Sep 10, 2019

NRA sues San Francisco after city labels it a terrorist organization

Rebecca Falconer

Wayne LaPierre, NRA vice president and CEO, speaks to guests at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 26 — NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, in April. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Monday against San Francisco after the city passed a resolution declaring the gun rights group a "domestic terrorist organization."

Details: The NRA alleges the move violates its freedom of speech for political reasons and attempts to "blacklist anyone linked to the NRA." NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a statement that "we will never stop fighting for our law-abiding members and their constitutional freedoms."

The big picture: The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the resolution last week. City supervisor Catherine Stefani told AP she drafted the resolution in response to the July 28 shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, which killed 3 people and wounded 15 others.

Since the California mass shooting, there have been at least 3 others in the U.S. — in El Paso, Dayton and the West Texas sister cities of Odessa and Midland.

What they're saying: Stefani told AP the lawsuit was a "desperate move" by the NRA as it's embroiled in infighting and LaPierre has had his handling of NRA finances brought into question.

"They continue to stand in the way of gun violence reform and people are dying because of it. ... I truly believe their time is up."

— San Francisco supervisor Catherine Stefani to AP

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NRA sues San Francisco after city labels it a terrorist organization

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