Second Amendment Foundation

Uncategorized

Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors Project

November 20, 2012 by 6 Comments



Given that yet another member of Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors was convicted on theft charges just last week, I’d say this new project coming from the Second Amendment Foundation is quite timely. The “Meet the Mayors” ad is quite interesting. Make sure to click the link to it below.


BELLEVUE, WA – Inviting Americans to “Meet the Mayors” who have been involved in the anti-gun-rights Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Second Amendment Foundation is launching a campaign in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet that exposes the criminal and ethical wrongdoings of many members of that organization.

The “Meet the Mayors” ad can be seen at: http://saf.org/images/maig.pdf

“Michael Bloomberg created this group to further his personal agenda of public disarmament,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “But within the ranks of his organization, our research has found several politicians who have been convicted of various serious crimes, thus making it impossible for them to finish their terms.

“We discovered,” he continued, “one mayor convicted of perjury and embezzlement, another who was convicted of attempted child molestation, and yet another who was convicted of assault and racketeering. There was one who was convicted on bribery, fraud and money laundering, and another who was convicted of domestic violence.

“In short,” Gottlieb explained, “many of these elitist politicians can no longer own firearms. The crimes they were convicted of suggest they are public enemies rather than public servants. No wonder they want to take guns from law-abiding citizens!”

“Perhaps Bloomberg should worry about background checks on his colleagues, rather than law-abiding gun owners,” he suggested.

Gottlieb said SAF research discovered a far higher rate of criminal activity within the ranks of the MAIG than among the ranks of more than 8 million citizens who are licensed to carry concealed firearms in 49 states.

“While Michael Bloomberg has been campaigning to turn gun owners into criminals,” Gottlieb said, “the criminals in his own ranks were engaged in such activities as tax evasion , extortion, accepting bribes, child pornography, trademark counterfeiting and perjury. One was even convicted of assaulting a police officer.

“And these people have the audacity to smear law-abiding gun owners as potential criminals, simply because they exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” he concluded. “He should pay more attention to what his friends are up to than worry about the gun owners he’s been trying to demonize.”

Uncategorized

BalloonGoesUp Link

November 11, 2012 by

I have just added a link on the right sidebar to Ron Larimer’s When The Balloon Goes Up. In addition to his excellent blog, he is now running a shop that offers preparedness gear, EDC stuff, and range and gun gear.

If you go to his store through my blog and purchase stuff, I will be earning a commission as an affiliate. Just like with my link to LuckyGunner.com, all commissions earned are donated to the Second Amendment Foundation.

Ron carries such brands as CompTac, Aimpoint, Crimson Trace, Streamlight, Surfire, and Warren sights. In other words, the good stuff.

Give him a try the next time you are looking for a knife, a flashlight, a mag for your Glock, or anything else.

Uncategorized

SAF On UN Move

November 7, 2012 by

The Second Amendment Foundation which has been participating in all the United Nations conferences on small arms as an accredited non-governmental organization (NGO) released this statement today regarding the move to push the ATT forward now that Obama has been re-elected.


U.N. CELEBRATES OBAMA RE-ELECTION BY PUSHING GLOBAL GUN CONTROL
For Immediate Release: 11/7/2012


BELLEVUE, WA – Less than 24 hours after winning re-election, President Barack Obama’s administration joined with China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and more than 150 other governments, in supporting renewed debate on the proposed United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, confirming the worst fears of the American gun rights community.


The vote came at the U.N. General Assembly’s meeting of the First Committee on Disarmament at the world organization’s headquarters in New York City.


“It’s obvious that our warnings over the past several months have been true,” said Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation. “The election was called about 11 p.m. Tuesday and by 11 a.m. this morning, we got word that the United States was supporting this resolution. We have to be more vigilant in our efforts to stop this proposed treaty.”


SAF Operations Director Julianne Versnel, who has been back and forth to the United Nations over this proposal, said the fight is not finished. The measure will be considered for finalization in March 2013.


