A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that two California counties violated the constitutional right to keep and bear arms when they shut down gun and ammunition stores during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups sued the state in March 2020 (pdf) over the shutdowns after gun and ammunition stores were deemed non-essential businesses across Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Ventura County closed gun stores for 48 days while Los Angeles county closed them for 11 days. “State and federal firearms licensees are essential businesses that provide access to constitutionally protected rights. Full stop,” the pro-gun groups said in their complaint, which called the store closures “unlawful government infringements upon freedom.” County officials had previously won separate lower court decisions stating that the gun stores were right to have been temporarily closed amid the broader shutdowns to prevent the COVID-19 virus from spreading early on in the pandemic. However, …
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