According to Firearm Chronicles
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday evening that he’s reversing course once again and will no longer try to force gun stores in his jurisdiction to close, after Department of Homeland Security guidance released over the weekend declared that the firearms industry is considered an essential part of the workforce.
According to NBC4 in Los Angeles, Villanueva who was facing a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Center, and the California Gun Rights Foundation, backed down from his ban after reviewing the new DHS guidance.
Villanueva called the non-binding memo “persuasive” and announced that his department won’t order or recommend closing businesses that sell or repair firearms or sell ammunition in the nation’s most populous county.
Let’s hope this is the last time Villanueva will change his mind on the issue of gun stores. For more than a week, the sheriff has issued a series of confusing and contradicting orders; one day stating that gun stores could remain open, and then ordering them closed the following day.
Villanueva ordered a shutdown of gun shops last week, saying panic-buying that produced long lines at the shops was worrisome from a public safety standpoint.