Second Amendment Groups Just Filed a Lawsuit Against California Governor and Other Officials for Violating Gun Rights During COVID-19 Crisis

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva last month announced that gun stores must close, declaring them non-essential businesses. He said the state could take away their business licenses if they remained open.

Villanueva put gun stores in the same category as night clubs and strip clubs.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. The only way law-abiding California residents can buy guns is through a federally licensed gun dealer. Shutting down gun stores shuts down their ability to buy guns legally.

Criminals aren’t stressed about buying or possessing guns legally.

After a backlash from gun-rights advocates, Villanueva backtracked on the decision and said the governor would decide whether gun stores were non-essential businesses.

Breitbart reported that several gun-rights organizations filed a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom, Villanueva, and other state officials, for violating the Second Amendment during the COVID-19 crisis. (LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city itself were named in an amended complaint.) An excerpt:

The complaint alleges “Count One” against Defendants as “Deprivation of Civil Rights: Right to Keep and Bear Arms.” It lists as “Count Two” the deprivation of “Due Process.”

The suit seeks “a declaratory judgment that the operation of firearm and ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges are essential under the State Defendants’ Orders and the Federal Government’s March 28, 2020 ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce‘ Guidance.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security added gun stores, gun manufacturers, and gun ranges to the list of essential businesses.

A period of potential social unrest is an ideal time to possess a gun. Why would governments institute gun control measures during a pandemic crisis? If the COVID-19 pandemic continues for months, more law enforcement officers will be sick or quarantined. That means fewer cops on the street and slower 911 response times. During normal times, people have to defend themselves before the police arrive. Seconds count, not minutes.

A free people must be ready, willing, and able — not wait for permission — to defend themselves, their families, and their property against those who seek to harm and steal.