U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Across the nation, COVID-19 is exposing all manner of tyrants, with mayors, governors, and judges believing their powers are without limitations. This is exceptionally true with Obama appointee Judge Andre’ Birotte of the Federal District Court in the Central District of California. He recently denied a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent local governments from closing gun stores. The TRO was requested by several 2nd Amendment organizations in response to both the City and County of Los Angeles’ inconsistent actions regarding what businesses are considered “essential” and which are not.

In essence, Birotte ruled that it’s okay to ban the possession (and acquisition) of guns for some people as long as you don’t ban it for all people, as this would be a violation of the landmark case, Heller v. DC. The judge came to his conclusion by using the judicial “balancing test” of “intermediate scrutiny” which in this case GOC believes to be illogical and flawed. In fact, in the Heller decision, the late 2nd Amendment giant, Justice Antonin Scalia strongly warned against using such judicial balancing tests.

Moving beyond the “legal-ese”, what does this mean to gun owners throughout California and the nation? It’s absolute evidence that battles in the courts must continue in order to hold reckless judges – and power-hungry mayors and government officials to account. If they aren’t going to heed what they should have learned in high school civics regarding the Constitution, then they will learn it through legal action.

GOC will continue to be engaged in this process – to make certain that every law-abiding citizen in the state of California has the ability to buy a gun to ensure the safety of their families and homes. And following up on last week’s communication with Governor Gavin Newsom, he has yet to respond to our official letter noting the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s amended guidance that designates the firearms industry as essential. Newsom's executive order had left the authority to close gun stores to local law enforcement agencies and further indicated he would follow recommendations from CISA.

About Gun Owners of California:

Founded in 1975, GOC is the oldest pro-gun political action committee in the United States of America, having been at the forefront of the battle since assaults on the 2nd Amendment began. It is a 501(c)4 non-profit and operates exclusively from membership contributions and donations. Visit www.gunownersca.com for more information.