Virginia’s AR Ban Stays Dead — Court Locks Injunction Until SCOTUS Rules

On July 29, 2026, Washington Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell entered a stay order in Santolla v. Katz, the NRA’s challenge to Virginia’s “assault firearm” and magazine bans. The parties agreed to pause the case until after the U.S. Supreme Court decides Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins — the consolidated federal assaults on AR-style bans granted June 30.

The stay is not a pause on the injunction. NRA-ILA reports the order memorializes that the statewide preliminary injunction Campbell already issued — blocking enforcement of the Firearms Ban and Magazine Ban anywhere in the Commonwealth — remains in full effect through the Supreme Court decision window. Per the companion reporting and court language highlighted by The Reload and The Truth About Guns, that block continues until further order or no later than 60 days after SCOTUS rules, whichever comes first. SCOTUS timing watchers still point to a merits decision around June 2027.

That locks in what Virginia dealers and buyers already felt after Campbell’s July 7 statewide expansion: AR-pattern rifles and magazines over 15 rounds stay on shelves while Washington works the federal question. The Reload’s Stephen Gutowski reported that Deputy Attorney General Gretchen Nygaard told sister-case counsel in Crump v. Katz the Commonwealth would not appeal the Washington County injunction during any stay — a quiet signal that Richmond is content to leave the ban unenforceable for now.

VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave told The Center Square most gun stores are again selling ARs and standard-capacity magazines. Sen. Bill Stanley, counsel for Santolla plaintiffs, framed it bluntly for dealers and buyers: the statewide injunction protects citizens and FFLs without exception while the stay runs.

If SCOTUS holds assault-weapon bans unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, Virginia’s copycat package collapses with it — and the NRA injunction prevents those bans from ever taking effect in the meantime. If the Court surprises, the stay ends and state litigation resumes. For now, the operative fact for Virginians is simpler: Spanberger’s ban is not enforceable statewide while the Supreme Court decides the national question.