NEW YORK, NY – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of a motion for preliminary injunction in its federal Second Amendment lawsuit challenging the laws that prevent individuals from carrying a loaded handgun on their person for self-defense in New York City. The motion, along with other case documents in Greco v. City of New York, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“The Supreme Court has now explicitly held that the Second Amendment ‘protect[s] an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home,’ and it has further ruled that the ‘proper cause’ requirement is unconstitutional ‘in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.’,” the motion says. “The short of it is that, but for Defendants’ use of the unconstitutional ‘proper cause’ standard, each Plaintiff would have a valid license to carry handguns in New York City right now.”

“It’s high time the people have their rights respected,” said FPC Policy Counsel Matthew Larosiere, “New Yorkers have been suffering second-class treatment at the hands of an oppressive government for too long. With the Supreme Court pointing to the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command,’ we hope to finally liberate the people from these absurd restrictions on their natural right to keep and bear arms.” Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to the passage of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” (S.2938):

In contrast with the Supreme Court finally giving force to the pre-existing human right to keep and bear arms, some Senate Republicans rushed to aid the enemy in the passage of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” in the dead of night. Mere hours later, the House hurriedly placed its stamp of approval on legislation expressly intended to undermine constitutionally protected rights.

With today’s final passage, this legislation—more appropriately captioned “The Great Concession of 2022,” thanks to the quisling Republicans who conspired with authoritarian Democrats to enable this outcome—will head to President Biden’s desk for his certain signature.

Let us be clear: If the government uses this legislation to unconstitutionally infringe upon the rights of peaceable people, FPC and FPC Law will aggressively respond as necessary to protect the rights of the People and seek every available remedy.

The Senate Republicans who conspired to pass this immoral legislation are:

Blunt (MO), Burr (NC), Capito (WV), Cassidy (LA), Collins (ME), Cornyn (TX), Ernst (IA), Graham (SC), McConnell (KY), Murkowski (AK), Portman (OH), Romney (UT), Tillis (NC), Toomey (PA) & Young (IN). Read more

“Unalienable rights are not up for negotiation”

WASHINGTON, DC — Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate’s release of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act”:

In closed-door Senate gun control negotiations, and after-hours release of text, the United States Senate has failed the People yet again in both their cowardly process and on the merits of the measure, which seeks to abrogate the fundamental rights of the People. The two-party system has fallen miserably short of protecting the rights of the People since its inception and this tradition of treachery continues today.

The proposal seeks to chill the right to keep and bear arms by incentivizing local disarmament proceedings, of which many states currently employ secret ex-parte hearings, massive penalties and enhancements reminiscent of the mass incarceration of the so-called war on drugs, naked discrimination against young adults, and an aggressive assault on peacable conduct.

This proposal is an act of violence against the fundamental rights of the People. Should this package be adopted, it will result in the imprisonment, injury, and death of peaceable people. Those who vote in opposition to human liberty terrorize the People who must chose to be disarmed or take the risk of incarceration, locked in a cage and separated from their families, their career and their agency–for peaceably keeping and bearing arms–which is their unalienable right. Read more

Providence, RI — Firearms Policy Coalition issued the following statement in response to Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee’s signing of three gun control bills:

Last week the Rhode Island legislature passed several pieces of anti-rights legislation over a wave of objections by the people. Those bills ban standard capacity magazines (House Bill 6614), a discriminatory law–the type of which we’ve defeated before–prohibiting adults under the age of 21 from purchasing and possessing firearms and ammunition (House Bill 7457), and ban the open carrying of loaded long guns in many public places (House Bill 7358). Today, Gov. McKee signed these measures into law, with fanfare, celebrating the abrogation of the natural rights of his constituents.

Governor McKee has spectacularly failed the people of Rhode Island. These draconian measures run roughshod over the most fundamental rights of the people. By denying Rhode Islanders standard magazines–which became standard because of their immense utility in defending and preserving human life–restricting the ability to bear arms, and wholesale eliminating the rights of legal adults, these laws do nothing but make clear the naked contempt the government of Rhode Island has for the security and well-being of its people. Read more

From Jim Shepherd…

CHICAGO – Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF) today announced that they have filed an important brief with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Atkinson v. Garland, a case challenging the federal lifetime ban on gun ownership as applied to a 1998 non-violent felony conviction for mail fraud, urging the Court to reverse a misguided decision of the trial court. The brief, authored by FPCAF director of constitutional studies and Second Amendment scholar Joseph Greenlee, can be found at FPCLaw.org.

24 years ago, Patrick Atkinson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 134, a non-violent crime. As a result of his felony conviction, under federal law, he is prohibited for his entire life from exercising his fundamental Second Amendment right to possess firearms and ammunition. But, the brief argues, that lifetime ban is unconstitutional.

“There is no tradition of disarming peaceable citizens. Nor is there any tradition of limiting the Second Amendment to ‘virtuous’ citizens. Historically, nonviolent criminals who demonstrated no violent propensity—such as someone convicted of mail fraud—retained their right to keep and bear arms. Indeed, several laws expressly allowed them to keep arms[,]” wrote Greenlee in the brief. Thus, FPC and FPCAF say, “The decision below should be reversed, and the ban should be held unconstitutional as applied to Atkinson.”

“Mr. Atkinson is forever prohibited from possessing firearms due to a nonviolent mail fraud conviction nearly a quarter-century ago,” said Greenlee. “The Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment maintains its original scope, and, as our brief demonstrates, America’s founders never intended for peaceable persons to be denied Second Amendment rights. The government’s prohibition should therefore be held unconstitutional, and Mr. Atkinson’s Second Amendment rights should be restored.” Read more

Now on A1F.com: While reporting from war-torn Ukraine, this correspondent saw just how important the Second Amendment is and why we must fight to protect it. While witnessing civilian volunteers getting basic firearm training and then using that knowledge to protect and defend their freedom and country, many Ukrainians actually talked to her about our Second Amendment! This again shows why we must not allow anti-gun politicians to chip away at our constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.

Find this and other stories related to your right to keep and bear arms at A1F.com.

Contact: Brook Chiasson

bchiasson@nrahq.org

(703) 267-1327