DHS Adds Workers for Gunmakers, Gun Retailers, and Shooting Ranges to “Essential Critical Infrastructure” List

WASHINGTON – As some localities move to restrict Americans’ Second Amendment rights during the novel coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) advocated for concerned citizens by sending a letter on March 24 to Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, supporting revising guidance to deem firearms industry workers as essential personnel.

Thanks in part to Senator Paul’s efforts, a few days later, on March 28, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency revised its guidance on “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” to include “[w]orkers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges.”

“The U.S. Constitution guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. The protections afforded by the Second Amendment are indispensable, and they have served our nation well through tranquil times as well as turbulent ones. Our current circumstances are no different,” Sen. Paul stated in his letter.

Senator Paul included another letter to the director from the National Shooting Sports Foundation calling for the guidance change, and he urged Director Krebs “to review the recommendations attached hereto and take all appropriate action to implement them.”

In addition to concerns over Second Amendment liberties, the National Shooting Sports Foundation shared in its letter how critical the firearms industry is to supporting federal, state, and local law enforcement. Excluding the firearms industry from the essential workforce would negatively impact the ability of these law enforcement entities, especially in smaller rural communities, to protect Americans during this critical time.

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