It’s no secret that the NRA isn’t terribly popular with Democratic politicians in the liberal enclave of Los Angeles. Nor is anyone with a good word to say about the Second Amendment for that matter. But with all of those pesky free speech rules still in play (at least for now), what can they do about it? Clearly, the problem called for some creative, outside the box thinking and that’s precisely what the City Council in the City of Angels has been up to. They can’t impose an outright ban on the NRA, but they can apply a lot of pressure to any outfits that choose to do business with them. So if the measure proposed this week is signed off on by Mayor Garcetti, anyone wanting a government contract will need to disclose whether or not they’ve had any dealings with the National Rifle Association. (CBS Los Angeles)

An ordinance requiring contractors with the city of Los Angeles to disclose any ties they have to the National Rifle Association was approved unanimously Tuesday by the city council.

The ordinance, which awaits Mayor Eric Garcetti’s signature, does not ban NRA-linked contractors from doing business with the city, but requires them to disclose any contracts or sponsorships they have with the gun rights advocacy group.

The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but sent a letter to the City Council through a law firm threatening to sue if the ordinance was approved.

So it’s not an outright ban, but it’s the real world equivalent of shadowbanning, stolen from social media and moved into municipal law. “Nice city contract you’ve got there. Be a real shame if anything happened to it.”

Is this even legal to begin with? I’ve been looking for other examples but couldn’t find any. If you want to do business with the federal government you have to declare any associations you’ve had with certain countries that are on the naughty list, but that’s an entirely different subject dealing with national security and espionage.

The NRA is a private organization based in the United States. They are free to raise money and lobby within the limits of the law as they see fit. (Along with other programs they fund aimed at promoting gun safety and protecting the Second Amendment.) Having the city single them out in this fashion is nothing short of intimidation tactics designed to force businesses to cut ties with the organization or lose their opportunity to work with the city.

Does this mean that Little Rock can demand businesses disclose any work they’ve done with Planned Parenthood or the Southern Poverty Law Center? And having disclosed that information, can those businesses then be denied municipal contracts?

This is clearly a stunt designed to impress the liberals on the left coast and nationally. But this fish stinks from the head down. In a way, I almost hope Garcetti signs it just so we can watch the NRA’s lawsuit play out in the courts.