BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today said the Biden White House’s call for a ban on so-called “assault weapons” in response to the murder of three University of Virginia students in which a handgun was used is “a dishonest exploitation of a tragedy in a deplorable effort to advance Joe Biden’s gun ban agenda.”

“This isn’t a case of Joe Biden making a typical gaffe,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “This was a deliberate attempt by the administration to advance a cause to which Biden has been committed since he arrived in Washington 50 years ago.

“Joe Biden often doesn’t even know what state or country he’s in,” Gottlieb added, “but he knows exactly what he’s doing whenever an opportunity to push gun control comes along. And he is constantly disingenuous about it. Even the anti-gun-rights Washington Post has called Biden out for lying about guns by giving him multiple Pinocchio awards.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement in which she blatantly politicized the triple slaying that took the lives of Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis, Jr.

“Too many families across America are bearing the awful burden of gun violence,” the statement said. “Earlier this year, President Biden signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, in addition to taking other historic actions. But we must do more. We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets. House Democrats acted, and the Senate should follow.”

“This horrible crime had absolutely nothing to do with so-called ‘assault weapons,’ and the White House knows it,” Gottlieb said. “The statement, which the president had to have approved, amounts to a crass exploitation of a tragedy in a deplorable effort to advance Joe Biden’s gun ban agenda. He has fully embraced the despicable tactic of never letting a crisis go to waste, no matter how awful the situation. Read more

BUFFALO, NY – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that United States District Judge John Sinatra, Jr. has issued a preliminary injunction against New York’s ban on guns in “any place of worship or religious observation.” The order in Hardaway v. Nigrelli, which is effective immediately and comes two weeks after a temporary restraining order was issued in this case, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“For these reasons, New York’s place of worship exclusion ‘violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms,’” wrote Judge Sinatra in his opinion. “The State’s renewed opposition offers nothing to change the outcome. Thus, Plaintiffs remain likely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim.”

“Here, a stay pending appeal is not warranted,” he went on to write. “As discussed above, Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights are being violated absent a preliminary injunction. The State fails to establish irreparable injury in the absence of a stay. The balance of hardships and public interest weigh in favor of Plaintiffs, also as discussed above. Finally, it is Plaintiffs who have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits. Legislative enactments may not eviscerate the Bill of Rights. Every day they do is one too many.” Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed an amicus brief in support of a District of Columbia resident’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the city’s ban on carrying handguns within its public transportation system. The case is known as Angelo v. District of Columbia.

“The District of Columbia’s ban on the carrying of handguns within its public transportation system (the ‘Metro ban’) is flatly unconstitutional under the plain text of the Second Amendment and binding case law,” writes attorney and SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. The brief was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

District residents Gregory Angelo, Robert Miller, Cameron Erickson, and Tyler Yzaguirre are seeking a preliminary injunction and summary judgment to prevent the city from further enforcement of the ban. The District maintains that metro transportation, which includes buses and the subway system, falls within the definition of “sensitive places” where firearms can be prohibited, simply because they are often crowded, transport federal employees, and they are used by school students to go to and from schools. Kraut’s brief says this argument “misses the mark.” Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has cautioned the mayor of Redwood City, Calif., against continuing a moratorium on allowing firearms retail sales within its jurisdiction, which could result in litigation against the city on Second Amendment grounds.

The city has adopted an “Urgency Ordinance” which placed a moratorium on firearms dealers from opening businesses within the city. Extensions on the moratorium, if voted for, may last for up to two years.

In a letter to Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale, SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut notes, “By indefinitely preventing any firearms or ammunition retailers from opening within the city, Redwood City has directly impeded its residents from acquiring the means to protect themselves and their families, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.” Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a reply brief in its appeal of a lower court ruling upholding an Illinois ban on firearms for the purpose of immediate self-defense in the homes of law-abiding adults licensed to provide day or foster care.

SAF is joined in this action by the Illinois State Rifle Association, Illinois Carry and two private citizens, Darin E. and Jennifer J. Miller. They are represented by attorneys David G. Sigale of Wheaton, Ill., and David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson and John D. Ohlendorf of Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, Washington, D.C.

The appeal is filed in the U.S. Court of appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The case is known as Miller v. Smith.

“Our case dates back to before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Bruen decision in June of this year,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The Bruen ruling is fatal to the state’s position that rules allowing this gun ban are constitutional. The Bruen ruling did away with the ‘two-step’ approach to determining Second Amendment-based challenges.” Read more

NEW YORK, NY – Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that, because of New York’s defeat in NYSRPA v. Bruen, New York City’s subsequent elimination of the city’s “proper cause” requirement, and the acquisition of unrestricted carry permits by all individual plaintiffs, the parties in its Greco v. NYC litigation filed a stipulation to dismiss the case as moot. The stipulation, which was approved today by Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Liman, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“Make no mistake, the satisfactory outcome of this case is just the beginning of the larger fight to restore the rights of all New Yorkers,” said FPC Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “FPC Law is still involved in multiple active suits against New York, and will continue to drag New York lawmakers kicking and screaming into compliance with the dictates of the constitution.” Read more