NRA-ILA on COVID-19 Shutdown: Are Your Gun Rights at Risk?

As the nation reels from the impact of COVID-19, a debate rages over the declaration of firearm-industry manufacturers and retailers as “essential” businesses. Several areas of the country have also prevented individuals from exercising their Second Amendment rights through unconstitutional executive orders. The National Rifle Association is leading the fight against politicians at the local, state and federal level who are using the coronavirus epidemic as an opportunity to deprive you of your right to keep and bear arms.

To provide the latest information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and industries practicing and promoting firearm ownership, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action launched a new webpage at nraila.org/coronavirus. The page features an interactive map of the United States, with each state highlighted in green, yellow or red.

These colors reflect the emergency status of gun dealers in each state, with green meaning that gun dealers are open for business, yellow for inconsistent or developing guidelines and red highlighting areas where firearm retailers have been closed by order of the state.

Visitors to this site can also receive the latest updates on their area’s Second Amendment policies by clicking on their home state in the map. The page will automatically jump to a list of articles that provide up-to-date information regarding the status of firearm retailers and businesses under that state’s COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.

Additionally, readers can scroll to the bottom of the webpage to find all articles relating to COVID-19’s impact on the firearm industry and the Second Amendment. They can also discover opportunities to support the NRA in its fight against those who would restrict citizens from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.

One of the actionable items on NRA-ILA’s agenda is to urge Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to reverse his March 31st decision to remove gun shops from the list of essential businesses and prevent firearm retailers from receiving emergency small-business loans. You can read the full story here.

In addition to its efforts to provide information to members, NRA-ILA filed multiple lawsuits against the state of California, joining several other gun-rights groups to challenge local and state enforcement policies that violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.

“Local governments aren’t promoting safety or “common sense” by targeting gun stores for closure; the closures only serve to disarm law-abiding families while criminals roam free,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Jason Ouimet said. “Because these closures violate our Second Amendment rights when we need them most, the National Rifle Association continues to fight such infringements in court alongside fellow Second Amendment groups.”​​

Individuals and retailers can also help in the fight against unconstitutional violations of the right to keep and bear arms by reporting civil-rights violations to NRA-ILA using the COVID-19 Contact Form located on the right side of the coronavirus information page.

As the NRA leads the fight against gun-grabbing politicians and localities who are determined to use this crisis as an opportunity to diminish the Second Amendment, it’s more important than ever for gun owners to band together. You can make a difference in this fight by sharing information, donating to NRA-ILA here or joining millions of your fellow gun owners at membership.nra.org/join.