A gun rights group is cheering after the Trump administration listed the firearms industry, including retailers, as part of the nation's critical infrastructure during the coronavirus emergency.
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The designation by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is advisory. The agency notes that the designation does not override determinations by individual jurisdictions of what they consider critical infrastructure sectors.
The firearms industry was not part of the federal agency's original list of critical infrastructure issued just over a week ago. The update released om Saturday follows a brewing legal battle between gun rights groups and California officials.
The gun lobby filed a suit after LA gun stores were closed, with California Governor Gavin Newsom saying each of the state's 58 counties could decide for themselves whether to list firearms dealers as nonessential businesses that should be subject to closure.
The group Gun Owners of America said in a statement that it's encouraged the Trump administration is not ignoring what it calls "the ability to protect yourself" during the emergency stemming from the pandemic.
Australian Associated Press