The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has announced it will defend former President Donald Trump’s gun rights in the wake of his conviction in a New York courtroom, which could result in the confiscation of his firearms.
“If Donald Trump is further prosecuted for owning firearms,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “we will offer to defend him and challenge the law.”
The veteran gun rights advocate noted it has always been SAF’s position that “Someone should not lose his or her gun rights due to a conviction of a non-violent crime.”
“Donald Trump has no history of violent crime,” Gottlieb explained. “Under the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen ruling, which requires gun laws to have some analogous connection to historical regulation at the time the Founders wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Mr. Trump should not lose his Second Amendment rights. There is no historical nexus to deny someone, including Trump, of their gun rights over such a conviction.”
“SAF has litigated challenges in the past to restore gun rights for people convicted of non-violent crimes,” SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut recalled, “and we will do so again. In fact, we are currently litigating a challenge to the denial of carry permits for some former plaintiffs whose rights were restored due to prior SAF lawsuits.”
“The attack on Trump’s gun rights emphasizes the need to revisit existing gun control laws and change them to protect an individual’s gun rights,” Gottlieb observed. “Until that happens, we will be more than happy to meet New York State or the federal government in court.”
Gottlieb and Kraut noted SAF’s growing legal footprint in the gun rights legal arena. The foundation has nearly 60 cases currently in progress, and has won decisions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Our motto is ‘Winning Gun Rights One Lawsuit at a Time,” Gottlieb stated. “That will include protecting and winning Donald Trump’s gun rights.”
For more information, visit saf.org.