“We will continue to monitor this issue and oppose any effort to enforce a global gun control measure,” she stated.


Amnesty International issued a statement Wednesday lauding passage of the resolution, saying the treaty will protect human rights.


“The right of self-defense is a human right,” Gottlieb countered, “and in this country, the Second Amendment protects that right.


“Just days ago as he campaigned for re-election,” he concluded, “Barack Obama told his supporters that voting is the ‘best revenge.’ I guess now we know what he was talking about. The revenge he seeks is against American gun owners and their Second Amendment rights.”

Uncategorized

Cook County “Violence Tax” And Budget Public Hearings

October 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

Cook County (IL) Board President Toni Preckwinkle is going ahead with her proposed “violence tax” on arms and ammunition. It has been included in the proposed 2013 Executive Budget for Cook County. The tax officially called the Firearms and Firearm Ammunition Tax would levy a $25 fee per firearm on all new gun purchases as well as a 5 cent per round tax on all ammunition sales. The full text of the proposed Cook County Firearm and Firearm Ammunition Tax Ordinance can be found here.

The board will hold four public hearings on the 2013 Executive Budget over the next week beginning this evening. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has issued an action alert on these hearings and suggests that those who can attend one of these meetings make their voice heard. The hearing date and times are below. Note that if you want to testify you must sign up first.

Over the next week, there have been four public hearings scheduled
on the proposed 2013 Executive Budget. If possible please attend one
these hearings and testify in opposition to the tax. You must sign up first to testify.
Date Time Location
Thursday, Oct. 25 6:30 p.m. Second District Courthouse
5600 Old Orchard Road, Conf. Room 201
Skokie, IL
Friday, Oct. 26 9 a.m. Cook County Building
118 N. Clark St. Board Room, Rm. 569
Chicago, IL
Tuesday, Oct. 30 6:30 p.m. Sixth District Courthouse
16501 S. Kedzie Pkwy., Courtroom 098
Markham, IL
Thursday, Nov. 1 6:30 p.m. Fourth District Courthouse
1500 South Maybrook Dr., Courtroom 106
Maywood, IL

Even if you can’t attend one of these hearings, the NSSF suggests calling the members of the Cook County Board and expressing your displeasure over the “violence tax”. A list of board members and their phone numbers can be found here.

As Sebastian noted earlier this month, taxing a constitutional right for the purposes of discouraging it is unconstitutional. I’m sure the Second Amendment Foundation has no problems taking more money from the Chicago-area politicians in attorney’s fees. That said, I think everyone involved would just as soon see this stopped dead in its tracks at the county board level.

Uncategorized

Great New Hire At SAF/CCRKBA

October 9, 2012 by 7 Comments

Brandon Combs of the CalGuns Foundation and Cal-FFL was just appointed Director of Programs and Outreach for SAF and Director of Advocacy and Coalitions for CCRKBA. I have corresponded with Brandon many times and this is a great appointment. He’ll bring a new vibrancy to both organizations’ outreach and advocacy efforts. Having cut his gun rights teeth in the notoriously gun unfriendly state of California where innovative tactics are a must to get noticed, I hope he’ll bring that same verve to SAF and CCRKBA.

There is a lot of innovative advocacy going on at the state level ranging from the guerrilla tactics of CalGuns to the outreach technology that Maryland Carry used to shut down the Maryland State Capital that need to be shared with other gun rights groups. I’m glad to see that the SAF and CCRKBA has recognized this need. For example, I would love to see the outreach technology of Maryland Carry used by Grass Roots North Carolina when we push for restaurant carry (again) in the next session of the General Assembly.

From the e-mail announcement:

SAN CARLOS, CA & BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment
Foundation announced today that Brandon Combs, a veteran California gun
rights advocate, has joined the Second Amendment Foundation as its
director of Programs and Outreach.  He will also serve as director of
Advocacy and Coalitions at Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and
Bear Arms.

