Second Amendment Foundation

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SAF Comments On The Robbery Of Justice Breyer At Machete-Point

February 15, 2012 by 2 Comments

Justice Stephen Breyer and his family were recently the victims of an armed robbery at his vacation home on the Caribbean island of Nevis. The robber was armed with a machete. The Second Amendment Foundation has released a statement regarding this incident.

BREYER’S ROBBERY ILLUSTRATES WHY RKBA SO IMPORTANT EVERYWHERE

For Immediate Release: 2/14/2012

BELLEVUE, WA – The recent robbery of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at a vacation home in the West Indies should hopefully cause the learned jurist to re-examine his core beliefs about the individual right to keep and bear arms at places other than their primary residence, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.

Breyer has voted with the minority twice in recent years against recognizing that the Second Amendment protects an individual civil right to keep and bear arms, in both the Heller and McDonald cases. He was robbed last week, along with his wife and some guests, by an intruder wielding a machete, according to published reports. Justice Breyer was not harmed, but the robber got away with about $1,000 in cash.

“We’re delighted that Justice Breyer was not hurt during this incident,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “and hopefully this case will give him a new perspective on the right to bear arms for personal safety. Police cannot always be around when you need them, even if you’re a Supreme Court justice. One does not leave his right of self-defense at the doorstep of his home when he travels.

“If this demonstrates anything to Justice Breyer,” he continued, “it is that crime does not happen just at someone’s primary residence, and criminals do not make appointments, giving someone time to unlock and assemble and load a firearm. You must be able to protect yourself, even on vacation outside of your home state, at a moment’s notice. That’s not just a civil right, but a basic human right.

“When Justice Breyer dissented in the Heller case,” Gottlieb recalled, “he expressed concerns about keeping loaded firearms in the home for personal protection. Faced with a machete in the hands of a criminal, one wonders whether Breyer might have quietly wished he had a gun with which he could have defended himself, his wife and their guests. We hope this incident gives him new insight with which to temper his views.”

I’m not sure if “machete-point” is a word or not but if I had been threatened by a robber who was wielding one, I’d definitely consider it a word. I’m sure Justice Breyer might agree.

As to the lethality of a machete, it was the weapon of choice in the Rwandan genocide. According to Wikipedia, “Even after the 1993 peace agreement signed in Arusha, businessmen close to General Habyarimana imported 581,000 machetes for Hutu use in killing Tutsi, because machetes were cheaper than guns.” These machetes were used to kill somewhere between 500,000 and a million Tutsi in an approximately three month period of time.

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SAF On Their Appeal In Moore v. Madigan

February 6, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Second Amendment Foundation released this statement today regarding the dismissal of Moore v. Madigan, the Illinois carry case.

SAF APPEALS JUDGE’S DISMISSAL OF MOORE V. MADIGAN CARRY CASE

For Immediate Release: 2/6/2012

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation immediately filed an appeal following dismissal of its challenge to Illinois statutes that prohibit the carrying of loaded firearms outside the home for personal protection in the case of Moore v. Madigan.

The case is named for individual plaintiff Michael Moore, and defendant Lisa Madigan in her capacity as Illinois Attorney General. Joining Moore and SAF in the case are Illinois Carry, and three other private citizens, Charles Hooks, Peggy Fechter and Jon Maier.

The complaint was dismissed by Federal District Judge Sue E. Meyerscough, an Obama administration appointee who formerly served on the Illinois State Appellate Court.

In her ruling, Judge Meyerscough stated, “This Court finds that the Illinois ‘Unlawful Use of Weapons’ and ‘Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon’ statutes do not violate Plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights. The United States Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit have recognized only a Second Amendment core individual right to bear arms inside the home. Further, even if this Court recognized a Second Amendment right to bear arms outside of the home and an interference with that right, the statutes nonetheless survive constitutional scrutiny.”

In response, SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb suggested the judge’s ruling defies common sense.

“We look forward to winning this important case on appeal even if it means going back to the United States Supreme Court for a third time,” Gottlieb stated. “The Second Amendment does not say, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed except outside your home or that it only applies inside your house. We don’t check our constitutional rights at the front door.”

Judge Myerscough denied SAF and its co-plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against two laws in Illinois that make it a crime to carry loaded firearms outside the home for personal protection. Instead, she supported the state’s motion to dismiss the case.

