The Trump administration has filed lawsuits against California and Virginia, challenging recently enacted laws that restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms. The Justice Department contends that these state-level restrictions violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In a statement, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asserted that "The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right." The lawsuits were filed in federal court.
Virginia's new law, signed by Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger and taking effect on Wednesday, bans the sale and manufacture of specific semiautomatic firearms. This legislation is reportedly facing at least four other legal challenges.
California's law prohibits gun shops from selling particular handguns that can be readily converted to fire automatically. The Justice Department's lawsuit specifically mentions that this ban affects Glock and Glock-style pistols, which are among the most common handguns sold in the United States. The suit also challenges additional restrictions on handgun sales within the state.
Attorneys general for both California and Virginia have pledged to defend their respective gun laws. The office of Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones described the semiautomatic firearm ban as a "commonsense" measure aimed at enhancing public safety and protecting law enforcement. California's Attorney General's office stated that the state's gun safety laws have proven effective and constitutional, contributing to historically low firearm death rates.
Recent years have seen a divergence in gun legislation approaches between states led by Democrats and those led by Republicans, with some Republican-controlled states enacting laws to loosen firearm restrictions.
This development comes as the U.S. Supreme Court announced on Tuesday it would review another significant Second Amendment case concerning whether bans on semiautomatic rifles are constitutional. Arguments in that case are anticipated this fall. The Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, has previously expanded gun rights protections.