Trump administration sues California and Virginia over gun laws

The Justice Department filed separate federal lawsuits against California and Virginia on Wednesday. One case targets Virginia’s assault-weapons ban; the other seeks to stop California’s Glock Ban and its Handgun Roster.

In Virginia, the complaint says the law would make the commercial purchase of AR-15-style rifles a crime and unlawfully bans ordinary semiautomatic rifles owned by millions of Americans. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in announcing the case, “The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right.” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the legislation earlier this year, and it took effect Wednesday, though a state judge had already issued a preliminary injunction on June 25 blocking enforcement before the July 1 effective date. Virginia officials said they would appeal, and state officials said the law was already facing at least four other lawsuits.

The Justice Department is challenging the state’s newly enacted Glock Ban, which targets handguns that can be converted into fully automatic weapons with machine-gun conversion devices often called a Glock switch. Federal lawyers are also trying to block enforcement of California’s Handgun Roster, which limits the firearms individuals may buy. California officials defended the laws as effective and constitutional and said they have helped push firearm death rates to record lows.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones called the measure a “commonsense” safeguard that protects public safety and law enforcement, while Spanberger’s office said the governor believes firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong in communities, near children and schools, or on Virginia’s streets.