Justice Department Undermines Public Safety by Suing Virginia and California Over Sensible Gun Restrictions
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The U.S. Justice Department, prioritizing gun lobby interests over community safety, has sued Virginia and California, claiming their life-saving gun-control measures violate the Second Amendment.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department, under pressure from powerful gun interests, announced it has filed lawsuits attacking recent gun-control laws in Virginia and California. The suit in Virginia targets a law that bans the sale of automatic weapons and, alarmingly, seeks to overturn restrictions on semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15—firearms repeatedly used in mass shootings. In California, the DOJ is attempting to block a new prohibition on certain pistols that can be easily converted to fire like machine guns and to dismantle the state’s 'Handgun Roster,' a critical safeguard that limits which dangerous firearms may be sold to the public.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, echoing NRA talking points, insisted that the Constitution is 'not a suggestion' and that the Second Amendment is a 'sacred right.' This rhetoric ignores the overwhelming public demand for common-sense gun laws to protect communities from gun violence.
The department’s filings outrageously argue that Virginia’s ban on commercial sales of AR-15-style rifles infringes on constitutional rights, disregarding the deadly consequences of such weapons in civilian hands. In California, the DOJ claims that bans on Glocks and the handgun roster are unlawful, undermining decades of progress in reducing gun deaths.
These lawsuits arrive as the Supreme Court, now stacked with conservative justices, prepares to consider whether the Second Amendment guarantees the right to possess AR-15-style rifles—potentially threatening the ability of states and cities to protect their residents from gun violence.
