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A Lancaster County judge has temporarily blocked Virginia’s new assault weapons law, stopping the measure from taking effect July 1 while a legal challenge proceeds.

The legislation, introduced by Fairfax County state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim and Del. Dan Helmer, would prohibit the sale and manufacture of assault-style firearms. The injunction directs Virginia State Police not to enforce the ban.

The order is not a final decision on the law’s constitutionality. It will remain in effect through the end of 2026 unless the court issues a final ruling sooner.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said he plans to appeal.

“Gun violence is the key driver of violent crime in this Commonwealth and nation, and assault weapons are designed intentionally to inflict maximum damage in a matter of seconds,” Jones said. He maintained that the legislation complies with Virginia’s Constitution and will save lives.

Salim, whose district includes Vienna, Tysons, Merrifield, Oakton and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, described the ruling as “disappointing, but not surprising.”

He accused opponents of Senate Bill 749 of seeking a favorable court after losing an earlier challenge. Salim said lawmakers designed the measure to align with constitutional and historical precedents, including the 1994 federal assault weapons ban and the National Firearms Act of 1934.

“I am confident higher courts will uphold SB749, and Virginia will finally address the real harm weapons of war cause in our communities,” Salim said.

The injunction follows a decision the previous week in Spotsylvania County, where a circuit court judge rejected a separate attempt by local gun owners and a gun shop to block the law. Represented by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, those plaintiffs argued that the ban conflicts with a Virginia constitutional provision protecting the right to bear arms as part of a “well regulated militia.”

Helmer, an Army veteran whose district includes the Clifton area of Fairfax County, also predicted that the law ultimately will survive.

“Weapons similar to those that I used serving our country overseas have no place in our schools, in our churches, and on our streets,” Helmer said. He added that parents should not fear whether their children will return home from school or feel compelled to locate emergency exits upon entering a movie theater.

Virginia State Police will review the court order and “act accordingly” once it is entered, an agency spokesperson said.

Gun-rights groups challenge restrictions

The Lancaster County case, Crump v. Katz, was filed by Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Virginia Citizens Defense League and Virginia Citizens Defense Foundation.

The plaintiffs contend that the law violates Virginia’s Constitution by prohibiting the sale, transfer, purchase and public carrying of what they describe as commonly owned firearms and standard-capacity magazines.

The legislation would not criminalize possession of assault-style weapons acquired before its effective date. Future importation, manufacture, sale, purchase or transfer of a covered firearm, however, would be a Class 1 misdemeanor.

A conviction would also result in a three-year prohibition on buying, possessing or transporting a firearm.

Virginia law defines an assault firearm as a semiautomatic center-fire rifle or pistol that uses an explosion of combustible material to fire one or more projectiles and is equipped with a magazine holding more than 20 rounds. The definition also covers firearms designed for a silencer or folding stock.

The law includes exemptions for antique, manually operated and inoperable firearms, as well as weapons used for law-enforcement or government duties. The General Assembly declined to adopt an amendment from Gov. Abigail Spanberger that would have exempted certain hunting firearms.