The NRA, Second Amendment Foundation, California Gun Rights Coalition, and Firearms Policy Coalition are suing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City of Los Angeles for alleged violation of constitutional liberties during the coronavirus shutdown.
On March 27, 2020, Breitbart News reported the gun rights organizations had filed suit against Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. That suit, Brandy, et al., v. LA County, was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
On March 29, 2020, NRA, SAF, CGRC, and FPC added an Amended Complaint, naming Mayor Garcetti and the City of Los Angeles.
The complaint names:
Defendant Eric Garcetti is the Mayor of Defendant City of Los Angeles, California, with inherent and delegated powers to execute and enforce laws, orders, customs, and/or practices at issue in this lawsuit. He is sued in his official capacity.
Defendant City of Los Angeles, California is a local governmental entity organized under the Constitution and laws of the State of California, possessing legal personhood within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The City is responsible for executing and administering its laws, orders, customs, practices, and policies at issue in this lawsuit.
The complaint alleges “Count One” against Defendants as “Deprivation of Civil Rights: Right to Keep and Bear Arms.” It lists as “Count Two” the deprivation of “Due Process.”
The suit seeks “a declaratory judgment that the operation of firearm and ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges are essential under the State Defendants’ Orders and the Federal Government’s March 28, 2020 ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce‘ Guidance.”
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.