Gun Control Advocates Sue U.S. for DOJ Communications With NRA

(Bloomberg) -- Gun control advocates on Tuesday sued the U.S. to make it release communications with the firearms lobby. The complaint was filed in federal court in San Francisco by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Democracy Forward Foundation.

The plaintiffs are seeking to compel the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests they made earlier. The requests, first filed on July 25, seek “all records sent or received by an employee of DOJ to or from any individual affiliated with the National Rifle Association, the Right to Bear Arms, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the National Shooting Sports Foundation” and other parties. A similar request was sent to the ATF, which is part of the Justice Department.

The requests also seek the calendars and telephone records of Justice Department officials including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

The ATF and the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

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