BELLEVUE, Wash. —— The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) announced support for the proposed Department of Justice rights restoration rule submitted today and is encouraged to see a process for firearms rights restoration begin to materialize.

Since 1968, federal law provided a pathway for federal firearms rights restoration, which up until 1993, ATF regularly granted. Unfortunately, in 1992, Congress passed the first of many appropriation riders that prohibited the use of any money appropriated to ATF for use in conducting federal firearms relief determinations. The proposed rulemaking, combined with the Attorney General’s interim rule rescinding the delegation of authority to ATF to conduct these determinations, finally provides a process for many eligible nonviolent offenders to have their rights restored.

The Department of Justice estimates that one million applicants are expected to take advantage of this new pathway back to the Second Amendment in the first year. Read more

TRENTON, N.J. — As part of its nationwide effort to eliminate bans on constitutionally protected arms, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) today filed a Second Amendment lawsuit, Firearms Policy Coalition, et al. v. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, et al., challenging New Jersey’s total prohibition on “short-barreled rifles” (SBRs), defined in state law as those with a barrel shorter than 16 inches or an overall length under 26 inches.

“This exciting and critically important lawsuit builds on FPC’s landmark victory against New Jersey’s AR-15 ban, along with our recent wins against arms bans in states like California and Illinois,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “Supreme Court precedent makes clear that arms in common use for lawful purposes—like the rifles at issue here—are fully protected by the Second Amendment. We are excited to work towards eliminating this ban so you can exercise your rights when, where, and how you choose.” Read more

The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the federal government agreed to a joint dismissal of the government’s appeal in our Mock v. Bondi lawsuit, a case that successfully challenged the Biden ATF’s “pistol brace” ban rule and secured injunctive relief for gun owners while the case was being litigated to final judgment, which completely vacated the rule.

“Today is a great day for freedom and the American people,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs. “The dismissal of this appeal should be the final nail in the coffin of this unconstitutional Biden ATF assault on gun owners. As we explained in the case filings, braced pistols are not ‘short-barreled rifles’. But either way, they are unquestionably arms protected under the Second Amendment. We are thrilled to have secured this important win for liberty and excited to take on even more unconstitutional laws so you can exercise your rights when, where, and how you choose.”

“The government is finally retreating from the Biden Administration’s patently unlawful effort to turn millions of peaceable people into felons by decree,” said FPC Action Foundation President Cody J. Wisniewski, an attorney for the challengers. “This horrible rule was a perversion of our system of limited government, so we’re glad to see this case resolved in favor of liberty and the rule of law.” Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a coalition of six leading gun rights organizations comprised of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), American Suppressor Association (ASA), National Rifle Association (NRA), Safari Club International (SCI), Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) and the New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate (NJFOS) announced the filing of a joint federal lawsuit in the District of New Jersey challenging the state of New Jersey’s unconstitutional ban on firearm suppressors. Read more

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), together with Pennsylvania resident Bonita Shreve have filed a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service, seeking to overturn the Prohibition-era federal ban on the mailing of handguns. The Complaint alleges that this ban is “inconsistent with Founding-era historical tradition” of firearm regulation.

Since 1927, federal law has denied ordinary Americans the right to utilize the mails to ship the “quintessential self-defense weapon”: handguns. Yet all the while, the USPS handles handgun shipments on behalf of businesses and government officials every single day. This ban is as arbitrary and discriminatory as it is violative of the Second Amendment – and its criminal penalties are steep. Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas – As part of its ongoing mission to ensure individuals can exercise their right to keep and bear arms throughout the United States, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that it has filed a motion for summary judgment in the case of Elite Precision Customs v. ATF. At issue in FPC’s lawsuit are federal laws that ban licensed firearm dealers from selling handguns to buyers who live in another state. That, FPC says, is unconstitutional.

“Just like we recently secured a summary judgment order striking down California’s unconstitutional ban on firearm carry by non-residents, we intend to end this similarly unconstitutional federal ban on firearm purchases by non-residents,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. Read more

With the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which eliminates the excise tax on silencers and short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns and “Any Other Weapons,” or AOWs, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have issued a joint statement indicating their intention to challenge the remaining registration requirements for the affected arms under the National Firearms Act (NFA) as unconstitutional.

“The NFA is nothing more than a tax scheme which has imposed an unconstitutional burden on Americans since 1934,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The registration of these items was only justified as the means to ensure taxes on them had been paid. With the One Big, Beautiful Bill zeroing out the tax for silencers and short barreled firearms, the registration scheme serves no other purpose than to create an unlawful barrier to keep people from exercising their Second Amendment rights. Our intention with this new lawsuit is to completely remove these barriers.” Read more

Tuesday afternoon, Federal District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo issued an order granting final summary judgment to Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and its co-plaintiffs, three individual members of the organization who reside outside of California, in Hoffman v. Bonta, FPC’s Second Amendment challenge to the State’s ban on firearm carry by non-residents.

“This important judgment means that people must maintain their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms when they cross California’s border. Just as people are free to speak or worship in states they don’t reside in, this win makes clear they are likewise free to bear arms for lawful purposes throughout the United States,” explained FPC President Brandon Combs. “Unlike Louisiana, which recently repealed their unconstitutional residency requirement following an FPC legal challenge, California’s commitment to tyranny forced us to take this case to a final judgment. FPC will continue to eliminate unconstitutional residency requirements and other bans so that people can exercise their rights when, where, and how they choose.”

This FPC victory and others like it are especially important because the only way that most people can lawfully carry within 1,000 feet of schools is to possess a valid carry license issued by the exact state in which the person is carrying.

Today’s Hoffman judgment adds to FPC’s win column against the Golden State, including the first-ever trial judgment against a ban on so-called “assault weapons” as well as the recent Ninth Circuit victory affirming a trial court ruling that struck down California’s “1-in-30” gun purchase ban. Read more

The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that the organization has commenced appellate briefing at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Poway Weapons & Gear v. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, FPC’s challenge to California’s ban on firearm purchases by adults under the age of 21.

“This case, in essence, presents a simple yet profound question: may a peaceable citizen of this Nation, legally dependent on no one but himself or herself for care and protection, nevertheless be deprived of the right to keep and bear arms on account of age? The Second Amendment, which is premised on the understanding that the peaceable citizens of this Nation are entitled to bear arms for their own defense, demands that the answer to this question be no,” the brief says. Read more