WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration sued California and Virginia on Wednesday over new laws in both states that restrict the sale of semiautomatic firearms.The two separate lawsuits filed by the Justice Department in federal court say the laws violate the Second Amendment.“The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news release announcing the lawsuit against Virginia.Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, signed legislation earlier this year banning the sale and manufacture of certain semiautomatic firearms. The law, which took effect Wednesday, is facing at least four other lawsuits challenging its constitutionality.The California law prohibits gun shops from selling certain handguns that can easily be made fully automatic.
Attorneys general in both states vowed to defend their gun laws.In a statement, the office of Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said the ban on selling certain semiautomatic firearms was a “commonsense” measure that “keeps Virginians safe, protects law enforcement, and safeguards communities across the Commonwealth.”
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The California attorney general’s office said in a statement the state had “effective and constitutional gun safety laws” that “helped drive firearm death rates to record lows.” The California law largely bans the sale of Glock and Glock-style pistols, among the most popular type of handgun in the U.S., according to the DOJ suit.