As Dave Hardy noted, he found the reasoning of Judge Myersclough in this case to be “extremely sloppy.”

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Washington State Appellate Court Upholds Ruling Saying Seattle Can’t Ban Guns In Parks

November 1, 2011 by

The Second Amendment Foundation was handed another win today in the Washington State Court of Appeals for District 1. The court unanimously upheld a King County Superior Court ruling that said a City of Seattle ban on guns in city parks was invalid.

The Second Amendment Foundation continues to secure gun rights one lawsuit at a time!

Their release on the win is below.

APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS SAF VICTORY IN LAWSUIT V. SEATTLE PARKS GUN BAN

For Immediate Release: 10/31/2011

BELLEVUE, WA – The Washington State Court of Appeals for Division 1 today unanimously upheld a 2010 King County Superior Court ruling against the City of Seattle’s ban on firearms in city parks in a lawsuit originally brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, other gun rights groups and five individual plaintiffs.

SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said he had always been confident that the Appeals Court would rule “in favor of the law and against the attempt by Seattle to dance around it.”

“We told former Mayor Greg Nickels he was wrong,” Gottlieb said, “and we have reminded the city under Mayor Mike McGinn that it was wrong, and now the Appeals Court has confirmed our position.”

SAF was joined in the lawsuit by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the National Rifle Association and Washington Arms Collectors.

Writing for the Court, Presiding Chief Judge Ann Schindler noted, “We hold that under the plain language of RCW 9.41.290 and RCW 9.41.300, the city’s attempt to regulate the possession of firearms at designated park areas and park facilities open to the public by adopting the Firearms Rule is preempted by state law.”

“This is not only a victory for the citizens of Washington State,” he said, “but also for the State Legislature, which had the wisdom in 1983 and 1985 to pass and strengthen our preemption statute. This law has become the model for other state statutes across the country.

“The ruling is also an affirmation of Judge Catherine Shaffer’s original trial court ruling last year,” he continued. “She had the foresight to include observations about our state constitutional right to bear arms but also the Second Amendment.

“Now that the Second Amendment has been incorporated to the states through our victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago,” Gottlieb concluded, “it is going to be impossible for anti-gun politicians in the Evergreen State to defy our preemption statute and our constitutional rights. Such local rules and ordinances are illegal, and now they know it for sure.”

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SAF On Recent Gallup Poll

October 27, 2011 by

The Second Amendment Foundation released this in response to the recent Gallup poll showing support for more gun control at an all-time low.

SAF SAYS NEW GALLUP DATA SHOWS AMERICANS VALUE THEIR GUN RIGHTS
For Immediate Release: 10/26/2011

BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s revelation by Gallup that a record low number of Americans support a legal ban on handgun possession by private citizens demonstrates a positive change in the public attitude about personal protection and the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment Foundation said.

According to Gallup, only 26 percent of Americans favor a handgun ban. The annual Gallup Crime poll was conducted Oct. 6-9.

“American citizens have become increasingly aware that they are the true ‘first responders’ when a crime happens in their presence,” noted SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “The public’s attitude about gun ownership has changed dramatically in the last decade, and especially since the Supreme Court’s Heller ruling in 2008 and our victory in the 2010 McDonald ruling, affirming the Second Amendment protects an individual civil right.

“The public has also realized that all the doom and gloom rhetoric from gun prohibitionists about more crime and violence associated with increased gun ownership has been wrong,” he continued. “More Americans today own firearms than they did a generation ago, yet violent crime rates are at their lowest levels in many years.”

According to Gallup, there is also greater opposition to a ban on semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, often wrongly identified as “assault weapons.” Only 43 percent of those polled think these guns should be banned, down ten percent from the 2001 poll. Support for stricter gun laws has also declined, with 44 percent believing laws should be left as they are, and 11 percent favoring less strict laws.

“The pendulum has definitely been swinging in favor of expanded gun rights,” Gottlieb observed. “For too long, people were fooled by hysteria and misinformation from gun prohibitionists and their cheerleaders in the press. But their alarmist rhetoric has failed the test of time, and now Americans by greater percentages than we’ve seen in generations are realizing that gun rights are important, to our security as a nation and to public safety in our own neighborhoods.”

