Washington, D.C. — Late Friday, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) filed a petition for allowance of appeal with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in their challenge to the City of Philadelphia’s ban on homemade firearms.

In a very confusing, fractured decision, a four judge “majority” of the Commonwealth Court voted to uphold Philadelphia’s ordinance that prohibited the manufacturing of homemade firearms stating that it did not violate Pennsylvania’s firearms preemption law.

Judge Ellen Ceisler wrote for the majority that Philadelphia’s ordinance did not regulate “firearms” but instead “merely prohibits the conversion of unfinished frames or receivers into firearms, as well as the use of certain manufacturing processes to create firearms from scratch, and bars the purchase, sale, or transfer of certain kinds of parts and machinery for purposes of those activities.”

“Judge Ceisler and the majority’s decision in the Commonwealth Court are clearly in error,”said Dr. Val Finnell, Pennsylvania Director for Gun Owners of America. “One cannot assert that the Pennsylvania General Assembly has preempted the entire field of firearms regulation and claim in the same breath that the City of Philadelphia’s ordinance does not regulate firearms, per se.” Read more

BELLEVUE, WA — Attorneys representing the Second Amendment Foundation and two individual plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the federal ban on gun ownership by medical marijuana users have filed a brief supporting their motion for a preliminary injunction in the case.

The brief was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. SAF is joined by Warren County, Pa., District Attorney Robert Greene, who has served in that office since 2013 and currently possesses a medical marijuana ID card under Pennsylvania law and James Irey, a veteran who was recommended medical marijuana but has refrained from obtaining a card as it would deny his ability to exercise his Second Amendment rights. They are represented by attorneys Adam Kraut, who serves as SAF’s executive director, and Joshua Prince of Bechtelsville, Pa. Defendants are Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and ATF Director Steven Dettelbach, and the U.S. Government.

The lawsuit challenges restrictions contained in 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(3), (d)(3), and all related laws, regulations, policies, and procedures, including, but not limited to, 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.32(a)(3), (d)(3) which prohibit firearms purchases and possession by persons who use marijuana or other controlled substances. Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in a federal court challenge to New York’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” have filed a brief seeking summary judgment in the case, which is supported by the Second Amendment Foundation. The case is known as Lane v. Rocah.

SAF and the Firearms Policy Coalition have supported the case since it was filed in December 2022. Plaintiffs J. Mark Lane and James Sears are represented by attorneys Cody Wisniewski, Adam Kraut, who is also SAF’s executive director, and Nicolas J. Rotsko. The brief was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“Because New York has banned an entire class of firearms that are in common use across the country,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “and there is no historical evidence that could possibly justify such a law, we are continuing to support this case and believe the court should grant summary judgment. Read more

NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, praises Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signing of House Bill 1235, legislation that “provides that only the state of Indiana may bring or maintain an action by or on behalf of a political subdivision against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer, trade association, seller, or dealer concerning certain matters.” The bill “prohibits a political subdivision from otherwise independently bringing or maintaining such an action.”

The industry members the City of Gary sued are expected to promptly file a motion to dismiss the case based on this new law that became effective immediately upon the Governor’s signature. Lawyers representing the city acknowledged in their testimony opposing the bill that if it were to be enacted it would mean the City of Gary’s lawsuit will be dismissed. The City of Gary’s nearly quarter-century old frivolous lawsuit against firearm manufacturers seeks to hold them responsible for the criminal actions of unrelated and remote third parties. Read more

Yesterday afternoon, Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court in their challenge to the Illinois ban on standard capacity magazines and so-called “assault weapons.”

These bans took effect in January 2023, and GOA quickly filed suit and secured an injunction from Judge Stephen McGlynn. As Judge McGlynn put it, the Illinois laws in question “seem to be written in spite of the clear directives in Bruen and Heller, not in conformity with them.”

Frustratingly, the anti-gun 7th Federal Circuit quickly blocked Judge McGlynn’s ruling, leaving Illinois gun owners with no choice but to request relief from the nation’s high court.

Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:

“GOA has been at the forefront of this challenge since before the bans even took effect, and while our goal was never to have to end up before the Supreme Court, we were fully prepared to do so.

“We urge the Justices to hear the pleas of millions of Americans in Illinois and several other states nationwide who cannot purchase many of the commonly owned semi-automatic firearms available today because of the unconstitutional laws passed by anti-gun politicians.” Read more

The Second Amendment Foundation has been granted summary judgement in a federal challenge of California’s One-Gun-A-Month (OGM) purchase law.

U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes stayed his decision for 30 days for the defendants to facilitate an appeal.

SAF is joined by the North County Shooting Center, San Diego County Gun Owners Pac, PWGG, LP, Firearms Policy Coalition and six private citizens including Michelle Nguyen, for whom the case is named. They are represented by attorney Raymond M. DiGuiseppe of Southport, N.C. The case was filed in December 2020 and is known as Nguyen v. Bonta.

“This is a win for gun rights and California gun owners,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “There is no historical justification for limiting law-abiding citizens to a single handgun or rifle purchase during a one-month period, and Judge Hayes’ ruling clearly points that out.” Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners in a case challenging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ “final rule” redefining frames and receivers as firearms, have filed a response brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case known as VanDerStok v. Garland.

SAF is joined by Defense Distributed, Polymer80, Inc., and Not an LLC, LLC (doing business as JSD Supply). They are represented by Houston, Texas attorney Charles R. Flores.

The brief recalls how Congress enacted the Gun Control Act of 1968 pursuant to the Commerce Clause with no intention of discouraging or eliminating the private ownership or use of firearms by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes. This includes the long-standing tradition of building personal firearms, and the original act defined “firearm” as a working gun, not a gun part, or kit, or incomplete firearm. In 1978, ATF promulgated a rule defining the “frame or receiver” of a firearm, taking the position that “receiver blanks” were not “firearms” under the 1968 Act. Read more