WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department sued Virginia on Wednesday over new laws that restrict the sale of semiautomatic firearms.

The lawsuit filed in federal court says 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 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.

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.”

Spanberger’s office also defended the law, saying Wednesday in a statement that the governor believes “firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong in our communities, near our kids and schools, or on Virginia’s streets.”

The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday it will take up another major Second Amendment case. The justices will consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Constitution. Arguments are expected in the fall.

The court, which has a conservative majority, has expanded gun rights, including in two cases this term.