A gun range in Lynchburg, Virginia, scored a victory in court after Lynchburg Circuit Judge F. Patrick Yeatts ruled that Governor Ralph Northam does not have the authority to close the range down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 23, Northam issued Executive Order 53, which mandated that all businesses deemed non-essential be temporarily closed down. The order listed gun ranges as one of the businesses that had to shut down. SafeSide Tactical gun range was joined by the Gun Owners of America, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, and the Association of Virginia Gun Ranges in a lawsuit against the governor, arguing he does not have the emergency authority to force the gun range to close.
"There is no pandemic exception to the fundamental liberties that the Constitution of Virginia safeguards," David Browne, the plaintiffs' attorney, said.
Judge Yeatts agreed with the plaintiffs and issued an injunction preventing the state from forcing SafeSide to close.
"The Governor, the Department of State Police, and all law enforcement divisions, agencies, and officers within the Commonwealth, are hereby enjoined and prohibited from enforcing, in any manner, the prohibition on public access to Lynchburg Range & Training, LLC," he wrote in the eight-page ruling.
The gun range will still have to follow social distancing guidelines in order to remain open.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring issued a statement saying that the ruling makes "Virginia communities and families less safe."
"Governor Northam's efforts to save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19 are necessary and proving to be effective, but unfortunately, the gun lobby believes the ability to shoot a gun indoors during this pandemic is worth risking further spread of the virus and making Virginia communities and families less safe."
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