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EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, is taking a hard-line stance against what he believes is an “unconstitutional” new gun ban signed by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Spanberger, who has been slipping in the polls amid criticisms of her progressive policy agenda, signed a new bill last week banning the future sale and manufacture of “assault weapons,” including many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. The law also bans the future sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
The move caused immediate backlash from many Virginians and raised new Second Amendment violation concerns. Rather than protest, however, Mehaffey, who serves as the commonwealth attorney for Spotsylvania County, is drawing a line in the sand and flatly refusing to enforce the ban.
With the bill set to take effect this July ahead of America’s 250th anniversary of independence, Mehaffey sent a letter to Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris, instructing him that the ban is “unconstitutional and cannot be lawfully enforced.”
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Virginia Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger is drawing Republicans’ ire and a potential Justice Department lawsuit on her latest moves against the Second Amendment. (Getty Images)
A statement released by Spanberger’s office called the assault weapons ban a “critical step toward protecting families, communities, and the law enforcement officers who serve them.”
Spanberger remarked she signed the bill into law “because firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets.”
She added that “while the General Assembly chose not to adopt my amendment that specifically carves out certain firearms frequently used for hunting, I will work with the patrons to clarify this language.”
In response, Mehaffey said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the law “is striking…
