BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the National Rifle Association’s lawsuit against Maria Vullo, former Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, alleging she mis-used the power of her office to hamper their advocacy activities by discouraging financial institutions from doing business with the organization.
SAF is joined in this brief by the John Locke Foundation and Independence Institute. They are represented by attorneys Joseph G.S. Greenlee of McCall, Idaho, David Kopel of Denver, Colo., and Jonathan D. Guze of Raleigh, N.C. The case is known as NRA v. Vullo.
“In our brief,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “we point to Vullo’s abuse of governmental authority to punish the NRA for its lawful advocacy efforts. SAF has experienced similar abuse by government agencies, which have tried to use their power to block our free speech, and it is unconscionable. This is why we felt it necessary to file this amicus, and we’re delighted to be joined by the John Locke Foundation and Independence Institute.”
“What happened in New York is very much like efforts by southern states to suppress the activities of the NAACP 60 years ago,” stated SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “In both instances, state government officials used the power of their agencies to stifle and penalize rights secured under the First and Second Amendments. In this case, New York attempted to cause financial ruin to the NRA because Vullo, and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, harbor considerable animus toward NRA and its members.”
“NRA was penalized for doing the job it was created to do,” Gottlieb added. “This case is about correcting and preventing this sort of abuse now, and anytime in the future. When a government is able to weaponize its agencies, and its authority, to stifle views and activities with which it disagrees, something must be done to stop it and set an example that discourages others from trying the same thing.”