The National Rifle Association has filed a 58-page appellate brief seeking to reverse the dismissal of its First Amendment-based counterclaims against New York Attorney General Letitia James, arguing that ”the official policy of the State of New York is to crush the NRA,” and that direct evidence of animus “obviates the need for any additional showing of causation.”

The brief, filed Monday in New York state’s Appellate Division, First Department, also claims that the lower-court decision dismissing the counterclaims “practically draws a roadmap for how officials can abuse state power to destroy the ability for non-profits to advocate for positions disfavored by the government.”