VA Democrats Have a New Plan on How to Lock Up Gun Owners

[mountaineer]

Basically, everything is an assault weapon. And assault weapons are banned.

Virginia Democrats Have a New Plan on How to Lock Up Gun Owners
Joseph Chalfant
January 26, 2026 8:00 PM
TOWNHALL

Virginia Democrats have drawn up an amendment to their bill to ban “assault weapons” and standard capacity magazines, and it is designed to come down even harder on innocent gun owners.

The amendment to the bill removes the clause to grandfather in preexisting magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds. Violators of the law can be prosecuted as a Class 1 misdemeanor and a convicted individual could be subject to a penalty of $2,500 and up to 12 months in prison. The original bill already moved to classify any "semi-automatic centerfire rifle or pistol" as an "assault weapon" to be banned.  ...

[mountaineer]

The man who should have been Va. AG comments: Not only is Virginia Democrat’s SB 749  blatantly unconstitutional (see my AG Opinion) but by removing the grandfather clause with a stroke of a pen countless law abiding citizens who have never committed a crime can be punished up to 12 months in jail all for believing in their Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

https://twitter.com/JasonMiyaresVA/status/2016168007987257454

[mountaineer]

Virginia Dems Press to Immediately Criminalize Residents With Ammo Mags Holding More than Ten Rounds
AWR Hawkins
27 Jan 2026

Virginia Democrats are pressing to remove “grandfather clause” language from a proposed magazine ban, immediately making criminals out of residents possessing mags holding more than ten rounds.

The use of a “grandfather clause” is a typical, leftist ploy to assuage the consciences of moderates in their ranks. By including such a clause they can push a ban while subsequently holding out an olive branch to current owners of whatever is being banned, allowing said owners to legally keep whatever they already possess.  ...

NoVa_Campaigns posted to X: “Virginia Democrats just moved to make ANY possession of 10+ round gun magazines a misdemeanor in Virginia. No grandfather clause.” ...

https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2026/01/27/virginia-dems-press-to-immediately-criminalize-residents-with-ammo-mags-holding-more-than-ten-rounds/

[andy58-in-nh]

The bill is blatantly unconstitutional under recent Supreme Court precedent and would be immediately challenged in Federal court as such.

Under the proposed language, the standard extended BX-25 magazine used in a Ruger 10/22 (.22 caliber) rifle would be illegal, along with those of hundreds of other commonly owned and used firearms. And the guns themselves would also be illegal, as it appears from the bill's original language.   

Even California didn't try to go that far.

[Fishrrman]

andy wrote:
"The bill is blatantly unconstitutional under recent Supreme Court precedent and would be immediately challenged in Federal court as such."

I'd like to believe you on that, Andy, but there are already numerous states with similar laws, and not one of them has been overturned (or perhaps even challenged yet) by the Supreme Court.

When New York passed the SAFE act, they required registration of all AR's. The compliance rate was very low, but they don't seem to have made any attempt to go after owners... yet. However, I believe that in NY if they catch you with an unregistered AR, you get let off relatively lightly if you surrender it.

Ain't that way in Connecticut, however.
After Sandy Hook, the AR ban in CT has declared that anyone with an unregistered AR can be charged with a felony (I think that's how it reads). I don't know of anyone actually being charged yet. Might be the same for owning magazines of over ten rounds as well.

No one has challenged this successfully. The law still stands.

I believe that as an out-of-stater, you can't even buy ammunition in a Connecticut gun shop, because you don't have a CT firearms/ammo card, and (being an out-of-stater) can't get one. So, you can't even buy .22LR in CT.

(I may be wrong on facts here and welcome correction from those in the know)