Trump DOJ sues Virginia over gun bans — Illinois next?

AURORA, IL — The same DOJ attorney who argued our case at the Seventh Circuit just put Virginia on notice: violate Second Amendment rights, and the federal government will sue. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced this week that the Trump DOJ will take legal action if Virginia proceeds with proposed gun bans — a direct escalation that signals what's coming for Illinois' PICA rifle and magazine ban.

This isn't abstract policy. Dhillon personally argued Bevis v. City of Naperville at the Seventh Circuit on behalf of my customers and gun owners across Illinois. Now she's wielding the full power of the federal government against state-level gun bans. The message is clear: the constitutional violations we've been fighting in Illinois won't be tolerated anywhere.

Why Harmeet Dhillon's Virginia threat matters for Illinois

When the DOJ filed an amicus brief supporting our lawsuit against Illinois' PICA ban, they sent Dhillon to argue before the three-judge panel. She knows our case inside and out — the legal arguments, the constitutional violations, the practical impact on businesses like Law Weapons. Virginia's proposed bans mirror the same constitutional problems we've been challenging for years.

The federal government stepping in to prevent gun bans before they take effect is unprecedented. In Illinois, we've had to challenge PICA after the damage was done — after businesses relocated, after customers lost access to standard firearms, after constitutional rights were suspended. Virginia gun owners might not have to endure what we've been fighting through.

What the DOJ learned from Illinois PICA litigation

Our case taught the DOJ exactly how state-level assault weapon bans operate in practice. They've seen the evidence: how PICA forces law-abiding citizens to choose between compliance and constitutional rights, how it destroys businesses overnight, how it criminalizes the most popular rifles in America. Previous coverage documented how customers at my shop went from buying standard AR-15s to asking if they'd become felons for owning them.

The DOJ's Virginia announcement suggests they're applying those lessons proactively. Instead of waiting for years of litigation after the ban takes effect, they're threatening immediate federal intervention. That's a tactical shift born from watching Illinois gun owners suffer under PICA's constitutional violations.

The broader signal for Seventh Circuit PICA appeals

Dhillon's Virginia threat sends a clear message to the Seventh Circuit judges still considering our appeals. The federal executive branch considers state assault weapon bans to be constitutional violations worthy of federal lawsuits. When the same attorney who argued Bevis v. Naperville threatens to sue Virginia over identical laws, it reinforces every argument we made in court.

The Trump DOJ isn't just supporting Second Amendment litigation — they're initiating it against state gun bans.

This escalation also puts pressure on other states considering similar legislation. Illinois became the testing ground for post-Bruen assault weapon bans. Now the federal government is signaling those experiments won't be tolerated going forward.

What this means for Illinois gun owners today

The DOJ's Virginia announcement doesn't immediately change PICA's status in Illinois, but it signals federal support for the constitutional arguments we've been making. Our case remains on appeal at the Seventh Circuit, with the same attorney who just threatened Virginia now working within the federal government.

For customers walking into my shop in Aurora, the practical situation remains unchanged: PICA still restricts rifle purchases and magazine sales. But the federal government's willingness to sue states over gun bans represents the strongest institutional support for Second Amendment challenges we've seen since Bruen.

The DOJ learned from Illinois what happens when constitutional rights get suspended by state legislation. Virginia gun owners might not have to experience that firsthand. And Illinois gun owners now know the federal government considers our fight worth supporting — and replicating.

We keep watching. We keep fighting. And we keep serving the people who refuse to be treated like second-class citizens for exercising a constitutional right.

— Robert Bevis, Law Weapons & Supply