Megan Udinski, FISM News
A NY Supreme Court judge blocked Attorney General Letitia James’ attempt to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Wednesday.
The ruling by Judge Joel Cohen provides temporary protection for the Second Amendment advocacy group which dates back to 1871, but did allow the lawsuit to remain open.
Current NRA President Charles Cotton commented on the win saying, “The message is loud and clear: the NRA is strong and secure in its mission to protect constitutional freedom.” He is celebrating the victory not only for the association but for its nearly five million members it serves.
The battle began in 2018 when NY Attorney General Letitia James declared she had the NRA in her sights. James remarked, “The NRA is an organ of deadly propaganda masquerading as a charity for public good.” James’ 2020 lawsuit to dissolve the association took her rhetoric even further by calling the NRA a “terrorist organization.”
While the claims of the group’s leaders to misappropriate funds are still viable and Judge Cohen did not dismiss that aspect of the case, he explained, “In short, the Complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the ‘corporate death penalty.”
Simply put, James did not have just reasons or overwhelming support to dissolve an entire association that has been a prominent advocacy group for millions from youth programs to hunters, training the police, and marksman courses.
William A Brewer III, who led the defense counsel on this case concluded, “Today’s developments underscore the simple truth that since taking office in 2019, the Attorney General has pushed a contrived narrative about the NRA in her attempt to support a dissolution claim that is improper. This is a victory for not only the NRA, but all who believe in the right to free speech and association.”
Many on the left are trying to connect the NRA and Donald Trump to the current events involving Russia. Even President Biden commented in his State of the Union Address Tuesday that he wants Congress to “repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can’t be sued” which the Associated Press fact checked and found this statement to be inaccurate.