Judge Shoots Down Virginia's Plan For Universal Background Checks

Summary

Lynchburg Circuit Judge Patrick Yeatts has ordered Virginia State Police to cease performing background checks on private firearms sales, effectively halting the state's universal background check law. This ruling reaffirms an injunction first issued in October 2025, despite the state government's attempt to reinstate the measure in April 2026 by attaching it to a bill prohibiting handgun sales to 18-20 year olds.