New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered gun stores be closed as part of his edict to deal with the coronavirus.
Now the National Rifle Association is striking back with a big lawsuit against the state of New York for launching what it calls a “pointless and arbitrary attack on the constitutional rights of New York citizens."
Cuomo issued an executive order on March 20 stating that only what he deemed essential businesses could remain open.
Gun stores were not on that list, and the NRA's lawsuit claims that Cuomo “effectively and indefinitely suspended a key component of the Second Amendment.”
“Defendant Cuomo effectively and indefinitely suspended a key component of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution – shutting down all gun stores in the State of New York, including federally licensed gun stores, by deeming them ‘non-essential’ businesses.”
The Department of Homeland Security issued their own guidance on the matter, which deemed "workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges” as essential.
After the DHS determined that gun stores were in fact essential, several areas across the nation allowed them to open back up. Los Angeles County and New Jersey were among those whom allowed the reopening.
New York on the other hand refused, which is what prompted the NRA to take action.
“There isn’t a single person who has ever used a gun for self-defense who would consider it nonessential,” NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a statement. “This is clearly another assault by Gov. Cuomo on the NRA, on the rights of New Yorkers to defend themselves and their families, and on our Second Amendment freedoms.”
Along with NY having some of the most restrictive gun laws in America, Governor Cuomo has previously called the NRA an "extremist organization."
Meanwhile across the country gun and ammunition sales are skyrocketing.
Don Jr. tweeted about the phenomenon, and how ironically liberals suddenly seem ok with the 2nd Amendment now that we are facing a worldwide pandemic.
Funny how that works.