A group of anti-gun activists’ bid to thwart a State Department settlement with Cody Wilson’s Defense Distributed was dealt a crushing blow Friday when their Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction was rejected.
The judge in the case ruled that Gabby Giffords, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Michael Bloomberg-funded Everytown for Gun Safety had no standing in the case.
On July 10, 2018, Breitbart News reported that the State Department settlement with Defense Distributed was secured via a suit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation. The settlement allows Defense Distributed to share 3-D gun print files, gun part files, etc., online once more. The settlement was to be finalized by the Department of Justice on July 27 so Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Everytown, filed their motion July 26 in hopes of derailing it.
Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Everytown criticized the fact that “the Government … entered into this Settlement Agreement,” and added:
Publication of these files on the Internet will cause irreparable harm to the United States and its citizens, as it will allow the global community unfettered access to blueprints for the creation of untraceable and undetectable weapons, which will threaten the security of the United States and its citizens. Due to the nature of the modern Internet, once these files are publicly released, the damage cannot be undone. The balance of harm and the public interest favors granting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman rejected the motion brought by Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Everytown, pointing out that they do not have standing to bring a motion against the settlement.
Pitman wrote, “IT IS ORDERED that Movants’ Joint Emergency Motion to Intervene, (Dkt. 96), is DENIED. Because Movants are not permitted to intervene, their Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and for Preliminary Injunction, (Dkt. 97), is DENIED.”
Second Amendment Foundation founder and executive vice president Alan Gottlieb spoke to Breitbart News about Pitman’s ruling, saying, “The gun prohibition lobby through everything at us they could to overturn our huge win for both the First and Second Amendment rights of Americans and lost. This is a great day for freedom.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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