“They’re Out the Door as Fast as We Get Them”: Virginia Gun Sales Explode Ahead of July 1 Assault Weapons Ban
RICHMOND, VA – The waiting lists are miles long, store shelves are stripped bare, and the FBI is logging numbers that look more like concert ticket sales than firearm transactions. With the clock ticking down to a July 1 deadline that will outlaw the sale of semi-automatic rifles and any pistol with a magazine capacity over 15 rounds, Virginia is in the grip of an unprecedented buying frenzy. According to new FBI data, background checks for May alone hit a staggering 75,376—more than double the 37,167 recorded in May 2025. But that’s just the tip of the magazine. March saw the year’s highest spike so far at 79,846 checks, and if the current pace holds, the commonwealth is on track to obliterate last year’s total of 521,283 background checks before the leaves even fall.
Governor Abigail Spanberger signed the Democrat-sponsored ban into law last month, following its introduction in January. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Saddam Salim, makes it a misdemeanor to buy, sell, transfer, or manufacture any newly defined “assault firearm.” While the law grandfathers existing weapons, it has triggered a panic-buying tsunami of AR-15 style rifles and components. “For the last three months, we’ve been running hard,” said James Sprouse, a manager at Ginger Mafia Tactical. “The second we get them in, they’re out the door.” Trey Boyd, co-owner of Tactical Operations Vault, pointed to an empty cabinet that usually holds “stripped lowers”—the serialized heart of an AR-15. “Usually every rack is completely full,” he told WDBJ-TV. “About every week, it’s completely wiped out.”
From the governor’s mansion, Spanberger defended the law as a public safety necessity, stating, “Firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets.” But in gun shops from Manassas to Virginia Beach, the message is the same: a majority of modern firearms are now illegal to sell as of July
