We have another important victory in the fight against Virginia’s unconstitutional gun and magazine bans.
A three-judge panel has denied the Commonwealth’s attempt to consolidate the lawsuits challenging Virginia’s new gun control laws.
That means Crump v. Katz, GOA and VCDL’s lawsuit against the so-called “assault firearm” and magazine bans, can continue in Lancaster County.
This matters.
Richmond tried to drag the various challenges into one consolidated proceeding, which would have disrupted the cases already moving forward in their own courts.
The panel rejected that effort.
In fact, the panel found that the Commonwealth failed to meet its burden and noted that courts have already ruled on preliminary injunctions in three of the four cases.
This is especially important because we already secured a preliminary injunction blocking the Virginia State Police from enforcing the challenged gun and magazine bans while our case continues.
Despite these positive developments, Attorney General Jay Jones is still trying to undo that victory before the Supreme Court of Virginia.
There’s still work to do, and there’s still ways you can help. Please consider contributing to our litigation fund, so that we can continue to fight in the courts.
At least 15 Commonwealth’s Attorneys have already refused to enforce these bans on constitutional grounds, and sheriffs across Virginia are also speaking out against Richmond’s attack on gun owners.
Every local official who refuses to enforce these laws makes it harder for Jay Jones and anti-gun politicians to threaten peaceable Virginians.
TAKE ACTION
Please contact your Commonwealth’s Attorney and Sheriff today.
Urge them to publicly oppose enforcement of Virginia’s unconstitutional gun and magazine bans.
Tell them to stand with the judge, stand with the Virginia Constitution, and stand with law-abiding gun owners.
|
Below is a pre-written letter that you can use: |
|
Dear [Commonwealth’s Attorney’s name], As a Virginia gun owner, I urge you to agree with the court’s ruling in Crump v. Katz and refuse to enforce Virginia’s unconstitutional gun and magazine bans against law-abiding citizens. SB749 and SB727 target many commonly owned firearms and standard-capacity magazines that Virginians have lawfully owned, used, acquired, transferred, and carried for decades. Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution is clear: “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Lancaster Circuit Court has now issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Virginia State Police from enforcing the challenged statutes while the case continues. I urge you to respect that ruling and publicly commit that your office will not prosecute peaceable Virginians under these unconstitutional laws. Attorney General Jay Jones is trying to minimize the scope of the injunction by claiming it binds only the Virginia State Police. But pretending local prosecutors can carry on like nothing happened is reckless. State law presumes officials obey constitutional rulings, and those who ignore them may lose qualified immunity and face personal liability. Law-abiding gun owners should not be turned into criminals for exercising their constitutional rights. Sincerely, |
|
This fight is moving quickly, but the momentum is on our side. GOA and our allies will keep fighting in court and in Richmond until these unconstitutional bans are defeated for good. |
