ALBANY, N.Y. ? A federal judge has dismissed a National Rifle Association lawsuit filed against Gov. Andrew Cuomo for shuttering gun stores during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. District Court Judge Mae D'Agostino ruled the gun lobby group failed to prove that fielding questions from members following the state's decision to close gun shops caused a "perceptible impairment."
New York closed down most businesses back in March as the state became the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. Only "essential" stores, such as pharmacies and grocery stores, remained open.
The NRA claimed in its suit, filed in the Northern District, that by not deeming gun shops, weapon distributors and shooting ranges essential businesses, the state violated the Second, Fifth and 14th amendments.
D'Agostino ruled that the NRA failed "to provide any specific facts to support its assertion of injury-in-fact."
The suit was the second of its kind tossed by a federal judge in recent weeks.
"It's no surprise that yet another frivolous suit by the NRA has been laughed out of court," said senior Cuomo adviser Rich Azzopardi. "Their brand of destructive political games are bad enough in normal times and are completely beyond the pale during the pandemic."
Attorney General Letitia James' office, which defended the state in the case, filed a motion to dissolve the NRA last week.
Following an 18 month investigation, James found evidence that the powerful gun-rights group is "fraught with fraud and abuse."
In her suit against the organization, James alleges that top officials used charitable funds for personal gain and defrauding members.
