Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

Oppose a Ban on AR-15s and Other Commonly-Owned Semi-Automatic Firearms

Virginia: Oppose a Ban on AR-15s and Other Commonly-Owned Semi-Automatic Firearms

"Assault Weapons" Bans Do Not Work

Rifles of any description are rarely used in violent crime

FBI data shows that four times as many individuals are killed with "knives or cutting instruments," than with rifles of any kind. The data also shows that rifles were listed as being used in fewer homicides than "blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)" or "personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.)."

Studies show that semi-automatic bans do not work

A 1997 Department of Justice-funded study of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban determined that “At best, the assault weapons ban can have only a limited effect on total gun murders because the banned weapons and magazines were never involved in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders.”

A 2004 follow-up Department of Justice-funded study determined that “the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”Presented with the overwhelming evidence of the ban’s inefficacy, Congress did not renew it.

In 2018, a RAND Corporation study found no conclusive evidence that such bans have an effect on mass shootings or violent crime.

Ownership of semi-automatic firearms is protected by the U.S. Constitution

In the District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that the Second Amendment protects ownership of arms “in common use” for lawful purposes. Justice Clarence Thomas would elaborate in a dissent from denial of certiorari in Friedman v. Highland Park (2015),

Roughly five million Americans own AR-style semiautomatic rifles. The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting. Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons.

AR-15s and other commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms are effective for self-defense

The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the U.S. The immense popularity of the AR-15 has come about at a time when Americans cite self-defense as their primary reason for owning a gun.

The effectiveness of the commonly-owned semi-automatic rifle in defense of self and others as illustrated in 2017 during an attack on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Upon learning of the attack, resident Stephen Willeford retrieved his AR-15 rifle and shot and wounded the gunman. Since 2017, other Armed Citizens have used commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms to thwart an armed robbery in Texas, stop a trio of home invaders in Oklahoma, and halt a stabbing attack in Illinois.

The Virginia Beach tragedy would not have been prevented by an “assault weapons” ban

The perpetrator of the shooting in Virginia Beach did not use an "assault weapon" to carry out the attack. According to reports, the perpetrator used two semi-automatic .45-caliber pistols.

Gov. Northam recently suggested that this is not a complete list of the gun control measures he wants the General Assembly to consider. Read the latest articles. 

It's critical that every gun owner in the Commonwealth contact their legislators and urge them to OPPOSE Gov. Northam’s and his media allies' gun control agenda. 

NRA-ILA is hosting town hall meetings throughout Virginia— including in Fredericksburg, Ashland, and Belle Haven. 

Related
Virginia Senate Passes Three Gun Control Bills - Committee Advances a Fourth

News  

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Virginia Senate Passes Three Gun Control Bills - Committee Advances a Fourth

Last week, the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee sent four gun control bills to the full chamber. The measures ...

The Roanoke Times  

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Carver: Don't leave people defenseless

By Larry Carver Carver is a retired law enforcement officer who lives in Roanoke County.

Virginia: General Assembly Passes Capitol Gun Ban

Friday, January 10, 2020

Virginia: General Assembly Passes Capitol Gun Ban

Days before law-abiding citizens are set to go to Richmond to urge lawmakers to defend their rights, the ...

Grassroots Ramp Up Continues in the Old Dominion

News  

Friday, January 10, 2020

Grassroots Ramp Up Continues in the Old Dominion

Virginia’s General Assembly officially kicked off on January 8th, and the newly-controlled anti-gun legislative body is wasting no ...

Crime in Virginia is Falling – Governor Focuses on Making You a Felon

News  

Monday, January 6, 2020

Crime in Virginia is Falling – Governor Focuses on Making You a Felon

Disgraced Governor Ralph Northam and his anti-gun allies in the newly elected legislature have made it clear they ...

Virginia Gov. Northam Wants Millions in Tax Money to Ban Guns and Jail Gun Owners!

News  

Monday, January 6, 2020

Virginia Gov. Northam Wants Millions in Tax Money to Ban Guns and Jail Gun Owners!

In recent weeks NRA-ILA informed Virginia gun owners about gun control funding included in the state budget bill. The budget ...

Forget Gun Free Zones, Virginia Gun Controllers Want Ammunition Free Zones

News  

Monday, January 6, 2020

Forget Gun Free Zones, Virginia Gun Controllers Want Ammunition Free Zones

There is no such thing as a gun free zone. A person intent on criminal violence will not ...

No Gov. Northam, Your Gun Ban is NOT Constitutional

News  

Friday, December 13, 2019

No Gov. Northam, Your Gun Ban is NOT Constitutional

As Virginia gun owners have shown their displeasure with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed attack on their rights ...

Virginia: Richmond Mayor Attacks the Right-to-Carry and State Preemption

News  

Friday, June 28, 2019

Virginia: Richmond Mayor Attacks the Right-to-Carry and State Preemption

Virginia’s 400,000 concealed handgun permit holders would not be able to exercise their Right-to-Carry in large portions of ...

The Roanoke Times  

Monday, June 24, 2019

Northam admits his proposals wouldn’t have stopped the Virginia Beach shooting

Northam conceded that his proposals wouldn’t have necessarily prevented the Virginia Beach shooting. But he said the legislation ...

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.