The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in Calce v. City of New York, a case challenging New York City’s ban on electronic arms.
New York City flatly prohibits the possession of stun guns, despite their common nationwide use as a less-lethal option for self-defense chosen by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans. Joining SAF in Calce v. City of New York are five individuals and the Firearms Policy Coalition.
“The fact that residents of New York City cannot decide for themselves if they’d like to use a stun gun or taser for self-defense borders on the ridiculous,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “Prohibiting law-abiding, peaceable citizens from carrying non-lethal means of self-defense not only violates the Constitution but transparently communicates the real disdain York City lawmakers have for the residents they represent. How else can you morally or ethically justify banning these defensive tools?”
As noted in the petition, “This Court should grant review to clarify the standards that apply in arms ban cases and to establish that nonlethal, electronic arms are just as much arms under the Second Amendment as are firearms. The Second Amendment protects implements that can project a spectrum of force and is not limited to firearms exclusively.
“This case has been ongoing for almost five years and it’s past time for a final resolution,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “To continue spending taxpayer dollars to fight such an absurd law is preposterous. Courts around the country have struck down electronic arms bans, but New York has again insisted that the rules don’t apply to them. They’d rather fight tooth and nail over a senseless ban than to admit that electronic arms are certainly not ‘unusually dangerous.’ Residents of the city should have the option to choose the type of self-defense method they’d prefer, but lawmakers are hellbent on treating citizens like criminals simply for owning a stun gun.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
