By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A recent fund-raising message for the group United for Virginia’s Future PAC, sent by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, raises questions about whether the governor, and the PAC, reads headlines.
TGM obtained a copy of the fund raiser, which begins, “You probably heard about the assault weapons ban. You may have seen the news about paid sick leave or insulin costs. Those are real wins, and I’m proud of them.”
But, wait. The ban on modern semiautomatic firearms could hardly be called a victory, since it is already tied up in the courts by preliminary injunctions. The statewide injunction could last well into 2027 because it is now o hold while the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments and issues a ruling on similar bans in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois.
According to The Center Square, Washington County Circuit Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell issued the order expanding the injunction to cover the entire state. He granted a motion by the defendants “to pause the Washington County case, with the agreement of the parties, while the Supreme Court considers challenges to assault weapons bans in Illinois and Connecticut.”
But the consolidated cases—Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins—both brought by the Second Amendment Foundation have yet to be heard. Oral arguments may not happen until sometime this fall or even over the winter, with a ruling not expected until next June. If the high court declares bans on semiautomatic rifles to be unconstitutional, the Virginia ban would essentially be nullified.
In a statement quoted by the Courthouse News, Judge Campbell observed, “This court, indeed any court, should be reluctant to flippantly undertake an interference with these separate, but co-equal, functions, absent a clear and unequivocal showing of constitutional infirmity. But, upon a sufficient showing of the same, it is the court’s long-standing duty to lift the clouds of unconstitutionality from above the heads of our citizens.”
Does this leave Spanberger and the PAC high and dry? Likely not, as other issues will come along, but for the freshman governor who has only been in office for seven months and has been under criticism for quickly departing from her campaign image as a moderate to being a far-left Democrat, it might be a bit embarrassing.
Or not.
