Gun group files suit after legislative lawyer blocked listing of backers of gun-control legislation

Reporting from Sacramento —  A California gun-rights group is suing after a legislative lawyer blocked a blog post listing the addresses of lawmakers who had recently supported tough gun-control legislation.

The Firearms Policy Coalition filed the federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of an unnamed member who had posted the home addresses of 40 legislators, pledging to keep the information up until they voted to repeal the laws or died, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The Office of Legislative Counsel demanded that WordPress, which hosts the blog, remove the post. The office cited a state law that restricts the publication of home addresses of elected officials if made with intent or threat of causing bodily harm. WordPress complied.

“What the government is doing here is censoring speech it doesn’t like, and we’ll prove that out in the case,” said coalition President Brandon Combs in a statement. The lawsuit was filed against Legislative Counsel Diane Boyer-Vine.

Combs also said that the author’s comment about lawmakers dying wasn’t a threat because they could die of other causes unrelated to the author’s blog post.

A representative for the Legislative Counsel’s office could not be reached for comment.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last month several stringent gun-control measures, including one that requires gun owners to give up magazines holding more than 10 rounds.

The Democrat also endorsed a bill requiring ammunition sellers to be licensed, buyers to undergo background checks and transactions to be recorded. He signed a proposal to require a background check before a gun can be lent to someone who isn’t a close relative.

The unidentified blogger published the names, home addresses and phone numbers of legislators who supported the legislation, calling the list a “tyrant registry.”

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