Virginia just handed the rest of the country a preview of what aggressive state-level gun legislation looks like post-Bruen — and how fast the federal government can respond.

"Not only does it keep in place the de facto ban on some of the most common firearms in Virginia, it goes further and appears to create a ban on any firearm that can accept a magazine of more than 15 rounds."

Read that twice. We're not talking about some niche platform — we're talking about your GLOCK 17, your M&P, your Smith 10/22 if someone gets creative with the language. Removing one word from the original bill turned a bad law into one that could theoretically touch almost everything in your safe.

The constitutional angle here is actually the more interesting story. The DOJ sent that warning letter before Spanberger signed anything. That's not a reaction — that's a signal that the federal government under the current administration is actively watching for exactly this kind of move and has the Bruen brief already written.

The "reasonable controls" liability language in the companion bills is the part that should make Idaho gun owners pay attention beyond Virginia's borders. That's the legal template that gets recycled across state legislatures. What passes in Richmond has a way of showing up in other states' committee hearings eighteen months later.

For those of you who've followed the Bruen litigation — where do you think a federal injunction actually lands if Virginia passes this in amended form, and does the DOJ threat change how the legislature votes?

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett