March 27, 2020
For immediate release

GOA to MI Governor: The Right to Self-Defense is Always Necessary   

Springfield, VA – Gun Owners of America (GOA) issued a section-by-section analysis of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s “shelter-in-place” order which shuts down much of the state, including many businesses.

The analysis says, in part:

“GOA certainly hopes that the Governor will agree that gun stores provide critical services and may continue to serve the public, should any store be visited by law enforcement in an effort to shut it down, we would urge that it provide this analysis in its defense…

“The sale of firearms, ammunition and related products to the public certainly constitutes providing supplies and products necessary to maintain the safety of persons within their residence.  Since the Governor’s Order requires Michiganders to shelter in their homes, the necessity of ensuring that the home is equipped with appropriate self-defense items is critically important and necessary.

“Even if the Order had purported to shut down gun stores, that requirement would violate both federal and state constitutions.  It would impair the right that, as Justice Scalia described for the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, “surely elevates above all other interests the right of law-abiding responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home.”  Id. 554 U.S. 570, 635 (2008).  Moreover, no Executive Order purportedly deriving its authority from the Michigan Constitution can be effective to suspend rights guaranteed by that same Constitution.”

The analysis can be viewed in full here.

GOA spokespeople are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.

— GOA —