Virginia state Sen. Saddam Salim (D) sponsored the recently passed “assault weapons” ban and pointed to handgun attacks at Virginia Tech and Virginia Beach in an attempt to justify prohibiting AR-15s.
Again, he pointed to handgun attacks to justify a ban on AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles.
Reason magazine’s Jacob Sullum noted that “Salim cited…[the April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech shooting] in explaining his motivation for introducing S.B. 749.” The Virginia Tech shooter used two handguns to carry out his attack.
Writing in the Falls Church News Press at the time he introduced the “assault weapons” ban, Salim also pointed to the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach shooting as motivation for the AR-15/semiautomatic rifle ban. The Virginia beach shooter used a handgun to carry out his attack.
Virginia Democrat lawmakers passed Salim’s AR-15/semiautomatic rifle ban on Monday, March 9, 2026.
Democrats passed the bill, in part, by including a grandfather clause that allows Virginians to keep banned firearms beyond the July 1, 2026, effective date of SB 749. However, the bill makes it illegal for them to sell or transfer the guns or to buy new ones.
It even bans the possession of said guns unless the firearm was in the possession of the person prior to July 1, 2026.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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