Virginia's Gun Control Showdown with DOJ

0:00It's April 16. I'm Cory with the story. This is US News Today, driven by AI and built for America. Virginia faces the showdown with the Justice Department over gun control. The DOJ Civil Rights Division Chief sent a letter on April 10th warning they'll sue if the state banned sales and manufacturing of AR-15 style. Rifles This comes as Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a batch of gun measures, but tweaked the main assault weapons bill and bounced it back to lawmakers. The key bill, Senate Bill 749, targets assault-style firearms by blocking future sales, transfers, manufacturing, and imports. It caps magazines at 15 rounds and sets a misdemeanor penalty for violations, but grandfather's and guns owned before July 1, 20, 26. Spanberger's changes kept the core ban, but eased rules on some shotgun features and magazine wording. Lawmakers in the Democrat-led General Assembly now decide if they accept her amendments.

1:01Spanberger, a former federal agent from a gun-owning family, calls it a balance of rights and safety. Meanwhile, the DOJ argues these rifles are protected by the Second Amendment, pointing to the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruin ruling. The feds also flagged other signed bills, like House Bill 21 stripping civil immunity from gun makers to allow lawsuits over misuse, and A, Ghost Gun Band. Dylan called the immunity change a threat to the industry. This marched the first such move in 68 years for the Civil Rights Division, which launched a Second Amendment team last year under President. Trump's push to defend gun rights. I stay on Virginia's Assembly as they hash out the next steps.