Owners of America (GOA) called on its members and supporters nationwide to take immediate action in support of a proposed rule by the Trump Department of Justice that would restore Second Amendment rights to countless Americans unjustly barred under the decades-old “Schumer Amendment.”

Enacted in 1992, the Schumer Amendment defunded the only federal process available (other than an unlikely pardon) to federally restore firearm rights, effectively imposing a lifetime ban on gun ownership for individuals with certain non-violent convictions or temporary mental health commitments—even if such persons pose no ongoing threat and have long since been rehabilitated. For over 30 years, this provision blocked the ATF from processing any rights restoration requests, denying due process and violating the constitutional rights of countless Americans.

Now, for the first time in over three decades, the DOJ promulgated a rule that would reassign the authority to restore gun rights away from the ATF and back to the Attorney General and Department of Justice.

GOA, Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA), and the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC) submitted a joint comment which outlines the legal foundation for restoring rights, noting the following: Read more

“We’d like to thank members of the House for passing H.R. 1 with Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act included. Removing silencers from the National Firearms Act eliminates a large barrier that infringes on the Second Amendment rights of Americans. While there are many components to the bill, we are cautiously optimistic the inclusion of Section 2 makes it through Senate approval and will finally remove silencers from the NFA. Such a result would serve to allow Americans access to devices which helps protect their hearing and reduce noise pollution to neighboring properties. Even former President Theodore Roosevelt utilized silencers for these very purposes.”

Statement from SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb: Read more

NEW YORK CITY – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of its reply brief with the federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in its lawsuit challenging New York’s ban on firearm carry in public parks.

FPC’s brief says, “The State’s chief argument in favor of the Ban is, effectively, that it has the right to create ‘new’ types of old [gun ban] spaces, with the difference being that firearms are not allowed under the new rules—but that is precisely the type of change the Second Amendment is designed to prevent, and the State’s argument must be rejected.”

FPC President Brandon Combs said, “New York responded to the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision by doing exactly what the Court said it could not and banned carry in most all public places. New York’s petulance and tyranny should be put to an end by the Second Circuit. We will continue to fight forward and eliminate unconstitutional laws like this so peaceable gun owners can fully exercise their rights when and how they choose.” Read more

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Connecticut’s ban on adults under the age of 21 from purchasing, owning or carrying handguns.

“Second Amendment rights cannot be withheld from peaceable adults based on their age,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “To do so would relegate the amendment’s guarantees to second-class status, which offends the very notion of the Constitution’s premise. Our nation’s history and tradition does not support this ‘Second Amendment lite’ version being offered to 18-20-year-olds in Connecticut. This lawsuit seeks to vindicate the rights of those individuals who are being unlawfully discriminated against based solely on their age.” Read more

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that it has filed an opposition to Texas’ motion for summary judgment in its Second Amendment lawsuit challenging laws prohibiting individuals from carrying firearms at certain locations in the state.

Summary

Texas criminal law bans the carriage of firearms at certain locations, including in any business where alcohol comprises 51% or more of sales (even if the individual is not consuming alcohol); at racetracks; and at sporting events. FPC is working to eliminate these bans but the State of Texas is resisting FPC’s efforts by trying to prevent the plaintiffs from getting relief in court.

What We’re Working to Achieve

Through this case, FPC is working to achieve the including:

• A federal court declaration that the challenged carry bans are unconstitutional.
• An injunction blocking enforcement of the challenged carry bans.
• The ability for peaceable people to travel to ordinary public places while armed for self-defense and other lawful purposes.
• Elimination of unconstitutional locational restrictions throughout the United States. Read more

NEW ORLEANS – Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) responded today to the opening brief filed by the federal government at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of United States v. Brown. In Brown, the government charged the defendant for violating 18 U.S.C. § 922(o). The district court dismissed the charge against Brown earlier this year, holding that the ban violates the Second Amendment as applied to him. The government then appealed to the Fifth Circuit.

The brief, filed today by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Patrick Lemon, argued that “machineguns are not the kind of arms protected by the Second Amendment,” and that America’s “history of regulating dangerous and unusual weapons confirms [the federal machine gun ban’s] constitutionality.”

Said FPC President Brandon Combs, “Acting U.S. Attorney Lemon’s horrifically flawed brief is unprincipled and an incredible affront to the People and our constitutionally protected rights. Not only does this lemon of a brief expressly advance anti-liberty arguments, it went so far as to cite the radically anti-Second Amendment Everytown propaganda publication, The Trace, in support of its position. This brief could not be less consistent with President Trump’s ‘Protecting Second Amendment Rights’ executive order.”

Combs continued, “This insanely offensive brief should never have been filed in any court, let alone at the Fifth Circuit. It should be immediately withdrawn and thrown into the trash, along with Mr. Lemon’s ability to make these filings in the future. This is a prime example of why President Trump should appoint a competent Second Amendment czar to coordinate the administration’s agenda across the government and with stakeholders in Second Amendment litigation. Our rights must be protected at all costs and the American people are counting on President Trump and Attorney General Bondi to fulfill their promise to do just that.” Read more