In addition to his roles at SAF and CCRKBA, Combs will
continue working with The Calguns Foundation (CGF) and California
Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (Cal-FFL) as Secretary and
President, respectively, and as an elected member of the board of
directors for the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the Golden
State’s NRA affiliate organization.

“Developing relationships and effective programs are key to
really being successful in the long term,” explained SAF founder and
Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.  “When you can add a creative,
experienced leader like Brandon to your arsenal, you do it.  I’m very
excited for the future and delighted he is here with us.”

“I’m excited for Brandon and thrilled that we have an
opportunity not only to export some of our gun advocacy culture and
concepts nationally, but also to develop a much closer relationship with
the larger network of gun rights organizations,” said Calguns
Foundation chairman Gene Hoffman.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity to
serve SAF’s and CCRKBA’s members and work to advance our fundamental
rights,” said Combs.  “I’m looking forward to building the next
generation of gun rights advocacy and the new gun rights culture with
supporters and fellow advocates from organizations across the United
States.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s
oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal
action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to
privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has
grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many
programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of
gun control.

The Calguns Foundation (calgunsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization which serves its members by providing Second
Amendment-related education, strategic litigation, and the defense of
innocent California gun owners from improper or malicious prosecution.
The Calguns Foundation seeks to inform government and protect the rights
of individuals to acquire, own, and lawfully use firearms in
California.

Uncategorized

Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire

September 21, 2012 by

Dead Patriot Films is using Kickstarter to raise funds for a new pro-Second Amendment film production called “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire.” In the last 15 days the producers have raised over $15,000 for the film. This includes contributions of $5,000 each from the Second Amendment Foundation and the CalGuns Foundation.

I have made a contribution and would urge you to consider doing so as well.  Getting this message out to what is not a traditional Second Amendment audience is important.

,

The producers have posted this description of the film which they intend to distribute through Southern Oregon Public TV.

Assaulted – The Fight To Bear Arms

When the subject of
California’s gun control laws are discussed, rarely are they associated
with the civil rights movement and the quest for equal rights for
all. This film will compare the historical aspects of gun control
targeting the indigenous tribes of North America and emancipated slaves
through the Jim Crow era to today’s laws that favor elitists and denies
the rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment to the most vulnerable in our
society.

The film takes a critical look at the original intent
of the current California guns laws in contrast with crime and murder
statistics before and since their implementation; and compares these
laws to those of the adjacent states. Story threads also look at the
myriad of concealed carry permitting processes across the state to
illustrate that not all residents are treated equal.

A Few Threads of the Film

The threads below will be woven with current events in California and
Nationally that are creating demands for new assault weapons
legislation and ammunition sales restrictions. Are these law in the best
interest of public safety or infringement of our civil rights?

We will seek out interviews with leading constitutional historians,
anti-violence leaders, gun rights activists, law makers and gun owners
to create a film that will start a meaningful conversation, not add to
rhetoric.

Battle of Athens

When the 2nd Amendment is discussed, the concept of the citizens’
rights to defend themselves against a corrupt or tyrannical government
is sure to be included. The idea of the people rising up against the
government here in the USA seems farfetched. Just the stuff of a
Hollywood film, but it has happened.

In 1946, returning GIs from WWII faced off with a corrupt county
sheriff and his cronies in McMinn County, Tennessee. The film will look
at the causes of the conflict, and how the soldiers and the citizens
restored the rule of law to their county by the applied use of the 2nd
Amendment.

Deacons for Defense

The civil rights movement of the 1960’s is always associated with the
nonviolent actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights workers
that spread out across the South. Rarely mentioned are the “Deacons for
Defense” and how a handful of armed black men protected the civil rights
workers, broke the stranglehold of the Ku Klux Klan in Louisiana and
secured civil rights for all citizens in the South.

Guns for the White Man only

Gun laws from the beginning of the United States of America have
always favored the wealthy white man. The first laws written barred
Native Americans and Blacks (freed or enslaved) from possessing firearms
and continued through the Jim Crow era.

