SAF Calls On Washington, D.C. To Drop Lawsuit, End Gun Ban

12/17/2002

From: Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, 425-454-7012

BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 17 -- The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today applauded a ruling by Washington, D.C. Superior Court Judge Cheryl M. Long that dismisses a lawsuit against the firearms industry, and instead suggested that if the city wants to reduce gun violence, it should scrap its prohibition on legally-owned handguns.

"The District is a crime capital as much as it is the capital of our nation," said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. "The reason for that is simple. Years ago, Washington, D.C. imposed a ban on legally-owned handguns, thus creating an environment where only the criminals are armed, and their intended victims have been left defenseless.

"If the city really wants to reduce its crime problem," Gottlieb suggested, "it needs to allow its law-abiding residents the means with which to defend themselves. That can only happen if the ban on handguns, which has proven to be worthless as a crime-fighting measure, is scrapped."

Gottlieb noted that violent crime in the District has risen despite the claims by handgun ban proponents that disarming city residents would make the city safer. Private citizens may not even have rifles or shotguns unless they are disassembled and locked up.

"Lawsuits against gun makers will not make violent crime go away," Gottlieb explained. "Taking gun makers to court does nothing to deter violent criminals. Municipal lawsuits like the one filed by Washington, D.C. attempt to punish an industry in a legal system that has not been terribly effective at punishing criminals. That's not justice, it is denial."

SAF has historically fought to defend the gun rights of law-abiding citizens, and is currently waging a court battle in Ohio to strike down that state's ban on concealed carry. That ban has already been ruled unconstitutional by two lower courts and the case is now before the state Supreme Court.

"Citizens in Washington, D.C. should have the same self-defense rights as citizens in Ohio or any other state," Gottlieb observed. "A law that puts them at the mercy of thugs accomplishes nothing in terms of public safety, and the same can easily be said of lawsuits against the firearms industry."

The Second Amendment Foundation 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 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners. Current projects include several concealed carry lawsuits, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers & an amicus brief & fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.