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The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Firearms Policy Coalition’s (FPC) Christian v. James lawsuit that New York’s ban on firearms at all publicly accessible private property without the express consent of the owner (also known as the “vampire rule”) violates the Second Amendment. The court however also facially upheld the state’s ban on carry in public parks.

FPC is joined in this case by FPC member Brett Christian and the Second Amendment Foundation. The plaintiffs are represented by David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, and William V. Bergstrom of Cooper and Kirk, PLLC, along with Nicolas J. Rotsko of Fluet.

The Court’s opinion was issued on May 18, 2026. The case will now be sent back to the district court, which will issue a final order in this case. Read more

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a new federal lawsuit, McDonald v. Katz, after Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation to ban so-called “assault firearms” and “large capacity” magazines. FPC is seeking a permanent injunction against the enforcement of the Virginia bans as well as other relief.

The plaintiffs challenging the ban include two individual FPC members, the National Rifle Association, and the Second Amendment Foundation. The plaintiffs are represented by David Thompson, Peter Patterson, and William Bergstrom of Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, along with P. Thomas DiStanislao and Michael Brady of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP.

The complaint was filed on May 14, 2026. Likely next steps include an answer from the defendant and a briefing schedule from the District Court.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Read more

Following closely on the heels of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signing new gun control legislation into law, the Second Amendment Foundation and its partners have filed a lawsuit challenging the commonwealth’s new bans on “assault firearms” and large-capacity magazines.

Gov. Spanberger signed into law a ban on so-called “assault firearms” declaring that “…any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, or transfers an assault firearm is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.” The law further defines an “assault firearm” as a semiautomatic rifle chambered in any caliber besides .22 rimfire or one that contains a litany of common features such as a collapsing stock, pistol grip, threaded barrel or more. The law also bans magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition. The new laws go into effect on July 1.

“It’s wild that lawmakers who each take an oath to uphold the Constitution insist on passing bills purposefully designed to gut it,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The firearms and magazines banned in this law aren’t bizarre and unusual outliers, they’re among the most commonly owned guns and magazines in the country. They’re owned in the tens of millions by peaceable Americans who use them overwhelmingly lawfully. Virginia has now joined the minority of radical states to ban these constitutionally protected firearms, and in so doing, joined the club of states we’re suing over it.”

As noted in the complaint, “The firearms that Virginia bans as ‘assault firearms’ are, in all respects, ordinary semiautomatic firearms. To the extent they are different from other semiautomatic firearms, their distinguishing features make them safer and easier to use. Regardless of any new category of arms created by state lawmakers, they cannot be banned because they are not dangerous and unusual.” SAF is joined in McDonald v. Katz by the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition and two private citizens.

“Virginia lawmakers lied to their constituents and to themselves when they said these laws weren’t bans,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “A new sales and transfer ban is a ban that’s just one generation removed. On July 1, anyone turning 18 in Virginia will find out that the rights enjoyed by their predecessors don’t apply to them. These bans are an afront to the Constitution and an insult to the intelligence of Virginians who were fed lies and misrepresentations by their elected officials. We’re excited to fast track this case to the Supreme Court.”

For more information visit SAF.org. Read more

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), alongside Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and 2A journalist John Crump, have filed a lawsuit today in direct response to Virginia’s enactment of SB749 and SB727, the “assault weapons” ban and public carry ban. These two bills represent the most immediate threat to the rights of every law-abiding gun owner in Virginia.

By criminalizing the purchase and transfer of the most popular firearms in America and effectively banning self-defense in public spaces, these laws are a direct assault on the Second Amendment and stand in open defiance of Virginia’s own constitution and necessitate an immediate strike in court.

Article I, Section 13 of the Virginia Constitution guarantees that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Read more