The U.S. Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against California and Virginia, arguing that both states have crossed clear constitutional lines with their latest gun‑control schemes.
California: Banning America’s Most Popular Handgun
California’s new law, AB 1127, bans the sale of Glock semiautomatic handguns. Gun‑control activists claim Glocks are “too easy” to convert into machine guns using illegal “Glock switches.” That talking point is false, but it’s California, so accuracy was never the priority.
The DOJ argues that banning one of the most popular handguns in the United States is a direct violation of the Second Amendment. Millions of Americans own Glocks for self‑defense, training, and duty use. California’s position effectively criminalizes normal gun ownership under the guise of “safety.”
Virginia: A New “Assault‑Weapon” Ban
In Virginia, the DOJ is challenging the state’s new so‑called “assault weapons ban,” which targets AR‑15‑style rifles and standard‑capacity magazines. The DOJ points out that AR‑15s are “in common use” nationwide, a key constitutional test reaffirmed repeatedly since Heller and Bruen.
This lawsuit lands at a critical moment: the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear several major hardware‑ban cases, the biggest Second Amendment showdown in a decade. Virginia’s ban could be swept up in that wave.
States Claim ‘Common Sense,’ DOJ Says Constitutional Overreach
Both California and Virginia insist their laws are “common‑sense gun regulations” designed to prevent what they call “gun violence.” The DOJ’s position is blunt: these states are banning firearms that millions of law‑abiding Americans own, and that violates the Second Amendment.
