RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s liberal government is garnering national attention for everything from its tax and energy policies to its firearms bans, and as a result of that public pressure, on gun bans in particular, the state is moving in a special legislative session to delay the effective date.
First brought to our attention by Second Amendment journalist John Crump in a June 26 post on X, it appears the state is quietly moving the effective date of the carry ban out a full year, from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027.
The June 26 special legislative session, which mostly addresses budget-related issues, includes a couple of lines that appear to be purposefully written without much detail, perhaps to evade attention:
“This amendment delays the effective date of the amendments to Section 18.2-287.4 enacted during the 2026 Session to be July 1, 2027.”
Section 18.2-287.4. is the measure that bans people from carrying lawfully-owned, loaded firearms in public, a tyrannical move to be expected when the state begins to pursue policies and actions that would disarm and disenfranchise its citizens, leaving the Second Amendment as the only defense against tyranny. (Our readers can view the history of Virginia’s recent disarmament agenda under Governor Spanberger.)
Beyond the backlash from the public over the gun bans, another reason the governor and the state legislature may be looking to delay the effective date is because of the threat of lawsuit from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
On Friday, April 10, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger stating that the federal government is prepared to sue the state if it signs bills that “unconstitutionally limit law-abiding Americans’ individual right to bear arms.” Though the suit has not yet been filed, many speculate that the DOJ was waiting for the law to go into effect before bringing the affirmative action.
Additionally, a grassroots movement within the state’s system of sheriffs and commonwealth’s attorneys shows an increasing number of elected public officials unwilling to enforce the state’s unconstitutional gun control measures.
