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US agency includes gun sellers as 'critical' infrastructure amid coronavirus concerns

Posted at 4:09 PM, Mar 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-29 16:09:56-04

WASHINGTON — A gun rights group is cheering the Trump administration's designation of the firearms industry, including retailers, as part of the nation's critical infrastructure during the coronavirus emergency.

The designation by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is advisory and does not override determinations by individual jurisdictions.

The group Gun Owners of America says in a statement that it is encouraged that the Trump administration is not ignoring what it calls "the ability to protect yourself."

Gun rights groups have filed suit after the Los Angeles County sheriff closed gun stores in the wake of California Gov. Gavin Newsom letting counties decide for themselves whether firearms dealers are nonessential businesses subject to closure.