{"id":253058,"date":"2026-07-01T13:29:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=253058"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:17:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:17:24","slug":"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">3<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Department of Justice isn&#8217;t waiting around for someone else to defend the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Wednesday, the DOJ filed two separate lawsuits against California and Virginia, arguing both states crossed the constitutional line by banning firearms that millions of Americans lawfully own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taken together, the lawsuits send a clear message: the Trump administration intends to use the federal government not just to defend federal gun laws.  But to challenge state gun restrictions it believes violate the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DOJ sues Virginia over assault weapons ban\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YB56wj3zONE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">California: DOJ Targets Glock Ban<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first lawsuit takes aim at California&#8217;s newly enacted <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/should-this-father-have-confronted-this-armed-woman\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7121\">&#8220;Glock Ban,&#8221;<\/a> along with the state&#8217;s long-running Handgun Roster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-california-halt-glock-ban\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\">DOJ<\/a>, California&#8217;s new law effectively prevents residents from purchasing Glock pistols and other handguns that use similar firing mechanisms, while the Handgun Roster continues restricting which handguns dealers may legally sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/people-book-celebrates-gun-owners-across-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7122\">Second Amendment<\/a> is a sacred right belonging to all Americans, even those in California,&#8221; Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>California cannot ban the most popular <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/comprehensive-guide-to-handgun-types\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7124\">type of handgun<\/a> in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lawsuit also points to the Supreme Court&#8217;s recent decision in <em>Wolford v. Lopez<\/em>, arguing that states cannot prohibit law-abiding citizens from acquiring commonly used firearms for self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division intends to continue defending gun owners against unconstitutional state firearm regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Civil Rights Division will defend law-abiding citizens from states that seek to disarm them illegally,&#8221; Dhillon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Virginia: AR-15 Ban Faces Federal Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just hours later, the Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-commonwealth-virginia-unconstitutional-weapons-bans\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\">announced<\/a> another lawsuit.  This time against Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DOJ argues the Commonwealth&#8217;s newly enacted law banning the commercial sale of AR-15-style rifles violates the Second Amendment because it prohibits firearms owned by millions of Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,&#8221; Blanche said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This Justice Department has done more to <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/what-trump-can-and-cant-do-to-protect-2a-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7120\">protect the Second Amendment<\/a> than any administration in our nation&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/daniel-defense-3-gun-dominator-m4v7-pro-5-56-full-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\">Daniel Defense DDM4 Lineup 2026: Pick Your DD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dhillon noted she had previously warned Virginia officials that litigation would follow if the legislation became law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;On April 10, I promised Governor Spanberger that we would sue Virginia if she signed this unconstitutional weapons ban into law,&#8221; Dhillon said. &#8220;I keep my promises.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DOJ contends AR-15-style rifles are among the most commonly owned firearms in the country and argues Virginia cannot criminalize their sale consistent with Supreme Court precedent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Different DOJ Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DOJ Drops Lawsuits On Both Sides of the Country\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mNZXiMdW6ho?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of where someone stands on gun policy, these lawsuits represent a notable shift in how the federal government is approaching the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, gun-rights organizations typically <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-june-backcountry-carry-solution-sig-sauer-p320-xten-10mm\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7123\">carried the burden of challenging state firearm<\/a> restrictions.  Now, the Justice Department itself is bringing those fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That could significantly raise the stakes for states pursuing aggressive firearm regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both lawsuits are being handled through the Justice Department&#8217;s Civil Rights Division and its newly established Second Amendment Section, which was created specifically to investigate and litigate alleged violations of Americans&#8217; right to keep and bear arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether these challenges ultimately succeed will be decided in federal court.  But what we do know now is the DOJ isn&#8217;t sitting on the sidelines anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"doj-sues-california-virginia-gun-bans\" title=\"DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Justice isn&#8217;t waiting around for someone else to defend the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":253060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"manual","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607,122],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-253058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-r2kba"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>DOJ Sues California and Virginia Over New Gun Bans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Justice Department filed lawsuits against California and Virginia on the same day, arguing both states violated Americans&#039; 2A rights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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Experience: \u2013 Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper \u2013 Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.\u2013 Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS &amp; AZ) \u2013 Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.\u2013 2A Journalist \u2013 Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.\u2013 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) \u2013 Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.\u2013 Field-Tested Gear Reviewer \u2013 Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hunt365.gunsamerica.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/gunsamerica_official\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/GunsAmerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/GunsAmerica\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/larry-z\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. 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