Plaintiffs in a case supported financially by the Second Amendment Foundation challenging a concealed carry ban on Illinois Public Transportation have filed a memorandum supporting their earlier motion for summary judgment in the case.

The memorandum was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Western Division. Plaintiffs in the case are Benjamin Schoenthal, Mark Wroblewski, Joseph Vesel and Douglas Winston. They are all residents of counties in northern Illinois in the greater Chicago area, and all are SAF members. They are represented by attorney David Sigale of Wheaton, Ill. The case is known as Schoenthal v. Raoul.

Defendants are Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and State’s Attorneys Rick Amato (DeKalb County), Robert Berlin (DuPage County), Kimberly M. Foxx (Cook County) and Eric Rinehart (Lake County), all in their official capacities.

According to the memorandum, Illinois bans law-abiding citizens, who are licensed to carry firearms under Illinois law from carrying their firearms for self-defense “on or into . . . [a]ny bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, and any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds.” They contend the Public Transportation carry ban is unconstitutional. Read more

A defendant in the Second Amendment Foundation’s challenge of New York’s gun control law has filed a brief with the federal appeals court supporting the plaintiffs’ application for a preliminary injunction, a move which SAF’s Alan Gottlieb welcomed as a pleasant surprise. The case is known as Hardaway, Jr. v. Nigrelli.

Gottlieb, who is SAF’s founder and executive vice president, said the brief filed by Niagara County, N.Y. District Attorney Brian D. Seaman reinforces plaintiffs’ assertion that the gun control law, which prohibits concealed carry in broadly-defined “sensitive places” including places of worship, is unconstitutional.

Seaman’s brief states he supports the application for a preliminary injunction “for the purpose of furthering a judicial determination as to the constitutionality of New York Penal Law,” adding, “Therefore, the Court should affirm the Decision and Order of the district court granting the Plaintiffs-Appellees’ application for a preliminary injunction.” Read more

The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners in the case of Miller v. Bonta, challenging California’s ban on so-called “assault weapons,” have filed a responding brief in the case, countering defense arguments and strategies already rejected by federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Our reply takes the state to task for going directly against the instructions of the federal court,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state spent its entire 25-page brief trying to re-litigate the case, essentially arguing for ‘interest balancing’ by the court, which the Supreme Court nixed last year in its landmark Bruen ruling. The only logical conclusion is that the State of California is stalling, trying to delay the inevitable ruling that the ban on semiautomatic rifles is unconstitutional.” Read more

BLACK CREEK, GA – On February 14th, Daniel Defense, manufacturer of the world’s finest firearms and accessories, followed through on our promise to vigorously defend our Company and our customers’ Second Amendment rights by filing a motion to dismiss the suit in Torres v. Daniel Defense in the United States District Court in Del Rio, Texas brought by Everytown Law and others.

The suit is simply another attempt by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown group to promote their false narrative that someone other than the criminal is responsible for crime, and to continue their campaign to destroy lawful citizen access to firearms by suing manufacturers out of existence. Daniel Defense will strongly defend our customers’ rights to responsibly acquire and use our products. We look forward to continuing to support our loyal customers as we seek the immediate dismissal of all frivolous actions filed against us.

Everytown Law is a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, a national group committed to intensely attacking gun rights in just about every category of lawful use or supply, including eliminating sound legal protections for firearms manufacturers and dealers, and banning AR-15 rifles and common capacity magazines. Unfortunately, organizations like Everytown are committed to significantly eroding Second Amendment freedoms and are directly involved in Torres and similar lawsuits with the objective of nullifying clear federal law protecting the lawful right to manufacture firearms. Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners in a lawsuit challenging a Connecticut gun control law have filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order because a new rule published by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on firearms designation places thousands of Constitution State citizens in serious legal jeopardy.

SAF is joined by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League and three private citizens, Jennifer Hamilton, Michael Stiefel and Eddie Grant, Jr. They are represented by Connecticut attorneys Doug Dubitsky of North Windham, Craig C. Fishbein of Wallingford and Cameron L. Atkinson of Harwinton.

“When ATF published its new rule, redesignating a class of firearms known as ‘any other firearm’ or simply ‘others’ as either ‘rifles’ or ‘short barreled rifles’ depending on the barrel length, all of those guns suddenly fell within the state’s definition of an assault weapon,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This immediately put thousands of owners of previously-classified ‘other’ firearms in harm’s way legally because now their possession is a felony.” Read more

For more information contact: Mark Oliva 202-220-1340

NSSF Applauds Court Order to Block New Jersey’s Frivolous Lawsuit Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomed the U.S. District Court of New Jersey’s preliminary injunction order to block a public nuisance law that was recently enacted by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. That law allowed frivolous and unconstitutional lawsuits against members of the firearm industry for the subsequent criminal misuse of a lawfully-sold firearm by remote third parties over whom members of the industry have no control. Judge Zahid Quraishi noted that the landmark 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) specifically protects against these baseless lawsuits that have no foundation in a basic understanding of tort law.

“NSSF is pleased by today’s ruling because we know New Jersey’s law is unconstitutional as it is preempted by federal law,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “The bottom line is that Congress specifically addressed these sorts of harassing and baseless lawsuits when PLCAA was passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and signed into law by President George W. Bush. The court correctly pointed out in its opinion that New Jersey’s law directly conflicts with the intention of Congress.” Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, Gun Owners of America (GOA) is excited to support the introduction of the SHORT (Stop Harrassing Owners of Rifles Today) Act by Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA) and Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS). This bill, which would remove the unconstitutional taxation, registration, and regulation in the National Firearms Act of Short-Barreled Rifles, Short-Barreled Shotguns, and those classified under “Any Other Weapons,” was introduced today to coincide with the formal publication of the ATF’s draconian pistol brace firearm ban, which will force Americans to destroy or register their approximately 40 million lawfully owned firearms.

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

“Tens of millions of Americans are facing felony charges if they fail to comply with this executive fiat from the Biden Administration. This is the biggest gun grab in the history of our country, and we are fully committed to fighting this executive order at every turn.”

Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs, added:

“The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act will repeal elements of the archaic National Firearms Act, which the Biden ATF is using to justify their pistol ban and ‘amnesty registration’ plan — a policy change that affects millions of law-abiding gun owners and does nothing to curb rising crime. GOA is proud to support the SHORT Act, which will protect millions of gun owners, halt these anti-gun infringements, and restore liberty. GOA is grateful to Rep. Clyde and Senator Marshall for leading this No Compromise legislation to restore long-lost Second Amendment rights.”

Introduction of the bill was first covered by the Daily Caller, read more here.

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.