Governor Steve Bullock’s recent Executive Order 3-2020 designates “…firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers…” under “Essential Businesses,” exempting them from being shut down during this state of emergency. While the Governor and U.S. Senate Candidate has been openly hostile to gun rights in the past by:
- Vetoing firearm preemption and self-defense legislation,
- Penning an Op-Ed in support of so-called “universal” background checks, extreme “red flag” laws and bans on standard capacity magazines,
- Voicing his support to ban certain semi-automatic firearms, saying they “are not used for self-defense.”
Order 3-2020 does not close gun stores during the current Covid-19 outbreak. As NRA reports here and here, the Governor’s usual anti-gun ideology is highly problematic in these uncertain times. His continued quest for elected office obviously forced him to do the right thing in this singular case. NRA members and supporters throughout the state are advised to keep a close eye on the Governor and maintain the pressure to keep gun stores open.
The Second Amendment is the law of the land, and your NRA-ILA has been working hard in other jurisdictions that are using the pandemic as an excuse to strip Americans of their fundamental right of self-defense. We can’t let our guard down in Montana with a Governor who so clearly doesn’t believe in our freedom.
Your NRA will continue to monitor the situation and alert you to any important developments.