At least ten Commonwealth’s Attorneys have made clear that they will not enforce the “assault weapons” ban scheduled to take effect in Virginia on July 1, 2026.
On May 27, 2026, Breitbart News pointed to a WAVY 10 report showing that three Commonwealth’s Attorneys had made clear they would not be enforcing the ban.
Over the weekend, Virginia state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D), the “assault weapons” ban sponsor, told the prosecutors to quit “tough guy posturing.”
Salim used an X post to address prosecutors who are standing against his ban, saying, “I know these Republican prosecutors see this as an opportunity for tough guy posturing and amateur constitutional lawyering, but ending the sale of assault weapons in Virginia isn’t something an individual prosecutor can do anything about.”
But the number of Commonwealth’s Attorneys who are adamant about not enforcing the ban continued to grow until, on June 1, 2026, WJLA noted the number of Commonwealth’s Attorneys refusing to enforce it had reached ten.
One of those prosecutors is Clarke County Commonwealth Attorney Matthew E. Bass. Moreover, Breitbart News explained that Clarke County Sheriff Travis Sumption also made clear his office will not be enforcing the ban either.
In a joint statement, both Bass and Sumption made clear there will be no enforcement of the new controls against “non-violent offenders.”
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. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.