NRA and allies file suit to block Virginia's new assault weapons ban the same day Spanberger signs it

Within hours of Governor Spanberger''s signature, the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed a federal lawsuit in the Alexandria Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, naming Virginia residents Justin McDonald of Goochland County and Anthony Groeneveld of Prince William County as individual plaintiffs. The complaint argues that SB 749 violates the Second Amendment by banning the purchase, sale, and transfer of commonly owned semiautomatic firearms including the AR-15, which the plaintiffs call the most popular rifle in America. A separate state-court suit was filed simultaneously by Senator Bill Stanley on behalf of Virginia residents and organizations, arguing violation of Virginia''s constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The cases invoke the Bruen framework requiring the government to identify historical analogues justifying the ban.