Anti-gun zealots in Richmond are at it again, cranking out a fresh batch of Second Amendment-crushing bills ahead of the 2026 Virginia legislative session. We’re talking a full-throated push for a semi-automatic rifle ban—because apparently, the AR-15 is the root of all evil—and a punitive tax on suppressors that would jack up the already hefty $200 federal stamp to nosebleed levels. These aren’t just feel-good proposals from the progressive playbook; they’re calculated strikes aimed at pricing law-abiding Virginians out of their constitutional protections. Legislators like those who’ve flooded the capitol with over a dozen such measures are betting on voter apathy and media spin to slide this through, framing assault weapons as public enemy number one while ignoring how criminals don’t bother with background checks or taxes.

Let’s break it down: Virginia’s flirtation with semi-auto bans echoes failed experiments in states like California and New York, where bump stock hysteria morphed into blanket prohibitions that ensnare hunters, sport shooters, and home defenders alike. Data from the FBI’s own crime stats shows rifles of any kind, semi-auto or otherwise, account for a measly 3-4% of gun murders—knives and fists outpace them yearly—yet here we are, with pols recycling the same debunked narrative. The suppressor tax is even sneakier: these hearing-safe devices, legal federally since 1934, reduce noise pollution at ranges and protect shooters’ ears without altering a firearm’s lethality. Slapping an extra state tax on top of ATF wait times (often 6-12 months) is pure revenue grab disguised as safety theater, hitting rural gun owners hardest while urban gangs laugh with their illegal, unthreaded pipes.

For the 2A community, this is a five-alarm fire—Virginia’s purple battleground status means these bills could flip the script from our 2020 veto wins under Gov. Youngkin. If they pass, expect a flood of compliance nightmares, black market incentives, and lawsuits from groups like GOA and SAF that tie up courts for years. But here’s the silver lining: grassroots mobilization crushed similar assaults before. Stock up on ammo, hit the phones to your delegates, and rally at the next VCDL event—because nothing says shall not be infringed like Virginians showing Richmond who’s really in charge. Stay vigilant; our rights depend on it.