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United Way Pledges

September 27, 2011 by 4 Comments

Now is about the time that companies start their United Way Campaigns. I know our parent company is really pushing it this year and is looking for 100% participation. They will even match my contribution at 50%.

If you don’t specify an agency, your contribution goes into the UW General Fund and is spread out amongst the recipient agencies. Some of these you may like and some you may not. Some may even be actively working to restrict gun rights.

There is an alternative. You can designate the organization to receive the money. They don’t publicize this much but you can do it. The only requirement is that the organization be a 501(c)3 non-profit.

So how can you combine the United Way with the fight for gun rights? Simple – designate your gift to go to the Second Amendment Foundation. They are a 501(c)3 non-profit and are eligible to receive United Way monies. Their ID number for the United Way is 91-6184-167-501-C3.

It is something to consider.

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Two Weeks Until The Gun Rights Policy Conference!

September 8, 2011 by 2 Comments

The 2011 Gun Rights Policy Conference is just two weeks away! It is hard to believe it is almost here. I’ve had my plane tickets and hotel reservations for months now and I’m ready to go.

The Illinois State Rifle Association will also be holding its annual meeting in conjunction with the conference. The conference will be held in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont which is near Chicago O’Hare Airport. In other words, in the belly of the beast!

If any of my readers are planning to attend, let me know either in the comments or by e-mail (jpr9954@gmail.com) as I would love to meet you there. Of course, for those that can’t attend, I will be blogging about the event and the speakers throughout the conference.

The release below from the Second Amendment Foundation has some updates on the speakers at the conference.

The 26th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference attracts over 700 leaders from across the country, including speakers Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms; Joseph Tartaro, president of the Second Amendment Foundation; Sandy Froman, former president of the National Rifle Association Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association and many others.

Also scheduled to speak: Attorney Alan Gura, winner of the landmark Second Amendment Heller, McDonald and Ezell cases; John Fund, Wall Street Journal and Fox News contributor; Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America; Hawaii State Sen. Sam Slom, and gun rights leaders from New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Virginia, as well as international activists from Canada and Italy.

The Gun Rights Policy Conference offers an opportunity for grassroots gun rights activists from across the country to gather under one roof for the opportunity to network, exchange strategies and hear from national gun rights leaders on major issues relating to firearms litigation and politics.

This year’s agenda includes panel discussions on, Gun rights litigation, the UN threat to gun rights, Federal and State legislative updates, Media Bias, Self-Defense and Right-to-Carry, Open Carry and Guns and the “Fast and Furious” Obama Administration fiasco.

If you don’t know, the conference is FREE. You will come home with a stack of books and other gun rights material that is at least a foot tall plus a wealth of knowledge that you won’t get anywhere else. The only requirement is that you register for the conference. You can pre-register by going to this link.

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Classy Move

September 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

The NRA and the California Rifle and Pistol Association just filed an amicus brief in a California carry case, Richards v. Prieto. In return, the Second Amendment Foundation just issued this press release yesterday expressing their thanks for the NRA/CRPA support. Its good to see them playing well together!

SAF THANKS NRA, CRPAF FOR AMICUS BRIEFS IN RICHARDS V. PRIETO CASE

For Immediate Release: 9/1/2011

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today thanked the National Rifle Association and California Rifle and Pistol Foundation for filing amicus briefs in SAF’s challenge of Yolo County, California’s policies that exploit the state’s regulations on the issuance of concealed firearms carry permits.

Joining SAF in that lawsuit is the CalGuns Foundation. The case is known as Richards v. Prieto. It targets Yolo County’s arbitrary policy that requires CCW applicants to provide good cause for obtaining a permit, and subjects each applicant to a “moral character” standard.

“The policies practices in Yolo County are clearly unconstitutional and should be overturned,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We filed the lawsuit because citizens should not be subjected to such policies simply in an effort to exercise their rights to bear arms for personal protection.

“We are delighted that our good friends at both the NRA and CRPA have filed briefs in support of this cause,” he continued. “Authorities in Yolo County who are trying to perpetuate this egregious policy despite the Supreme Court’s clear determination that self-defense is a cornerstone tenet of the right to keep and bear arms.”

