After an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deemed gun manufacturers, retailers and operators of shooting ranges as “critical infrastructure” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a national gun safety group is pushing back against the designation.

“It is false and irresponsible for gun store owners or industry lobbyists to claim that gun dealers are constitutionally exempt from complying with COVID-19 closures,” said the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in a statement. “The epidemic is an emergency that may justify some closures of gun stores even if gun sales would normally be protected by the Second Amendment.”

The designation from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is advisory only, and is meant to guide jurisdictions that choose to close certain sectors to cut down on the transmission of coronavirus. CISA placed the firearms industry in the law enforcement and first responder category, alongside 9-1-1 call center operators and child neglect investigators.

A letter from the National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc., which represents the firearm and recreational shooting industry, argued for the destination on the grounds that its members supply local law enforcement and the military with weapons, and that gun ownership was equivalent to food, water, shelter and medical care.

In his March 25 stay-at-home order, Gov. Jared Polis included firearms businesses in a list of “critical retail” establishments to remain open. One day prior, Bighorn Firearms in Denver filed a lawsuit against the city for omitting gun stores in its list of essential businesses when Denver’s own order went into effect earlier last week.

Although the Giffords Law Center called for decisions to close or keep open gun stores to be made on public health – rather than economic or constitutional – grounds, the group did acknowledge that keeping gun stores open would enable federal authorities to work with owners to trace weapons recovered at crime scenes. Closing firearms dealers would also make them targets for break-ins and possibly divert sales to unregulated markets.

Since the pandemic escalated, gun stores in Colorado have been besieged with increased demand, with some owners reporting backlogs of up to seven days for federally-mandated background checks, compared to less than 10 minutes on average in prior months.

“We have probably more first-time buyers this time around than we’ve ever had,” said Justin Green, owner of SDS Guns in Colorado Springs.

The Giffords Law Center said that “panic buying” presents risks, pointing to statistics showing that the risk of death from domestic violence incidents is five times greater if a firearm is present in the home. “The temporary closure of a gun store does not affect the self-defense rights for the many millions of Americans who already live in a household with firearms or who have successfully protected their personal safety without firearms up until now,” the center wrote.

State Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, was unconcerned with purchases in the rural parts of the state, saying that gun ownership is already widespread and most people have attended hunter safety training. However, for first-time buyers in urban and suburban areas, he recommended immediate education.

“These individuals need to sign up for a gun safety and/or firearms training class ASAP,” he said. “I also recommended that these people join a gun club to learn about their recently-acquired firearms and practice handling and shooting safely.”

Because of the “essential” designation, some classes will continue to operate during the pandemic. Bristlecone Shooting, Training & Retail Center in Lakewood said that it would use “all practical precautions” to protect students and staff during the social distancing period.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, which reports a membership of more than 200,000 people, has vowed to support the work of gun stores in Colorado by giving away 200 rounds of ammunition to three individuals each week who enter a raffle. The retail value online is between $40 and $50.

“I worry about after the panic is over and buyer’s remorse sets in,” wrote one commenter on the group’s Facebook page. “You can’t just Craigslist a firearm, and a rude awakening is going to happen for those panic buyers.”

“And then the pawn shops and consignment gun shops will be full of nice, shiny new handguns,” replied the RMGO account. “Look on the bright side.”