Virginia House Democrats Pass ‘Assault Firearm’ Ban Targeting Semiautomatic Rifles With Threaded Barrels

Virginia House Democrats passed an “assault firearm” ban Friday that would prohibit semiautomatic centerfire rifles that use a detachable magazine and have threaded barrels.

In lieu of a threaded barrel, the text of the ban–HB 2–makes clear the semiautomatic centerfire rifle falls into the prohibited category if it has a vertical fore grip or a “sound suppressor” or a “muzzle brake” or “muzzle compensator” or a “folding, telescoping, or collapsible [rear] stock,” among other features.

HB 2 also bans semiautomatic centerfire pistols that accept a detachable magazine and have a threaded barrel which allows the use of a “sound suppressor” or a “flash suppressor.” The ban on the detachable magazine/threaded barrel combination alone would prohibit a large number of extremely popular semiautomatic pistols, including numerous models made by Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Heckler & Koch, FN America, Springfield Armory, Walther Arms, and others.

The House Democrats’ focus on “sound suppressors”–devices which muffle but do not eliminate sound–means they are banning firearms based on features that have health (hearing) benefits for the target shooter and the hunter, as well as for the environment.

Guns.com noted that the Firearms Policy Coalition is promising to file a lawsuit, “should the ban become law.”

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AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a Turning Point USA Ambassador, and a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..