World War II saw gun confiscations precede forced interment of
Japanese-American citizens just because of the fear of war empowered the
white man to do so. The fact that no German-Americans or
Italian-Americans had their firearms taken just supports that gun laws
have been written for the white majority.

The California Gun
Control Act of 1968 has been said to be a knee-jerk reaction to the
Black Panther’s use of loaded rifles in peaceful protest to bring
attention to white bigotry in the Oakland police department and abuses
by its white police officers against black citizens. Even today, the
majority of Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) permits issued in California
are given to white males.

This racial trend in gun control has also jumped the color barrier to
only favor the rich who can financially afford their 2nd Amendment
right to bear arms and secure self-defense CCW permits through political
campaign donations while the single mother in the inner city can’t
legally acquire an affordable gun to protect her family.

Uncategorized

Leonard Embody Loses….Again

August 30, 2012 by 4 Comments

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the case that Leonard Embody brought against Tennessee park ranger Steve Ward today.

The Court found that Embody’s 2nd, 4th, and 14th Amendment Rights were not violated when he was stopped in Radnor Lake State Natural Area while open-carrying a Draco AK-47 pistol. The Draco had an 11 1/2 inch barrel and had the tip of the muzzle painted orange much like an airsoft toy.

This case has been troublesome since the start due to Mr. Embody’s hubris. To be frank, he went looking for trouble, found it, was momentarily detained, and then sent on his merry way no worse the wear. In response he filed a suit in US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The end result of that was to have everyone’s Second Amendment rights circumscribed due to that court’s decision which misread the Heller decision.

As Judge Sutton of the 6th Circuit noted in his opinion:

For his troubles, Embody has done something rare: He has taken a position on the Second and Fourth Amendment that unites the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Second Amendment Foundation. Both organizations think that the park ranger permissibly disarmed and detained Leonard Embody that day, notwithstanding his rights to possess the gun. So do we.

Alan Gura had filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Second Amendment Foundation and the CalGuns Foundation that argued the District Court got the decision right but for the wrong reasons. It asked the 6th Circuit to affirm the decision but find that the Second Amendment didn’t apply in this case. The appeals court seems to have agreed with this and said the Second Amendment didn’t apply in this situation due to qualified immunity.

Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned has much more on the decision here. The Volokh Conspiracy also covers the decision and there is a lively discussion going on in the comments section.

Whether or not Mr. Embody decides to appeal to the Supreme Court is up to him. If he does, I’d wager house money that the Supreme Court would deny certiorari in this case.

Uncategorized

A Reminder To the UN Programme Of Action From SAF’s Julianne Versnel

August 30, 2012 by 2 Comments

For those that don’t know, the Second Amendment Foundation is an accredited NGO (non-governmental organization) at the United Nations. Julianne Versnel, SAF’s Director of Operations, has represented the SAF at a number of UN conferences and meeting. Today she represented them at the UN Programme of Action conference.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today reminded the United Nations that “if women have the right to be protected against violence, then they have the right to protect themselves against violence.”

So spoke SAF’s Director of Operations Julianne Versnel, whose remarks to the U.N. Programme of Action conference were unlike anything many delegates had ever heard before. The conference is seen as the first step toward rekindling discussions about an on-going process to continue development of a small arms and light weapons treaty, which earlier this summer collapsed when several nations opposed it.

Noting that she had reviewed what has already been written and said about the violence against women as it relates to the Programme of Action, Versnel emphasized that, “I am struck by what is not said.”

“If there is a basic sanctity of a woman’s person,” she observed, “if there is a right to not be a victim of sexual or personal violence, then that right involves the right to defend one’s self.”

Versnel stressed that any new global gun control initiatives must “do nothing to disarm women who legitimately and rightfully want to defend themselves.”

While international gun prohibitionists have been pushing a civilian disarmament agenda, Versnel’s warnings may open up a new and politically uncomfortable arena. It is impossible to dismiss female victims of violence as “male American gun nuts.”

