‘Some elected officials would rather silence opposing arguments than engage in good-faith debate…’
(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) A group known for its strong defense of the Second Amendment found itself safeguarding the First Amendment as well during a recent stand-off with California‘s radical “sanctuary cities.”
The National Rifle Association celebrated a victory over San Francisco after the far-left city abandoned an attempt to blacklist vendors and contractors who did business with the gun-rights group.
“It is unfortunate that in today’s polarized times, some elected officials would rather silence opposing arguments than engage in good-faith debate,” said William Brewer, one of the attorneys representing the NRA, in a press release.
In September, city officials enacted a resolution to investigate the NRA’s business ties after declaring it a “domestic terrorist organization.”
But facing a federal court challenge on First Amendment grounds, Mayor London Breed backed away from the measure.
Breed issued a memorandum last week that forbade municipal departments from taking steps “to restrict any contractor from doing business with the NRA or to restrict City contracting opportunities for any business that has any relationship with the NRA.”
Another challenge to a similar ordinance in Los Angeles continues to work its way through the court, which already denied the city’s motion to dismiss.
Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s CEO and executive vice president, said he hoped the legal battles sent a clear signal to those wishing to curtail American rights in service of an extremist political agenda.
“The NRA will always fight to protect our members and the constitutional freedoms in which they believe,” LaPierre said.