The NRA has filed a lawsuit against New York State officials and Gov Cuomo for obstructing legal commerce through pressure and extortion in order to get banks and insurance companies from doing business with the NRA, gun manufacturers and sellers. The NRA is claiming tens of millions in damages and will pursue the suit to the fullest extent. They are referring to NY’s actions as a “blacklisting campaign” staged against them by the defendants. Gun ownership is not only legal, but it’s constitutional. New York state could be investigated by the Department of Commerce for trying to regulate intrastate commerce.
NY recently fined Lockton Cos., LLC for administrating policies for the NRA’s insurance plan for gun owners facing charges in acts of self defense. They were fined $7 million dollars and will no longer offer the policies in NY state. As a result, Lloyd’s of London have announced that they are dropping their working relationship with the NRA. Lloyd’s now claims that the Carry Guard policies are issued “to gun owners for acts of intentional wrongdoing.” Is self-defense now an intentional act of wrongdoing? You gotta be kidding me. I’d love to see the Feds ban Lloyds from doing business in this country or at least issue a heavy fine for violating US commerce laws.
Governor Cuomo also ordered a directive issued by the NYDFS which resulted in the regulatory agency sending a letter to state-chartered banks and other financiers, deterring them from doing business with the NRA.
In the letter, NYDFS superintendent Maria Vullo wrote, “There is a fair amount of precedent in the business world where firms have implemented measures in areas such as the environment, healthcare, and civil rights in fulfilling their corporate social responsibility.
“The recent actions of a number of financial institutions that severed their ties with the NRA and have taken other actions after the AR-15 style rifle killed 17 people in the school in Parkland, Florida, is an example of such a precedent.”
Gov Cuomo said:
“New York may have the strongest gun laws in the country, but we must push further to ensure that gun safety is a top priority for every individual, company, and organization that does business across the state.”
“The NRA’s lawsuit is a futile and desperate attempt to advance its dangerous agenda to sell more guns.”
This is not Cuomo’s first foray into Combination in Restraint of Trade and Competition. In 2016 nine people were indicted in a scheme to lure more businesses to upstate New York using such methods as bid rigging. Two Cuomo aides were indicted along with seven others. Cuomo was able to escape unscathed possibly due to the fact the investigation was run by NY AG Eric Schneiderman, a close ally of Cuomo’s and is now disgraced because he beat, choked and threatened women.