Firearms activists sue California, L.A. County over gun shop closures tied to coronavirus
LA TimesA coalition of gun owner groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Gov. Sheriff Alex Villaneuva closed gun stores in L.A. County Thursday to everyone except police and licensed security company employees after the governor deemed that firearms sellers are considered nonessential businesses during California’s shutdown of commerce in an effort to limit and slow the spread of the coronavirus. In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday seeking declaratory relief, the gun owner groups characterized the closure as a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. The suit notes the San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore deemed firearms stores “a valuable public service” and warned people would turn to the black market if they closed. Villanueva, a gun owner, in announcing his move to close gun stores to the general public but not to police and security guards, said he supports the 2nd Amendment but added that given the spread of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County, only essential businesses should be open.
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