Gun Shops Fight Back Against Government Efforts to Close Them

While many states and cities recognize gun stores as an essential part of the right to keep and bear arms, others are ordering them closed. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Guns.com
March 23rd. 2020

Across the country, the firearms industry is striving to remain in operation as an essential business despite attempts to trim Second Amendment rights.

State issues

In some areas, actions by anti-gun governors taking aim at gun shops during declared states of emergency are forcing some to shut their doors. This is a particular problem in jurisdictions where the state government controls the background check process. A dozen states serve as Point of Contact for all firearms transactions, rather than use the FBI’s NICS service.

The trade organization for the American firearms industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is striving to have gun and ammo retailers and the like labeled as critically important during times of crisis.

“NSSF is in contact with the White House, Capitol Hill and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advocating that our industry – from manufacturers to distributors to retailers to ranges – be declared by DHS as a ‘national critical infrastructure industry,'” says the group. “The DHS list is only guidance to states and local governments and does not carry the force of law. Therefore, NSSF is proactively working at the state and local level to advocate that our industry be exempted from any emergency ordinances or orders as “essential businesses.'”