As yesterday’s deadline for signing or vetoing the “assault weapons” ban bill closed in, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) pivoted and proposed changes to legislation.
Spanberger’s actions extend the deadline for action on the bill to April 22, 2026, giving lawmakers time to accept or reject her changes.
Virginia delegate Wren Williams (R) explained: “Governor Spanberger has proposed substitutes to five gun bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly this session. These are not vetoes. A substitute is the Governor’s recommended rewrite — the House and Senate reconvene April 22 to either accept her changes or reject them and insist on the original bill.”
The precise details of Spanberger’s suggested changes are yet reported.
On April 10, 2026, Breitbart News noted that the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon made clear that Trump’s DOJ would sue if Spanberger signed the “assault weapons” ban legislation into law.
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 HiLastory 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.