assault weapons ban

Illinois' assault weapons ban withstood a legal challenge, though future challenges are anticipated. Chicago's first fully-elected school board race is becoming highly competitive.

A federal appeals court has upheld Illinois' ban on assault weapons. The decision maintains the state's existing restrictions on these firearms.

A federal appeals court upheld Illinois' assault weapons ban, and the U.S. Supreme Court will review the issue. The decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals maintains the state's prohibition on assault weapons.

Virginia's new assault weapons ban faces legal uncertainty due to overlapping state and federal court challenges and conflicting injunctions. Attorney General Jay Jones has pledged to defend the law despite the legal disputes complicating its enforcement.

Virginia’s new assault weapons ban faces legal challenges in multiple counties, stalling enforcement. Attorney General Jay Jones and Governor Abigail Spanberger defend the law, while lawsuits create a patchwork of temporary injunctions in Washington and Lancaster counties.

The Virginia Supreme Court panel denied a request to combine cases related to an assault weapons ban. Additional headlines include Virginia CCA seeking feedback on cannabis regulations, a spike in police decertifications, Governor Spanberger discussing AI data centers, and a rare corpse flower blooming at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

The Justice Department has sued Virginia over its assault weapons ban, citing unconstitutionality. Additional headlines include Virginia rejoining a regional carbon emissions marketplace and a protest against a university name change.

The Justice Department sued Virginia after its ban on high-capacity semiautomatic weapons took effect, arguing the law violates the Second Amendment. The lawsuit challenges the definition of 'assault firearms' and claims the regulation lacks historical precedent as outlined in the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision.

A range of laws, including gun laws and workplace practices, will take effect in Virginia on July 1. The ban on assault weapons, part of these laws, faces court challenges.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced the state will appeal a judge’s ruling that blocked an assault weapons ban set to take effect on July 1. The law would have restricted certain semiautomatic firearms and large-capacity magazines, but a preliminary injunction granted by Lancaster County Circuit Judge John Martin halted its enforcement. The judge questioned why the ban did not apply to all military-style firearms, which remain legal.

A Virginia judge blocked the state's impending assault weapons ban, ruling it likely violates the Virginia Constitution's right to bear arms. The decision, issued six days before the law's July 1 implementation, grants a preliminary injunction to gun rights groups and a resident challenging the law.

Virginia Democrats are addressing their redistricting defeat, while local sheriffs in Hanover and Louisa resist the state's new assault weapons ban. Additional headlines include 13 rural hospitals at risk of closing, three Fairfax County Public Schools employees charged, and Caroline County imposing stricter water restrictions due to drought.

Sheriffs and prosecutors in Virginia are refusing to enforce an assault weapons ban set to take effect on July 1, as residents rush to purchase guns before the deadline.

Virginia gun sales have surged ahead of a July 1 assault weapons ban signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger. FBI data shows a significant increase in firearm background checks, with 75,376 checks in May 2025 compared to 37,167 in May 2024. Business owners report rapid sales of AR-15-style rifle components as the law prohibits firearms with magazines holding more than 15 rounds.

Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, refuses to enforce a new state law banning 'assault weapons' and high-capacity magazines, calling it unconstitutional. The law, signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, bans semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns, sparking backlash over Second Amendment concerns. Mehaffey argues the ban violates historical militia traditions and constitutional protections.

A Virginia congressman defended a 2024 vote related to child marriage in an audio clip. Other headlines include legal challenges to an assault weapons ban, a new paid family and medical leave program with potential low costs, increased campus gun restrictions in Virginia, and a grilled cheese festival in a Virginia town.