NRA Case Over Closed Gun Stores In NY Thrown Out
The National Rifle Association took Governor Cuomo to court over his coronavirus restrictions, and the judge in the Northern District of New York threw the case out.
On March 20, 2020 Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order declaring that gun stores were non-essential. Because the gun stores were deemed nonessential, they were closed during the COVID-19 crisis. Gun Store owners and the NRA filed a lawsuit claiming that the executive order was a violation of their constitutional rights.
Federal Judge Mae D’Agostino dismissed the case ruling that the organization “failed to establish that the alleged conduct by Defendants caused any ‘perceptible impairment’ to its ordinary advocacy operations”.
Attorneys for the NRA planned to file an amended lawsuit, but Judge D’Agostino said they could not file an amended lawsuit. She also said that the NRA did not prove that having gun stores closed prohibited them from carrying out its usual activities.
Cuomo‘s office was not surprised by the ruling. Senior Cuomo advisor, Rich Azzopardi, responded to the judge’s decision. He said, “It’s no surprise that yet another frivolous suit by the NRA has been laughed out of court. Their brand of destructive political games are bad enough in normal times and we are completely beyond the pale during a pandemic.“
This latest ruling comes after New York Attorney General, Letitia James, filed a lawsuit against the NRA. In her lawsuit Ms. James claimed that the NRA misappropriated their funds and their officers use the organization’s money for their personal use and to live lavishly.
We will certainly have to keep an eye on the NRA to see how they make out with any future lawsuits. They haven’t fared very well against Governor Cuomo thus far.