“The drive for human rights is a force throughout the world,” Versnel stated, “and especially here at the U.N. A woman’s right to be free from violence is a fundamental human right. That fundamental right is to defend one’s self. The report of this conference should state that without reservation.”

Uncategorized

SAF Files Suit In Missouri Over Concealed Carry For Legal Immigrants

July 27, 2012 by 8 Comments

In a case that is similar to their winning efforts against the City of Omaha, the Second Amendment Foundation has filed suit in Federal District Court on behalf of a Canadian who is a legal permanent resident. Edward Plastino resides just north of St. Louis and is seeking to obtain a Missouri concealed carry permit but is prohibited by law. As noted here a number of times in the past, discrimination based upon alienage is considered suspect and is subject to strict scrutiny.

From the SAF release:

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Canadian citizen who is a legal resident of Missouri, challenging that state’s statutory prohibition on the carrying of concealed firearms by non-citizens.

The case seeks to overturn the state’s non-citizen concealed carry ban on constitutional grounds, specifically the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. The plaintiff is Edward F. Plastino, a Canadian citizen and Status Indian, based on his partial Chippewa heritage. He has lived primarily in this country since 1995, and in Missouri since 2006. SAF and Plastino are represented by attorneys Matthew Singer of St. Louis and David Sigale of Glen Ellyn, Ill.

“This is a case similar to our successful lawsuits against the City of Omaha and Washington State, and our current action in New Mexico, challenging local gun laws that discriminate against legal resident aliens,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “Mister Plastino can legally carry a firearm openly in Missouri, but he cannot legally conceal a firearm for personal protection. That simply does not make sense.”

Plastino was in Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina and its immediate aftermath, but his employer transferred him to St. Louis and then to St. Charles, Mo.

“Mr. Plastino would carry a concealed firearm for personal protection,” Gottlieb said, “except that he realizes he could face prosecution, fine and imprisonment, and other repercussions because he is a non-citizen.”

Defendants in the case are Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster and St. Charles County Sheriff Tom Neer, in their respective official capacities.

“Mr. Plastino has lived and worked in the United States for more than a decade,” Gottlieb noted. “His case represents the plight of untold numbers of legal resident aliens who have demonstrated their willingness to be good members of their communities and abide by our laws. It seems only right to allow them the same protections as our citizens against people who do not abide by our laws.”

Uncategorized

SAF Reacts To Lifting Of Stay In Woollard

July 26, 2012 by

The Second Amendment Foundation issued a statement yesterday saying that they were “delighted” with Judge Legg’s ruling lifting his stay in Woollard v. Sheridan. Judge Legg found his stay was not warranted.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation is delighted that the judge in a Maryland case that challenges the constitutionality of that state’s handgun permitting scheme is ready to lift a stay on his original order for the state to process carry permits without a citizen having to provide a “good and substantial reason.’

U.S District Judge Benson Everett Legg will lift the stay on his original order in two weeks because, in his opinion, the stay “is not warranted.”

“There is no good reason for the state to continue violating the constitutional rights of its citizens just to maintain this burdensome and arbitrary system,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “As Judge Legg originally observed, the Second Amendment’s protections extend beyond the home.”

While it is possible that the state may file a motion with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to impose a stay of Judge Legg’s order, the trial court precedent is an important one. It established that the Second Amendment right to bear arms does not stop at the door of one’s home.

“No citizen should be required to give a good and substantial’ reason in order to exercise a constitutionally-protected civil right,” Gottlieb observed. “In his order today, Judge Legg noted that the state has pointed to little in the way of truly irreparable injury that is likely to result should their request for a stay be denied’.”

The judge also noted, “If a stay is granted, a sizeable number of people will be precluded from exercising, while the case is argued on appeal, what this Court has recognized as a valid aspect of their Second Amendment right. In the First Amendment context, the Supreme Court has stated that loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury’.”

“It is time for the State of Maryland to understand that government cannot, and must not, be given blanket discretion in its perceived authority to interfere with the exercise of a constitutional right by law-abiding citizens,” Gottlieb said.