# Virginia’s Gun Grabbers Gear Up: Semi-Auto Ban and Suppressor Tax on the Horizon for 2026
Just when you thought Virginia’s anti-2A crowd might take a breather after their 2020 power grab fizzled thanks to a massive armed citizen turnout in Richmond, the plot thickens. Anti-gun legislators in the state capital are cranking out bills ahead of the 2026 session that would slap a outright ban on semi-automatic rifles and hit suppressors with a punitive tax—because nothing says common sense like turning law-abiding Virginians into felons for owning standard-issue firearms and hearing protection. This isn’t subtle incrementalism; it’s a full-frontal assault disguised as safety measures, recycling failed ideas from blue-state wish lists like California’s roster nightmare and New York’s excise tax experiments. The source? Straight from the trenches of pro-2A watchdogs tracking Richmond’s fever swamp, where Democrats dream of transforming the Old Dominion into another nanny state.
Dig deeper, and the hypocrisy shines: these same folks who demonize assault weapons (spoiler: that’s just AR-15s and similar, used in a fraction of crimes per FBI stats) ignore that semi-autos are the workhorses of self-defense, hunting, and competitive shooting. A ban wouldn’t disarm criminals—who don’t buy from FFLs—but it’d gut Virginia’s vibrant firearms community, from the ranges in Fairfax to the farms in Southwest. The suppressor tax? Pure revenue grab, ignoring the 1934 NFA’s already draconian $200 stamp (unchanged since the Great Depression) and mountains of data showing cans reduce noise-induced hearing loss without enabling crime (zero suppressor-linked murders per ATF reports). This is Bloomberg money at work, testing waters post-2024 elections where 2A voters flipped seats nationwide. Clever angle: with Governor Youngkin’s veto pen still sharp, these bills are less about passage and more about normalizing infringement—softening the ground for future Dem trifectas.
For the 2A community, implications scream urgency: mobilize now. Flood committee hearings, pack the capitol like 2020 (when 22,000+ showed up and killed 400+ bills), and support groups like VCDL who’ve blocked this nonsense before. Nationally, it’s a canary in the coal mine—Virginia swings purple, and if these pass, expect copycats in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania. Stock up legally, train hard, and vote like your rights depend on it (they do). The resistance isn’t optional; it’s constitutional. Stay vigilant, patriots—Richmond’s radicals just declared open season on your freedoms.
*Source: Pro-2A legislative trackers monitoring Richmond filings ahead of 2026 session.*
