Governor Phil Murphy (D) reversed course after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeled gun stores as essential, and announced the businesses will be allowed to reopen despite his statewide shutdown.
Murphy made clear that the decision to treat gun stores as essential came from the Donald Trump administration, rather than his own his own opinion, NewJersey.com reported. He said, “It wouldn’t be my definition but that’s the definition at the federal level and I didn’t get a vote on that.”
Trump’s DHS released guidelines that include gun stores as essential businesses, which are a “critical” part of our nation’s “infrastructure workforce,” Breitbart News reported on March 28, 2020.
The DHS guidelines listed as essential:
- Workers supporting the manufacturing of safety equipment and uniforms for law enforcement, public safety personnel, and first responders.
- Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges.
Murphy will allow firearm retailers to reopen, but “customers must make advance appointments, and the stores can operate only a limited number of reduced hours,” SaveJersey.com reported.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.