Gottlieb noted that the overwhelming majority of the states have adopted shall-issue statutes for concealed carry licenses or permits, and that they have worked remarkably well by removing the authority from local officials who may want to abuse complicated regulations such as those that exist in the Golden State.

“State and local governments should be scrambling to review, and where necessary, adjust firearms laws and regulations in the wake of two Supreme Court rulings on the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb said. “When local governments continue to resist, rather than comply with, the principles and spirit of high court rulings and the Constitution, we’ll continue to meet them in court. As NRA and CRPAF have demonstrated with their briefs in this case, when we take people to court, we’re going to have company.”

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I Wonder What The VPC Will Tweet About This

August 12, 2011 by 2 Comments

The Violence Policy Center has this thing about donations from firearms manufacturers to pro-rights organizations such as the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation. They call it “blood money” as if donating to protect an enumerated civil right is somehow on par with child molestation.

In the release below, the Second Amendment Foundation announces a “significant donation” from Glock. I’m sure it will set off the narrow minds that run VPC and we can expect a snide or nasty Tweet about it sometime later today.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today announced that Glock, Inc. has donated and pledged significant financial support to SAF’s on-going litigation efforts in defense of firearms civil rights.

SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb made the announcement, noting that Glock has now become the largest corporate contributor to the foundation, in recognition of the important legal efforts SAF has mounted and will continue to pursue.

“I want to publicly and personally thank the management and ownership at Glock,” Gottlieb said, “and all Glock employees who have made this possible. Specifically, I want to thank Glock Vice President Josh Dorsey and General Counsel Carlos Guevara for their involvement and for making this happen.

“SAF’s victory in McDonald v. Chicago has made all of this litigation against onerous state laws and municipal ordinances possible,” he continued, “and it is imperative that we continue and expand our legal challenges with the greatest possible speed.

“Glock’s generous support comes at a critical time,” Gottlieb added. “Most of our members and supporters make contributions in the $10 to $25 range, and Glock will be providing significant additional support in our efforts to win back firearms freedoms one lawsuit at a time.”

Gottlieb urged SAF supporters and all Americans who are concerned about their firearms freedoms to support Glock and other companies that support their Second Amendment rights.

“There are times in the history of any movement, and in the lives of every person, when it is important to stand up and be counted,” Gottlieb said. “Glock has stepped up to the plate when it really does count, and we will be eternally grateful for their generosity and their unwavering dedication to the Second Amendment.”

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Cool! – C-Span 3 To Cover Campus Concealed Carry Forum Live

August 5, 2011 by 2 Comments

The Second Amendment Foundation just posted this on their Facebook page a few minutes ago. C-Span 3 will be covering the SAF-Students for Concealed Carry on Campus joint forum live on Monday. Details below:

If you can’t be at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on Monday August 8th you can still watch live on C-SPAN 3 at Noon Eastern Time!Check your local cable listings, or visit http://www.c-span.org/ for live streaming.

SAF, SCCC HOSTING ‘SUPPORTING CAMPUS CONCEALED CARRY’ FORUM AUGUST 8th

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), in cooperation with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC), is hosting a forum “Supporting Concealed Carry on Campus” on Monday, August 8th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Noon to 5 p.m.

The forum is free and open to the public.

This event will feature a Gun Free Zones debate between Colin Goddard of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime.

An academic panel that includes Prof. Nelson Lund (George Mason University), Prof. Bob Cottrol (George Washington University) and Prof. Jim Purtilo (University of Maryland) is also on the program.

Another panel will discuss legislation supporting campus concealed carry. This panel includes Texas State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, Wisconsin Rep. Evan Wynn and Idaho Rep. Erik Simpson.

Also appearing is Attorney Alan Gura, who successfully argued the cases of District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago resulting in U.S. Supreme Court rulings that struck down the handgun ban in Washington, D.C. as a violation of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and the handgun ban in Chicago by incorporating the Second Amendment to all fifty states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

Student panels will discuss the campus concealed carry efforts as well as personal experiences of self-defense and crime on college campuses.

Other speakers include SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb and Students for Concealed Carry on Campus President Dan Crocker.

If you don’t have access to cable or C-Span where you’ll be Monday, there is an iPhone app that will let you listen live. I just checked and there is a free app for Android phones as well.