What is essential trade? In these times of containment, arms sellers in the United States seem to have the answer. Owners, sellers and associations defending weapons have thus seized the American justice Friday to prevent the local authorities of California to close armories in the framework of the fight against the new coronavirus.
A complaint against the Governor of California
"Subjective political views are irrelevant to this truth: authorized arms dealers are essential trades to secure a constitutionally protected right. Full stop, ”they wrote in a appeal to a federal court in the western state of the country. Their complaint is aimed at Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who ordered the containment of his population with an exception for "essential infrastructure" and who then left the choice to the sheriffs of the various counties to include or not the armories in this category. As a result, the Los Angeles sheriff, also the subject of the complaint, said on Thursday that the arms stores should remain closed to the public.
While deeming the current health crisis “remarkable”, the plaintiffs, including the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) lobby, in their appeal that it “does not excuse” the violation of the second amendment to the Constitution which, according to them, guarantees a right to bear arms. On the contrary, they argue, "arms and ammunition vendors provide perhaps the most important business function by enabling Californians to defend themselves, their loved ones and their property" in these troubled times.
Nearly 40,000 gun deaths in 2019
Since the start of the crisis, the Americans, a third of whose adults already possess at least one firearm, have rushed to armories to complete their arsenal. The proliferation of containment measures has, however, sparked a debate on whether to keep them open. If Texas, Ohio or Michigan have deemed these stores "essential", the states of New York or New Jersey, epicenter of the crisis, have taken a different position. Supporters of greater restrictions on arms sales warn of the increased risk of accidents and suicides, while families are cloistered with weapons in the home. In 2019, almost 40,000 people were killed by firearms, including 24,000 by suicide.
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- Coronavirus
- World
- Containment
- United States
- Weapons
- NRA