WDBJ. “Usually each shelf is completely filled from front to back and is completely wiped out every week or so.”
VIRGINIA SENATORS WANT TO APPLY THEIR CRUEL WEAPONS STRATEGIES TO THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
He added: “We will no longer be able to own firearms with a magazine capacity of more than 15 rounds, which is the majority of your guns today. So this will affect us greatly.”
Guns are on display at a gun store in Manassas, Virginia, as sales of guns and ammunition have increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Yasin Öztürk/Anadolu Agency)
Boyd said he hopes the law will be overturned by the courts.
According to the law, buying, selling, transferring or making a “firearm weapon” will be considered a misdemeanor.
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Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the bill into law last month.
State Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, who introduced the bill earlier this year, told FairfaxNow that there are “too many assault weapons in circulation” and that the bill would “gradually” remove them from the streets, but would exclude retroactively criminalizing possession of any of the newly classified “assault weapons.”
“Firearms designed to cause maximum casualties do not belong on our streets,” Spanberger said in a statement after signing the law. he said. “We are taking this step to support law enforcement who work every day to protect families and keep our communities safe.”
