NJ – NICS Check Shutdown; IL – Gun Businesses Are Essential
By executive order, the Governor of New Jersey has shutdown the NICS Check system that allows for the sale and transfer of firearms in the state. The NICS check shutdown effectively eliminates all commercial and private transfers of firearms in New Jersey. In addition, judicial processes in the state have been basically frozen, limiting proceedings to critical needs only. Any possible legal challenges to the NICS check system closure in a time of a “non-essential business shutdown” appears to be impossible.
In contrast, the Governor of Illinois used an executive order to proclaim that firearm and ammunition suppliers are essential businesses and should remain open in times of emergency.
We’ll keep you updated on the NJ NICS check shutdown as the story develops.
NJ – NICS Check Shutdown; IL – Gun Businesses Are Essential
On Saturday March 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy announced he is putting New Jersey in lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus. Per Executive Order 107, he is ordering the residents of New Jersey to stay home, directing all non-essential retail businesses closed to the public. At this time, the order includes New Jersey Firearms State Licensed Dealers. The New Jersey State Police NICS Unit is directing the vendor of the NICS Online Application (NICUSA) to turn off the NICS Online Services for submitting NICS transactions by eliminating the “Request Form” button, effective 9:00pm EST, Saturday, March 21, 2020. You will still have the ability to view the message board and the status of previously submitted transactions. This “Request Form” feature will remain off until further order by Governor Murphy. – NJ State Police NICS Portal
NSSF Imploring Government Officials to Designate Gun Businesses ‘Critical’
As your industry’s trade association, we want you to know the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) is hard at work for you during this challenging time as the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic. NSSF is in contact with the White House, Capitol Hill and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advocating that our industry – from manufacturers to distributors to retailers to ranges – be declared by DHS as a “national critical infrastructure industry.” The DHS list is only guidance to states and local governments and does not carry the force of law. Therefore, NSSF is proactively working at the state and local level to advocate that our industry be exempted from any emergency ordinances or orders as “essential businesses.”
For example, through NSSF’s efforts, a proposed city ordnance in Albuquerque, N.M., to shutter firearm retailers was defeated.
Most recently, in response to NSSF’s efforts, the Governor of Illinois, in his emergency “shelter in place” executive order, declared that firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers are “essential” and may remain open for business. Please see official statement below:
Supplies for Essential Businesses and Operations. Businesses that sell, manufacture, or supply other Essential Businesses and Operations with the support or materials necessary to operate, including computers, audio and video electronics, household appliances; IT and telecommunication equipment; hardware, paint, flat glass; electrical, plumbing and heating material; sanitary equipment; personal hygiene products; food, food additives, ingredients and components; medical and orthopedic equipment; optics and photography equipment; diagnostics, food and beverages, chemicals, soaps and detergent; and firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers for purposes of safety and security;
NSSF is here to serve as a resource for you throughout this crisis. We will continue to keep our members informed on further developments and provide useful information over the next several months as we, the industry, navigate these challenging times together. Please visit NSSF.org for other useful information surrounding creating a crisis plan and securing your inventory. Please let us know ways that we can further support your business by reaching out to our membership team at 203-426-1320 or emailing us at membership@nssf.org.
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The NRA, GOA and others sued the state of California today for their role in deeming gun stores not essential services and forcing them all to close during the virus crises. I suspect they may do the same in New Orleans, New Jersey and other places. Hope so.
Every lawsuit has to state a claim alleging a violation of some right. and seek some remedy or money damages. And every lawyer forms a theory of the case, there may only be one issue or a dozen. But a key point they are making is that the cops cannot respond to every case because many may be sick themselves or simply not want to respond to calls. Several states including New York already have had large numbers of cops taken off duty. Having worked in 4 law enforcement agencies in my lifetime, I can tell you for sure, that most cops are not going to jump into the middle of a domestic where people are punching and spitting or start trying to pull a bunch of kids apart, not when we now know that you can get the virus simply by breathing air that an infected person has exhaled. It does not require a cough or sneeze or any such exposure like the flu or a normal virus. Cops just walking down the hallway of an apartment building where an infected person may have walked 3 hours before can be exposed, and it can live on a door knob or hard surface up to 4-5 days.
So, cops are going to prioritize and will not be responding to simple prowler calls or bicycle thefts or just a suspicious person near the house. That suspicious person is likely to be a truly bad guy, out of work, out of drugs, or just out to steal and rape and such. If ever there was a time for everyone to have a small handgun on their person it is now. So, the theory of the case is to show how truly dangerous it is. when there are no cops to come, and then seek orders to keep gun shops open and hopefully to get a good ruling and hopefully a bunch of attorney fees out of California.
This situation truly is like one of those sci-fi cases where a meteor is about to hit the earth and put civilization into a panic. Just for reference there are about 105,000 cases in the US and by daylight the death toll will exceed 2,000. In California there are 3,801 confirmed and 78 dead. By Monday another 300-400 will be confirmed and another 20 or more will die. By the time the case gets to court I suspect there will be many, many dead people and the courts will know people who passed. The reality of the situation will equalize any liberal bias in my opinion. I have a cousin and her husband both infected and my sister has an employee infected and another employee's husband passed yesterday. You guys stay home and stay safe.
https://www.alloutdoor.com/...
Looks like they cannot use the feds as a rational for locking down gun stores. On the other hand, they are now agreeing with what I have blogged for over a month. This virus spreads also via aerosol, like anthrax, and infected person exhales just normally, it hangs in the air up to 3 hours, or it falls on the fruit or vegetables or the bread package and stays there up to 24 hours. Another person come along and breathes in normally and is infected. 80% of the people in Italy were not in contact with an infected person, so it can only spread by hanging in the air where an infected person has walked hours before.
So, if you walk into a gun store without a mask, glasses and hat, you are at risk from anyone else who has been there that day. Duh? 51 doctors have already died in Italy. That is the only way that many can get it that quick. So, do what you want, regardless of what is legal or not, that is your risk.
It is legal two break the ice and swim under the lake also, but how many people would do that? Same logic.
We are in Oklahoma. I have been supportive if our Governor all along. Then he only limited travel and lockdown to 6 counties, then 9, and encouraged everyone else to just keep going out to restaurants. In fact he put a selfie of his family out having pizza and encouraging people to do the same, that was March 15. 9 counties, today we have 47 counties infected. There is zero way to survive this airborne virus except total isolation and zero travel. Just look at New York where their game playing governor an mayor are now predicting 100,000 to 300,000 die before summer. Just heard the New York Governor say this on CNN at 12:50 CST.
And, if you listen to Dr Fauci and others the absolute worst risk is for the states and towns that have little or no persons infected now. The reason is most of the national resources are going to the big cities and will be limited or depleted in 30 days. If your small community suddenly has 500 cases, most people will just be left to die, Biggest risk is small towns and counties with no problems now. Only one person infected Italy. Just one person going to another city and coming back is all it takes, just like Italy.
He got there on Feb 1st, nuff said.a