State senator Saddam Salim’s election campaign ran on a platform that promised Virginians stricter laws regarding assault weapons—and that promise has now been fulfilled. On May 14, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law the legislation he proposed that will prohibit the future sale and manufacture of assault firearms that can hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition.
“I talked to a lot of parents and a lot of grandparents when I was campaigning, and they have always said, ‘I don’t know when there’s an alert that comes to my phone if it’s about a shooting or a mass shooting or anything that’s related to guns,’” Salim said. “That should not be the first thing that anyone thinks about.”
This new law, which officially takes effect on July 1, 2026, makes importing, selling, manufacturing, purchasing and transferring an assault firearm in Virginia a Class One misdemeanor. Violators of the law could face up to 12 months in prison or a $2,500 fine.
“Right now, a lot of people do get their weapons illegally. So if we have law enforcement and we have folks who are saying, ‘oh, this is already illegal,’ then they can’t purchase [assault weapons],” Salim said. ”The commonwealth attorneys can go ahead and file charges for folks who do buy them illegally.”
In response, the National Rifle Association, the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia.
“As far as concerns go, [there] is inevitably going to be backlash [to this law],” English teacher Michael Enos said. “[There] is a culture with people who take pride in their guns.”
The ban does not apply to firearms that are antique or non-functioning. In addition, people who already own assault weapons are allowed to keep them.
“The bill says we’re banning the sales of the manufacturing of the transfer of assault weapons. However, if you bought [a weapon before July 1], you can keep it,” Salim said. “No one’s going to come to your house and take it away because it’s banned under the state law.”
In recent years, there were other attempts to pass this type of legislation in Virginia, especially after a 2019 Virginia Beach shooting in which 12 victims were fatally shot and four others were injured. However, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed all attempted firearm bans. This law marked the first successful attempt to restrict firearms in Virginia.
“I needed majorities in both chambers to make sure that we can get it across the finish line,” Salim said. “If in about a couple of years from now, let’s say four years from now, Republicans have a trifecta [again], I do believe they’re going to try to repeal [my law] and that’s going to lead to a lot of lawsuits. But once it’s law, it makes it a bit more difficult to get rid of it.”
While the law places restrictions on purchasing guns, it does not completely prohibit gun ownership as protected by the Second Amendment, which says that people have the right to bear arms.
“I am not taking [people’s Second Amendments rights] away. I am simply putting on some restrictions,” Salim said. “On the other hand, [full assault weapons access actually] infringes on someone else’s rights, like the pursuit of happiness, liberty and life.”
Many students support the new law, especially in light of recent school shootings across the nation.
“We have grown up doing active shooter drills, like lockdown drills in schools,” said Arham Jain, the president of Ahmisa Club, a gun violence prevention club. “There’s a lot of anxiety in school atmospheres, especially after school shootings, and people don’t feel comfortable to talk about it just because of its political relevance.”
Others in the school community have also expressed optimism about the new law and the protections it could provide.
“Throughout the years now, [violence related to assault weapons] has become something that doesn’t even make the headlines or the front page of a paper anymore,” Enos said. “It’s a good idea to have some more restrictions. I’m not anti-gun, but I am anti-assault weapon. I don’t think that people necessarily need to have an assault weapon to protect themselves or to hunt.”
While some acknowledge the benefits of the bill, others also recognize that implementing this law does not address the root problem of violence stemming from assault weapons.
“The law can help [with assault-weapon violence], but there’s no single law that actually solves the problem on its own. Real nonviolence is more than just rules,” Jain said. “[Lawmakers] can pass laws limiting weapons, but [they] also have to teach people how to handle anger and conflict without violence and address the reasons [behind why] people actually feel violent in the first place.”
Ultimately, gun violence remains a prevalent issue that is closely tied to a national political debate.
“[Gun violence] is a really political issue. Republicans typically tend to like [guns] because of the Second Amendment and all and that’s part of what nonviolence is. There’s not one clean answer. Disagreements are a natural part of peace,” Jain said. “The key is to just talk about it with others and try to make a decision that actually makes a difference.”
