For LaPierre and Trump, Keeping Gun Stores Open During the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Essential, But Not For Sensible People

Wayne LaPierre makes way, way too much money as the top gunslinger at the NRA, and he and Donald Trump are very good friends.

 

To the extent that they think, they think alike: the Second Amendment (as seriously misconstrued by SCOTUS in Heller v. District of Columbia) is much more important than anything else in the Constitution.

 

Our newly minted associate solitary reporter, Elaine McGovern, is one of Colorado’s most devoted and most savvy advocates for gun safety.

 

She just texted us to let us know that in today’s “5 Things” from CNN, we are told "It's not just toilet paper people are rushing to buy. The FBI reported 3.7 million gun purchase background checks in the month of March, a 41% surge that indicates more and more people are trying to buy guns. Updated guidance from the federal government has designated firearm and ammunition retailers as essential services, which means they can stay open despite a growing number of states issuing stay-at-home orders. The decision is a victory for Second Amendment rights groups, some of which had already filed lawsuits in places where gun retailers weren't exempted in stay-at-home orders."

 

But ASR McGovern is a woman of renowned political influence. 

 

Which is why Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, just announced that the NRA’s office in Fairfax, Virginia, has been closed indefinitely, with LaPierre quarantined even more indefinitely.