Gun Shops On Front Lines Of Stay-At-Home Debate

After a weekend of demonstrations across the nation, protests in favor of re-opening businesses are continuing today. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, hundreds if not thousands of Pennsylvanians have descended on the state capitol to call for an end to Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order. On foot and in cars, those attending the rally heard from several Republican lawmakers who ventured onto the closed grounds of the state capitol building in support of the cause.

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Speaking on the steps of the Capitol, state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R., Lawrence) led chants and asked protesters to tell Wolf to sign a bill aimed at reopening some businesses closed amid the government-ordered shutdowns. Wolf has said he will veto the legislation, which Health Secretary Rachel Levine said would put “more lives at risk.”

“These leaders must not focus on just the lives at risk from the horrible virus,” he said. “Many lives like yours are in danger from a shuttered business, the hunger and homelessness.

State Rep. Russ Diamond (R., Lebanon) also spoke to the crowd, telling them, “I believe that every one of you is essential and that every one of your businesses and jobs is life-sustaining.”

State Sen. Judy Ward (R., Blair) questioned government mandates, saying: “Do we need the government to mandate that certain business close? No. … Do we need the government to mandate that we must wear a face mask? Or how about businesses that have to provide face masks that aren’t available?”

Around the country gun shops and 2A organizations have been leading the way in the debate over stay-at-home orders, including a rolling protest in front of several Massachusetts gun stores that took place on Friday. On today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co, Jim Geraghty of National Review joined me to talk about the growing movement, and how nanny state governors are making things worse.

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In Pennsylvania, for instance, Gov. Tom Wolf originally declared that gun shops had to close, but reversed his decision after several justices on the state Supreme Court indicated in an opinion that open-ended orders like the governor’s would violate the Second Amendment rights of residents. Bowing to common sense, Wolf revised his stay-at-home order to include gun stores in the list of essential businesses, though they’re operating with limited hours and by appointment only.

Unfortunately, Wolf has declared that businesses that aren’t “life sustaining” must remain closed, and has vowed to veto a bill approved by the Republican-controlled legislature that would allow businesses to begin to re-open, as long as they followed CDC guidelines to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. As Geraghty explains, unless Wolf and other governors can actually explain why these decisions make sense from a public health standpoint, as opposed to simply dictating orders to the people of their states, they should expect growing discontent and disobedience.

Be sure to check out the entire interview above, and stick around for an update on a possible self-defense shooting in Philadelphia, an Arkansas man accused of a drive-by shooting who was out on bond after being arrested last month for another drive-by shooting, and a Wisconsin police officer who decided to donate his stimulus check to those in need.

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