A Virginia Sheriff Just Openly Defied Spanberger and Said Exactly Where She Can Put Her AR Ban

Abigail Spanberger just banned the most popular rifle in America.

Now a Virginia sheriff is telling her exactly what he thinks about that.

Clarke County Sheriff Travis Sumption put it in writing – and what he wrote stops Spanberger's gun grab cold.

Virginia Sheriff Travis Sumption Refuses to Enforce the Assault Weapons Ban

In a letter dated May 29, Sheriff Sumption and Clarke County Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew Bass made their position plain: the new laws from Richmond threaten constitutional rights that Clarke County residents have held – and formally memorialized – for years.

The letter cited decades of Supreme Court precedent affirming the right to keep and bear arms under both the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.

It also cited Clarke County's own January 2020 Second Amendment sanctuary resolution – passed with unanimous, bipartisan support by the county's Board of Supervisors.

Sumption was equally direct about a practical reality: his office simply doesn't have the manpower to police all the new gun controls Richmond just handed him.

The bottom line from both Sumption and Bass: no enforcement against "non-violent offenders."

Prosecutors Across Virginia Refuse to Enforce Spanberger Gun Ban

What Spanberger is discovering is something Democrats always seem to forget: Virginia isn't Northern Virginia.

Democrats flipped the General Assembly by running up huge margins in the Washington, D.C. suburbs – and they've governed as though those suburbs are all that exists.

Sumption isn't alone.

Prosecutors in Spotsylvania, Smyth, Powhatan, and Pulaski counties have all refused to enforce the ban.

Spotsylvania Commonwealth's Attorney Ryan Mehaffey – a Marine veteran – sent a letter to his county sheriff the day Spanberger signed the bill calling it "unconstitutional and cannot be lawfully enforced."

Smyth County Commonwealth's Attorney Phillip Blevins, an Air Force veteran, put it simply: "The Bill of Rights either means something, or it does not."

Pulaski County's Justin Griffith asked the question that exposes exactly how absurd this law is: "I am not going to take law-abiding citizens as of June 30th, 2026, and criminalize that same behavior on July 1st, 2026, solely on the basis of this new law."

The Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement That Stopped Richmond Before

Democrats don't seem to remember 2019.

That's when Gov. Ralph Northam and his newly empowered Democratic majority tried the exact same play – pushing gun control on a state that wasn't asking for it.

What happened?

Leaders from 95% of Virginia's localities – nearly 200 counties – pledged not to enforce unconstitutional gun measures from Richmond.

It worked.

The most aggressive proposals died.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League is now activating "Second Amendment Sanctuary 2.0," calling on county officials across the Commonwealth to duplicate that success against Spanberger.

And the resistance isn't just local.

The NRA, Gun Owners of America, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and the Second Amendment Foundation have all filed suit.

The Trump administration's DOJ has signaled it may sue Virginia directly – following recent federal action against Denver and Colorado's similar restrictions.

Why the Virginia Gun Ban May Already Be Unconstitutional

Here's what Spanberger doesn't want you to understand: this ban is effectively unenforceable right now, and she knows it.

The Supreme Court already told us where this is headed.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh observed that Americans own an estimated 20 to 30 million AR-15s and that such rifles are legal in 41 states.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the Court in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos that the AR-15 is "both widely legal and bought by many ordinary consumers" and "the most popular rifle in the country."

You cannot ban the most popular rifle in the country.

The Court hasn't formally struck down state AR-15 bans yet – but the writing is on the wall in 30-round magazine font.

Spanberger's office pushed back with this: "The people of Virginia must be able to trust that all the commonwealth's attorneys will uphold the rule of law and keep Virginians safe."

But keeping Virginians safe is exactly what sheriffs and prosecutors in communities across this state say they're doing – by refusing to treat their neighbors as criminals for owning a rifle their fathers owned before them.

The law takes effect July 1.

By every indication, Richmond will be enforcing it alone.

Sources:

• AWR Hawkins, "Virginia Sheriff Refuses to Enforce AR-15 Ban and 'Expanded Public-Carry Restrictions,'" Breitbart, May 30, 2026.
• "Virginia Prosecutors Refuse to Enforce New Gun Ban," The Washington Times, May 26, 2026.
• "'I Won't Criminalize Law-Abiding Citizens': Virginia Prosecutors Defy Spanberger's Gun Ban," The Washington Times, May 27, 2026.
• "Virginia's Assault Weapons Ban Draws Immediate Legal Fire," Cato at Liberty Blog, May 2026.
• "Gun Owners of America Files Suit Against Virginia 'Assault Weapons' Ban," Breitbart, May 17, 2026.
• Stephen Halbrook, "Second Amendment Roundup: Virginia Bans 'Assault Firearms,'" Reason / Volokh Conspiracy, May 24, 2026.