Second Amendment Foundation

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is an American nonprofit educational- and legal-defense organization that supports gun rights by "promoting a better understanding about our constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms. To that end, we carry on many educational- and legal-action programs designed to better inform the public about the gun-control debate.". Founded in 1974 by Alan Gottlieb and headquarter in Bellevue, Washington, SAF publishes gun rights magazines and public education materials, funds conferences, provides media contacts, and has assumed a central role in sponsoring lawsuits.

The lobbying affiliate of the SAF is the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). As of January 2015, both groups reported having over 650,000 members.

Publications

• The Gun Mag, a monthly magazine
• Women & Guns, a bi-monthly magazine
• The Gottlieb-Tartaro Report, a monthly newsletter
• SAF Reporter, a quarterly newsletter
• Journal of Firearms and Public Policy, an annual reference book
• The New Gun Week, weekly magazine that ran for 45 years, is now "TheGunMag"

Legal action

Identified as the "legal arm of the gun rights lobby" the Second Amendment Foundation has been victorious, and is currently engaged in numerous lawsuits in various states of the U.S., all defending Second Amendment rights.

In 2005, the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association successfully sued New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and others to stop gun seizures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. On February 12, 2007, Ray Nagin and others were held in contempt of court for violating the consent order. The case is "National Rifle Association of America, Inc., et al. v. C. Ray Nagin et al.".

In 2005, SAF and others sued to stop the San Francisco gun ban. On June 13, 2006, San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Warren struck down the ban, saying local governments have no such authority under California law. The City appealed Judge Warren's ruling, but lost in a unanimous opinion from the three judge panel in the Court of Appeal issued on January 9, 2008. The City then appealed to the California Supreme Court, which reached a unanimous decision on April 9, 2008, that rejected the city's appeal and upheld the lower courts' decision.

In 2008, the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association successfully sued the state of Washington, forcing the state to restart issuing and renewing Alien Firearms Licenses to legal resident aliens.

On June 26, 2008, following the ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller affirming an individual Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms by the Supreme Court of the United States, the Second Amendment Foundation filed a suit, known as McDonald v. Chicago, against the City of Chicago to overturn its handgun ban. Alan Gura, who successfully argued Heller before the Supreme Court, was lead counsel in this case. On June 28, 2010, the Supreme Court held in McDonald that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and applies to the states. In a noteworthy concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas held that the application of the Second Amendment to the states was through the Fourteenth Amendment's Privileges or Immunities Clause.

Following the Heller decision in 2008 in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for private use, the Second Amendment Foundation partnered with Smith & Wesson to create a commemorative revolver. On the right side plate of the revolver, the scale of justice is depicted with the case name across the scale. The balance is in favor of the "Heller" name with the court date of "June 26, 2008" positioned across the top. Underneath the scale, the side plate reads "Second Amendment" and "The right to keep and bear arms" in white lettering. The revolver was presented to the six plaintiffs of the case and will be available for customer purchase in Fall 2008.

On June 29, 2010, following the McDonald ruling by the Supreme Court that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the states, the Second Amendment Foundation, along with Grass Roots North Carolina and three North Carolina citizens, filed a federal suit in North Carolina. The suit, known as Bateman vs. Perdue, seeks to prevent local officials and local governments from declaring states of emergency under which private citizens are prohibited from exercising their right to bear arms. Alan Gura, who successfully argued Heller and McDonald before the Supreme Court, is lead counsel in this case.

Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is the lobbying affiliate of the Second Amendment Foundation. As of January 2015, both groups reported having over 650,000 members.The CCRKBA was founded by Gottlieb in 1971, three years before he founded the SAF. The organization was formed to advocate the individualist interpretation of the Second Amendment by firearm enthusiasts who felt that the National Rifle Association (NRA) was not taking a strong enough stand on gun control and gun rights.

External links

• www.saf.org — official homepage
• www.womenandguns.com — Woman & Guns magazine
• www.gunweek.com — The New Gun Week newspaper
• Bradburn et al. v. North Central Regional Library District — case history