Two 19-year-old Florida residents who joined the National Rifle Association in suing over the state’s new gun-control law asked a federal judge to let them remain anonymous, saying they fear for their safety because NRA staff have received threatening calls and emails.
The NRA sued [1] after the state raised the age for purchasing guns to 21 from 18 following the February massacre [2] of 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The NRA claims the law violates the Second Amendment rights of citizens aged 18 to 20, while gun-control advocates say people who can’t buy beer shouldn’t be allowed to buy an AR-15.
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In a filing Thursday in federal court in Tallahassee, the gun lobby group cited case law that allows plaintiffs to remain anonymous in lawsuits that are "sensitive and highly personal" -- a standard usually used in cases involving sexual assault or pornographic material. The NRA said the teens -- a man and a woman -- could be put in danger by public attention.
"I am afraid that if my association with the lawsuit became public, I would be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, and potentially even physical violence," the female plaintiff said in an affidavit signed "Jane Doe."
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"Publication of her identity would expose her to unwanted public attention and censure for exercising her right to challenge a statute denying her a fundamental constitutional right," the NRA said.
Marion Hammer, a representative of the NRA, has received "numerous threatening and harassing emails and phone calls," the group said. Several emails were attached to the NRA’s
