New York Gov. Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoOvernight Health Care: CDC recommends face coverings in public | Resistance to social distancing sparks new worries | Controversy over change of national stockpile definition | McConnell signals fourth coronavirus bill 13 things to know for today about coronavirus Poll: Majority disapprove of Trump on coronavirus MORE (D) on Saturday sharply dismissed a new lawsuit from the National Rifle Association (NRA), saying, “I wish you could become immune to this virus the way I’ve become immune to NRA lawsuits.”
Cuomo’s remark came during a briefing on the response to the virus in the state. He was asked about an NRA lawsuit filed Thursday and whether he anticipated further legal challenges to his order deeming gun shops nonessential, forcing them to close during the pandemic.
“I think I’ve been sued by the NRA — must be a dozen times. I didn’t even know I was sued this time. You become sort of lawsuit immune,” he said. “I wish you could become immune to this virus the way I’ve become immune to NRA lawsuits.”
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “I wish you could become immune to this virus the way I’ve become immune to NRA lawsuits.” pic.twitter.com/LHqlftwHvu
— The Hill (@thehill) April 4, 2020
The NRA lawsuit goes after Cuomo’s decision on March 20 to designate only grocery stores, liquor stores, pharmacies and restaurants that do takeout as essential during the pandemic, forcing other businesses to temporarily close.
The complaint called the move shuttering gun shops a “pointless and arbitrary attack on the constitutional rights of New York citizens and residents,” asserting that Cuomo “indefinitely suspended a key component of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with the state reporting more than 10,800 new cases on Saturday, pushing the overall number of confirmed cases in the state to 113,704. More than 3,500 people have died from the virus in New York.
Cuomo said he does expect legal challenges as a result of his order, adding, “It’s a slow day if I don’t get sued five times. The state’s a great target.”