President Trump Declares Gun Stores Critical

[schutzen-jager]

As NRA is actively fighting gun store closures across the country, President Trump’s newly-updated DHS guidance echoes what the NRA is arguing in court: that firearms and ammunition retailers are "critical infrastructure."
On March 28, DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency​("CISA") updated its guidance on the critical infrastructure that the agency determined should remain open during state shutdown orders due to Covid-19.
The new guidance identifies the following firearms and ammunition industry workers as critical infrastructure:
"Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges."
Several states relied on CISA's failure to include firearms retailers in prior guidance as a reason to order those businesses to shut down.
The Free Beacon reported that New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal (D) cited the DHS guidance as support for Governor Phil Murphy's (D) decision to completely shut off firearm transfers in the Garden State.
"The governor's executive order tracks every other executive order that has a stay-at-home provision and none of those—none of those—contain an exemption for firearm stores and nor does the federal guidance from Homeland Security contain that type of exemption when it comes to essential facilities and nonessential facilities," Grewal said.
NRA looks forward to a speedy reversal by New Jersey and other states who have claimed to rely on CISA's guidelines in determining what businesses are "essential" and can therefore lawfully remain open during "shelter-in-place" orders.
Please join us in thanking President Trump and his administration for once again keeping his promise to protect the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans.

[schutzen-jager]

Gun shops are now considered essential businesses in N.J., Gov. Murphy says - nj.com

[Racer X]

Quite a few Washington State lawmakers and Police Chiefs/County Sheriffs sent our governor sternly worded letters asking that gun stores be opened.

For one thing, in WA state, all transfers, even a private loan between neighbors, must have a background check. So, no stores open, and transfer/loan of a firearm is illegal.

[schutzen-jager]

Originally Posted by Racer X

Quite a few Washington State lawmakers and Police Chiefs/County Sheriffs sent our governor sternly worded letters asking that gun stores be opened.

For one thing, in WA state, all transfers, even a private loan between neighbors, must have a background check. So, no stores open, and transfer/loan of a firearm is illegal.

same here in NJ. -

[TTSH]

Originally Posted by schutzen-jager

Gun shops are now considered essential businesses in N.J., Gov. Murphy says - nj.com

Anti-2A Massachusetts fell into line yesterday with the Federal Guidelines... and then suddenly, overnight and without any fanfare, reversed itself and went back to banning guns and ammo retailers and shooting ranges.

Kind of a cruel April Fools Day joke on the long-suffering license holders here in the People's Republic.

ETA: Here is a link to the story.

[HeyJoe]

Massachusetts with a republican governor, closes, opens then closes ammo retailers and shooting ranges in a 24 hour period

[TTSH]

The true power, with regard to such decisions in MA, lies with our aggressively anti-2A AG lady and other anti-2A pols (a majority of our legislature). The governor here is not only completely disinterested in our 2A rights, but functions mainly as a powerless figurehead the way our state government works.

[GaryS]

MA, and I know that TTSH among others knows this, does not recognize federal supremacy when it comes to the Second Amendment. A former AG said that the Second Amendment doesn't apply here after the Heller decision.

So far, no federal court has corrected her statement.

It also took an order (not a decision) from SCOTUS to strike down the MA stun gun ban. Caetano v. Mass. At that, the legislature dragged it's feet in passing legislation to make it legal.

MA is a very anti 2A state, and the Governor is right in there with the Democrats. The Speaker of the House is very anti gun as well.

[TTSH]

Originally Posted by GaryS

MA, and I know that TTSH among others knows this, does not recognize federal supremacy when it comes to the Second Amendment. A former AG said that the Second Amendment doesn't apply here after the Heller decision.

So far, no federal court has corrected her statement.

It also took an order (not a decision) from SCOTUS to strike down the MA stun gun ban. Caetano v. Mass. At that, the legislature dragged it's feet in passing legislation to make it legal.

MA is a very anti 2A state, and the Governor is right in their with the Democrats. The Speaker of the House is very anti gun as well.

With some of the other anti-2A states falling in line with the Federal guidelines (re: gun shops being essential), you have to wonder if Maura has heard anything from the Feds. We know she doesn't fear citizen lawsuits. In fact, more lawsuits just increases her budget, staff and power. And the courts take so long anyway that this will all be over long before any lawsuits can even get started.

Maura knows she is in the drivers seat and can push her anti-2A agenda to the absolute max. I'm sure she views this as an important test case for her power and agenda. It really is frustrating for us peons... and yet there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

[foxy320]

The pawn shop that takes my money from all the guns I buy from it here in Iowa is open as it is deemed an essential business. The kicker is not because it is a gun shop but because it is a "financial lending institution".

[runscott]

Originally Posted by Racer X

Quite a few Washington State lawmakers and Police Chiefs/County Sheriffs sent our governor sternly worded letters asking that gun stores be opened.

For one thing, in WA state, all transfers, even a private loan between neighbors, must have a background check. So, no stores open, and transfer/loan of a firearm is illegal.

I just found that out about private sales, as a friend wants to sell me his Ruger .44 and .357. I have a carry permit and an FFL03, but it has to go FFL to FFL and I have to get a background check.

Boy when they closed that 'gunshow loophole', they really closed it.

[TTSH]

Originally Posted by runscott

Boy when they closed that 'gunshow loophole', they really closed it.

Well, I've always said that if our overlords ever want to stop all legal gun sales, the simplest way for them to do it is to require universal background checks and then shut down the background check system. I guess some of them figured out the same.

[ladder13]

In NC, our CHP is our NICS check, not that I’m looking.

[stansdds]

Originally Posted by ladder13

In NC, our CHP is our NICS check, not that I’m looking.

In Virginia, a CHP is nice and allows us to carry concealed, albeit with growing restrictions on where we can do that, and it will allow us, for now, to purchase more than one handgun within a 30 day period, but it is not considered a valid form of ID nor does it exempt us from a background check.

As far as I know, in Virginia, the background check is a dual system that queries both Virginia records and NICS at the same time. If one system goes down, then a complete background check is not possible and the transaction may remain in a suspended state for up to 3 days. Unless I am mistaken, if the 3 days expires and there is still no viable check, the transaction is automatically approved, but the FFL dealer can refuse to complete any transaction.