Big Win for Gun Owners as Universal Checks Defeated – AG’s Next Moves Still Hidden

Virginia gun owners just scored a major courtroom victory.

A circuit court struck down the state’s universal background check law for private firearm transfers and issued a permanent, statewide injunction halting enforcement.

That’s the core development reported by Felisha Bull in a formal statement from Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), echoed by Scott Witner at The Truth About Guns and amplified by Jared Yanis of Guns & Gadgets.

The case is Wilson, et al. v. Colonel Matthew D. Hanley.

The statute is Virginia Code § 18.2-308.2:5.

And for now, private transfers are no longer forced through an FFL in the Commonwealth.

What the Judge Ruled

According to Felisha Bull’s GOA write-up, the court found Virginia’s universal background check law unconstitutional and granted a permanent injunction that bars enforcement across the entire state.

Scott Witner reports the judge concluded the law discriminated against law-abiding 18–20-year-old adults, effectively denying them their right to buy and possess firearms through private transfers.

That age-based defect wasn’t a minor flaw. It was fatal to the law’s core design.

And because the court entered a statewide injunction, this isn’t a narrow, local carve-out.

It’s Commonwealth-wide.

Why Age Discrimination Was the Pressure Point

As Witner details, the central constitutional problem was simple: the statute blocked legal adults aged 18–20 from accessing private transfers in practice.

The court said you can’t erase a fundamental right by adding a procedural filter that only some adults can pass.

Erich Pratt of GOA, quoted by Bull, called the scheme “fatally flawed from the start,” because it criminalized normal, lawful conduct while ignoring constitutional limits.

John Velleco of GOF, also quoted by Bull and Witner, underscored that the ruling protects young, law-abiding adults who were being fenced out by bureaucratic hurdles.

I agree with the emphasis here.

Once a right is recognized for adults, you can’t carve out a subclass of adults and deny the mechanism to exercise it – especially after Bruen, where history and tradition drive the analysis.

The Groups Behind the Win

This wasn’t a solo effort.

GOA and GOF paired with the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) as plaintiffs, as both Bull and Witner note.

That coalition matters. State and national groups working together tend to find the cleanest plaintiffs, frame the best issues, and push cases with staying power.

It’s also a reminder that organized litigation—not just lobbying—is now the main battleground after Bruen. Courts are where gun laws live or die.

What This Means on the Ground

Practically, private person-to-person transfers revert to the traditional Virginia norm.

No compulsory trip to a dealer.

No added fee or delay.

Jared Yanis stresses what that means for ordinary people: gifting a shotgun to a friend, selling a pistol to a neighbor, or handing down a family rifle no longer risks a criminal trap for lack of an FFL intermediary.

It also blunts efforts to build de facto registries through mandatory dealer routing.

That’s been a longstanding concern for grassroots groups.

From a policy angle, I’ll add this: universal check regimes often criminalize the innocent, while doing little to touch criminal supply chains. The court’s order doesn’t end debate, but it shifts the burden back onto lawmakers to propose constitutional tools that target crime without throttling rights.

The Bruen Reality Check

Yanis points to the post-Bruen landscape: courts now look for historical analogues to justify modern gun regulations.

There isn’t a meaningful Founding-era tradition of forcing private firearms exchanges through a government checkpoint.

That lack of historical support is a huge problem for universal check statutes when they burden the core right – and it’s likely why this law failed on its face, not just at the margins.

Put differently: if the government wants to graft modern screening onto private transfers, it carries a heavy historical burden. Virginia didn’t meet it.

What Happens Next: Appeals and Politics

Here’s where the win meets the real world.

Yanis reports that Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares appears poised to appeal, but—per Yanis – won’t tip his hand until after the election.

Yanis says he reached out to people in the AG’s circle and couldn’t get a straight answer, which he frames as political hedging before voters weigh in.

To be clear, that allegation – delay and concealment until after election day—is Yanis’ reporting and perspective.

But the broader point stands: an appeal would re-open the fight, potentially seek a stay of the injunction, and push the case toward higher courts.

Politically, Witner reminds readers that the universal check scheme was part of Ralph Northam’s 2020 package – and that legislative majorities will determine whether a re-drafted, re-packaged version tries to come back.

My take: expect two tracks – litigation (appeal and stay motions) and legislation (attempts to rewrite). Both deserve close attention from gun owners.

“A Broken Law From the Start”

The quotes from GOA and GOF – captured by Bull and Witner – are punchy for a reason.

Pratt: “Patchwork fixes can’t save a broken law.”

Velleco: the law “unconstitutionally blocked young adults.”

That framing matters if this goes up on appeal.

It says the problem isn’t technical – it’s structural.

When a statute targets a class of lawful adults, lacks historical support, and criminalizes everyday private conduct, an appeals court faces a clean constitutional question, not a narrow enforcement quibble.

The National Ripple Effect

Witner flags the obvious: other states with universal background check mandates should read this ruling carefully.

Even if Virginia’s decision isn’t binding elsewhere, it becomes persuasive authority and a playbook for challengers.

Post-Bruen, age-based restrictions, transfer chokepoints, and mandatory dealer routing all face stiffer scrutiny.

If there’s no historical analogue, the law sinks.

I’d expect to see this opinion cited in amicus briefs and complaints in states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and beyond.

Don’t Miss the Grassroots Lesson

Yanis gives credit where it’s due: GOA, GOF, and VCDL put in the work, organized plaintiffs, and did the heavy lifting.

He urges gun owners to join, stay engaged, and be ready to be plaintiffs when the moment comes.

That’s not hyperbole.

In the Bruen era, good plaintiffs and tight records win cases.

And wins in one state can reverberate nationally.

This ruling is big for Virginia gun owners and bigger for the constitutional debate.

Felisha Bull confirms the statewide injunction and the court’s unconstitutional finding.

Scott Witner explains the age-discrimination keystone and why it toppled the statute.

Jared Yanis spotlights the political fog around a likely appeal and urges vigilance before and after election day.

Celebration is warranted.

Complacency isn’t.

If the AG appeals, watch for stay motions that could suspend the injunction while higher courts review the case.

If lawmakers re-draft, expect a law that tries to paper over the age issue – and another lawsuit.

For now, the message is simple: private transfers in Virginia are protected again.

And post-Bruen, any state that tries to throttle them will have to prove the past agrees.

Most won’t be able to.

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