RICHMOND, Va. – Gun rights advocates are suing to block a Virginia law from taking effect that would ban people from being able to buy more than one handgun a month.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League, Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation are among plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed recently in a circuit court.
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Dubbed the one-handgun-a-month law, the measure seeks to reinstate legislation that was in effect for nearly two decades before being repealed in 2012, news outlets reported.
Virginia’s Democrat-controlled General Assembly passed the bill, along with other gun control measures, in April and Gov. Ralph Northam promptly signed it into law. The ban is set to take effect on July 1.
The legislation was aimed in part at cracking down on firearms trafficking and on those traveling from out of state to purchase multiple guns, news outlets said. It also would make buying more than one handgun in a month a misdemeanor, with violators facing up to a year in jail or up to a $2,500 fine. Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, antique firearms dealers and concealed handgun permit holders are among a list of those exempt from the law.
Goochland County resident Valerie Trojan, and Brother N Arms, a licensed firearms dealer, are among the plaintiffs in the suit filed Friday in a court in that county. The two argue that the measure would violate their Second Amendment rights by prohibiting them from doing things such as purchasing multiple firearms as gifts for family members or selling multiple handguns to customers in a 30-day window.
Attorney General Mark Herring said he would defend the bill, The Virginian-Pilot reported, citing a statement from the prosecutor.
A hearing on the suit is scheduled for June 25.