RICHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Virginia and the Virginia State Police over a new law banning the sale of certain guns.
The law would restrict the sale and purchase of certain semiautomatic weapons and magazines holding more than 15 rounds. Guns and magazines already owned by Virginians would not be impacted.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the lawsuit in a statement.
"The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right," Blanche said.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division also issued a statement.
"Law-abiding Americans should not have to live under threat of criminal sanction for simply exercising their Second Amendment right to possess arms owned by millions of their fellow citizens," Dhillon said.
The Virginia Attorney General's Office said it was reviewing the complaint.
"[We will] defend Virginia’s assault weapons ban against the Trump DOJ’s misuse of the Civil Rights Division," a spokesperson for the Virginia Attorney General's Office said. "This commonsense law keeps Virginians safe, protects law enforcement, and safeguards communities across the Commonwealth."
The law was blocked from taking effect July 1 after two Virginia judges issued preliminary injunctions.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said his office is appealing both injunctions.
"We will continue fulfilling our responsibility to defend Virginia's magazine capacity restrictions, the assault weapons ban, and uphold laws designed to keep Virginians safe," Jones said.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced this week it will take up challenges to similar assault weapons bans in Illinois and Connecticut. Those arguments will be heard in October.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
