The county’s ban on firearm sales is inconsistent with a new federal advisory as well as the Second Amendment.
by Jacob Sullum
Reason.com
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined other gun rights groups in challenging COVID-19 control measures that ban the sale of firearms. In a federal lawsuit filed on Friday, the NRA argues that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March 19 business closure order, which Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has interpreted as covering gun dealers, violates the Second Amendment and the right to due process.
Villanueva’s interpretation is not only constitutionally questionable but seemingly untenable in light of new guidance from the federal Department of Homeland Security. In an advisory issued on Saturday, the department added firearm retailers to its definition of the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” The order by Newsom (D) specifically exempted “federal critical infrastructure sectors.”