Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) warning that the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division will file a lawsuit if Spanberger signs any bills restricting gun rights in Virginia.
“This letter provides formal notice that the Civil Rights Division will commence litigation in the event the Commonwealth of Virginia enacts certain bills that unconstitutionally limit law-abiding Americans’ individual right to bear arms,” Dhillon wrote in the letter. “President Trump issued Executive Order 14206 making clear that this Administration will take affirmative steps to ensure that Second Amendment rights “must not be infringed.”
@SpanbergerForVA is on notice: 2A rights SHALL NOT BE infringed.
We are closely watching—in the event any unlawful legislation is enacted, we will sue. @CivilRights will protect the 2A rights of law-abiding citizens in Virginia.
2A Section Lawyers are standing by…— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) April 10, 2026
SB 749, which will make it a crime to purchase or sell AR-15 rifles, passed Virginia’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly and is sitting on the governor’s desk. Spanberger has until April 13 to sign, veto, or amend it.
“Unfortunately, Virginia appears poised to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to enjoy and use AR-15 rifles for lawful purposes by making it a crime to purchase and sell them,” Dhillon said. “This Civil Rights Division will seek to enjoin any attempt to infringe the right of law-abiding Virginians to acquire constitutionally protected arms that are possessed by literally tens of millions of Americans.”
Spanberger signed a series of gun control bills on Friday, including legislation regulating firearm manufacturers’ liability, ghost guns, and partners of individuals charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.
“As a former federal law enforcement officer, public safety is personal to me,” Spanberger wrote on X. ”That’s why I signed bills — led by both parties — to protect children from sexual and domestic violence, support law enforcement and first responders, and prevent gun violence in our communities.”
“The General Assembly has forwarded to you over 20 bills that restrict Second Amendment rights,” Dillion wrote. “I urge you to reconsider allowing any bill that would infringe on the lawful use of protected firearms by law abiding citizens to become law in an effort to avoid unnecessary litigation.”
“This is a big deal,” Washington Gun Law President William Kirk said. “For the first time in the history of the United States Department of Justice, you now have them stepping in preemptively before a bill actually becomes law and warning to a governor that ‘Hey, you may be going a bridge too far here,’ and then also being willing to back it up with litigation.”
Dhillon has already begun gearing up to bring a lawsuit against the commonwealth.
“I’m hiring up and staffing up in our Second Amendment section,” Dhillon said. “[Spanberger’s] a leftist and she doesn’t like guns or gun rights. You know, former CIA operative, and so she’s all about big government. And so she’ll sign that and then we’ll end up challenging it.”
“Not only are we seeing many of these civilian disarmament states absolutely step up their warfare, but we’re beginning to see the DOJ also begin to step up its warfare,” Kirk said. “The battlefield is becoming hotter and hotter by the day. And the only way it’s going to stop is, well, for the United States Supreme Court to step in and do something about it.”
After a slew of bills came across the newly sworn-in governor’s desk, President Donald Trump called out Spanberger in a Truth Social post.
“I can’t believe what this new Governor, Spanberger, has done to the Commonwealth — So sad!” Trump wrote. “People that voted for Spanberger are saying to themselves, “Why did I do that, what have I done?” These politicians are all sinking in the Polls.”
Spanberger has a 47% approval rating, according to a new Washington Post–Schar School poll. The Democratic governor has the worst approval rating of any Virginia governor just two months into office.
SPANBERGER AND DEMOCRATS SPEND BIG ON ‘NAKED QUEST FOR POWER’ IN VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING
“The President lied about me today on social media,” Spanberger responded on X. “While he tries to distract from the soaring gas prices and economic worry he has caused.”
This comes as her party is proposing a number of tax hikes, a slew of illegal immigrants have been charged with murder and other crimes, and Spanberger has thrown her support behind a redistricting effort that would greatly swing the state blue.