BELLEVUE, WA — The State of Delaware has backed away from closing gun shops during the current Coronavirus pandemic crisis, a decision the Second Amendment Foundation says is the right thing to do.
Under the revised language of the state’s emergency order, “Firearms dealers may conduct sales of firearms, ammunition, and other goods directly related to responsible firearm storage and maintenance, by appointment only. No more than two appointments per half hour shall occur, and sellers are limited to operating during normal working hours they operated on prior to the State of Emergency. Any seller who violates such directive may be subject to criminal prosecution or other civil enforcement remedies up to and including arrest or the involuntary closure of the business.”
“This is a great win for Delaware gun owners and the right to keep and bear arms,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “After we sued New Jersey, our threatened lawsuit against Delaware, in which we were partnering with our friends at the National Rifle Association and Firearms Policy Coalition played a key role in bringing about this change of heart.”
SAF is currently considering lawsuits against several jurisdictions over gun shop closures that were announced as part of executive orders that do not recognize gun and ammunition dealers and suppliers as “essential businesses.”
“We’re delighted that cooler heads have prevailed in Delaware,” Gottlieb observed. “A considerable amount of hard work went into this, and to be honest, we’d rather not have to file lawsuits against anybody under the present circumstances.
“We can think of no more essential endeavor outside of health care and emergency services during a time of crisis than a business that enables citizens to exercise their fundamental right protected by the Second Amendment,” he concluded.