RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's assault weapons ban is on hold after a Washington County judge temporarily blocked the law while the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear similar gun restriction cases out of Illinois and Connecticut.
The pause has triggered another sudden shift for gun stores across the state — including Town Gun Shop of Richmond, which pulled AR-style rifles from its shelves July 1 following a state law that restricted the sale and purchase of certain semiautomatic weapons and magazines holding more than 15 rounds.
A sign now greets customers at the door: "Back by popular demand. All rifles and pistols are back."
Brad Hughes, an employee at Town Gun Shop of Richmond, said the store received word on July 23 that sales could resume.
"July 23 is when our committee came together, and that's when they told me and the rest of the crew that you know, as of this time, we can continue selling ARL weapons and high-capacity magazines," Hughes said.
Despite the reprieve, Hughes said the store plans to keep inventory low, as a single court ruling could once again change what is allowed in Virginia.
"The hope and the goal is for everything to get overturned, and we continue moving forward as we did before the injunction," Hughes said.
State lawmakers behind the legislation say the goal has always been public safety.
State Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax) said that while the pause is frustrating, waiting for the Supreme Court could ultimately provide clarity not just for Virginia but for states across the country with similar laws.
"What's going to hurt us is that if we move forward and then the Supreme Court decides something different or actually decide with us, we wasted a lot of resources in fighting this," Salim said.
Salim said a ruling against the ban would send legislators back to the drawing board.
"And if the whole thing is struck down, I think we got a lot of work to do, and really back to the drawing board to really look at what can we do to ensure that we're protecting people," Salim said.
The Virginia Attorney General's Office said it has requested similar delays in other cases challenging the state's assault weapons ban. In a statement, the office said in part:
"The United States Supreme Court is reviewing challenges involving assault weapons bans that could directly inform these cases. Staying the four pending lawsuits will support the equal and fair application of the law and prevent conflicting outcomes."
Following a June 2026 preliminary injunction that stopped Virginia State Police from enforcing the state's assault weapons ban, House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore called the Lancaster County judge's decision "welcome, but not unexpected."
"Republicans warned Democrats repeatedly during the regular session that this law was clearly unconstitutional under multiple U.S. Supreme Court rulings. We look forward to seeing this and other cases continue through the courts," Kilgore's June 2026 statement continued.
While some gun stores have resumed selling AR-style rifles following the injunction, others have not. Green Top Sporting Goods addressed the issue on social media, stating it is not resuming those sales despite the recent injunctions.
The National Rifle Association expects the Supreme Court to rule on the assault weapons ban cases in 2027.
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