Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger just signed a law restricting commonly owned firearms and limiting magazines to 15 rounds. It takes effect July 1. And it is already drawing fierce opposition from gun owners, Republican lawmakers, gun dealers, and legal organizations who say it violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding Virginians.

State Senator Bryce Reeves put it plainly: "My question to people who say do I think I need it is why don't you want me to have it?" The firearms targeted by this law are owned by tens of millions of Americans. They are used by hunters, sport shooters, and responsible citizens exercising their constitutional right to self-defense. They are not, as Reeves noted, the source of Virginia's crime problem.

The law will not make Virginians safer. Steve Dowdy, owner of Bob's Gun Shop in Norfolk, said it directly: "They have passed a law that will do absolutely nothing to affect crime." In the short term, the legislation is already having the opposite effect, driving a surge in purchases before the July 1 deadline. Restricting magazine capacity does not reduce criminal intent. It reduces the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves.

Several Virginia prosecutors have already announced they will not enforce the law, recognizing it as an unconstitutional overreach. The NRA, the Second Amendment Foundation, and multiple other plaintiffs, including Dowdy himself, have filed lawsuits challenging the legislation. Senator Reeves believes the law will not survive legal scrutiny: "Lawsuits already been filed, and much like redistricting, I think it's going to fall flat on its face."

We are calling on the Virginia General Assembly to repeal this law before it takes effect, on Virginia courts to swiftly rule on the pending constitutional challenges, and on Governor Spanberger to respect the Second Amendment rights of the law-abiding Virginians she represents. We also call on all Virginia Commonwealth's attorneys to stand with their constituents and decline to prosecute residents for exercising rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

The Second Amendment is not negotiable. Virginians should not have to choose between their constitutional rights and compliance with an unconstitutional law.