US agency includes gun sellers as ‘critical’ infrastructure

A gun rights group is cheering Trump ministration’s designation of firearms industry, including retailers, as part of nation’s critical infrastructure during coronavirus emergency.

designation by federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security ncy is visory. ncy tes that designation does t override determinations by individual jurisdictions of what y consider critical infrastructure sectors.

firearms industry was t part of federal ncy’s original list of critical infrastructure issued just over a week ago. designation in an update released Saturday follows a brewing legal battle between gun rights groups and California officials.

group Gun Owners of America says in a statement Saturday that it is encourd that Trump ministration is t igring what it calls “ ability to protect yourself” during emergency stemming from pandemic.

Gun rights groups filed suit last Friday after Los Angeles County sheriff closed gun stores in wake of California Gov. Gavin Newsom saying that each of state’s 58 counties could decide for mselves wher to list firearms dealers as nessential businesses that should be subject to closure while state seeks to limit spre of virus.

lawsuit claims that designation violates Second Amendment, but officials cite a public health issue.