SAF CELEBRATES SAN FRANCISCO COURT VICTORY

For Immediate Release:   6/12/2006

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today’s decision by the Superior Court in San Francisco to throw out that city’s handgun ban was a victory for gun owner rights all over the Golden State.

“The right of citizens to be safe in their homes and communities can never be subject to a popular vote,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. “This ruling shows that the politicians who pushed this gun ban were wrong.

“It is astonishing that in a city where the leaders preach how open they are to diversity, they encouraged voters to blindly march to the polls last November to practice a blatant, egregious and despicable form of social bigotry against their neighbors and fellow citizens,” Gottlieb observed. “Working to deprive others of their property and their right to self-defense just because you don’t like firearms is morally repugnant, and with today’s ruling, the people who pushed Proposition H last fall should feel ashamed of themselves.

“Today’s court decision to essentially nullify the election was predictable because state law clearly prohibits the adoption of local gun control laws, no matter what the process,” he added. “The Second Amendment Foundation fought this battle and won more than two decades ago. We’ll fight it again tomorrow if necessary.

“It’s one thing to make a political or social statement,” Gottlieb stated, “and San Francisco is famous for that sort of thing. But when making such a statement crosses the line of state law and the fundamental right of self-defense, not to mention depriving citizens of their personal property, the only responsible course is to stop such nonsense.

“We’re proud to have worked once again with the National Rifle Association, to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens, as we did in Louisiana last year to stop gun confiscations following Hurricane Katrina,” Gottlieb concluded, “and we’re delighted to have been joined by the Law Enforcement Alliance of America and California Firearms Retailers Association. The good citizens of San Francisco and their elected leaders should devote their time to more worthwhile endeavors.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. In addition to the landmark McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court Case, SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; New Orleans; Chicago and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and numerous amicus briefs holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

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