CCW Lawsuit Expands

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SAF ADDS PLAINTIFFS IN ILLINOIS FIREARMS LAW CHALLENGE

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BELLEVUE, WA - The Second Amendment Foundation announced this morning that it has filed an amended complaint in federal district court in Illinois, challenging the state's statutory prohibitions on the carrying of handguns for personal protection.<br />
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Joining SAF in this amended complaint are Illinois Carry, a volunteer organization founded to educate the public about Illinois gun laws, and two more private citizens, Peggy Fechter of Carmi, and Jon Maier, a resident of Bloomington. Michael Moore of Champaign and Charles Hooks of Percy remain active plaintiffs.<br />
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Defendants in the lawsuit are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and State Police Superintendent Hiram Grau. SAF is represented by attorneys David Jensen of New York and David Sigale of Glen Ellyn. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield.<br />
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The lawsuit alleges that Illinois statutes that completely ban the carrying of handguns for self-defense deprive the plaintiffs of civil rights under color of law, making them "inconsistent with the Second Amendment."<br />
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SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb welcomed the additional plaintiffs, noting, "After the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, we were overwhelmed by requests to participate. We want to assure everyone who contacted us that they do not need to be actual plaintiffs in order to benefit from a victory.<br />
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"SAF truly appreciates the wave of enthusiasm and support from gun owners all over Illinois," he continued. "But right now we need to move forward and if people would like to support our lawsuit with a tax-exempt contribution to SAF, we would welcome that. We simply cannot take on more plaintiffs at this point and further delay the process."<br />
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The Second Amendment Foundation ([url=&quot;http://www.saf.org/&quot;]www.saf.org[/url]) 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. 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, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.<br />

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[font="Arial"][size="2"][color="#000000"][font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="3"][size="+0"]Washington Times: The right to bear arms<br />
Concealed-carry lawsuits challenge Illinois anti-gun laws[/size][/size][/font][/color]<br />
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[color="#000000"][font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="2"]Illinois has the worst gun laws of any state. Only police officers and the taxpayer-funded bodyguards for ex-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley have the right to carry a handgun outside their homes. Everyone else is out of luck - unless a pair of federal lawsuits filed last week succeed in arguing that the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear Arms" means that people can actually bear arms in the land of Lincoln. <br />
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Last year, the Supreme Court struck down Chicago's ban on private handgun ownership, upholding the "keeping" of arms. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) are looking to build on that victory by overturning the country's most sweeping anti-carry statute to ensure the "bearing" of arms is equally protected. <br />
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The NRA-funded suit champions the cause of church treasurer Mary E. Shepard, 71, the victim of a brutal 2009 beating at the hands of a thug with a long criminal record. Under Illinois law, Mrs. Shepard would face felony charges were she to carry a handgun to prevent such an attack in the future. Mrs. Shepard can protect herself in Florida and Pennsylvania, where she has received concealed-carry permits, but she is denied the same right in her home state of Illinois. The SAF suit was filed on behalf of Michael Moore, 60. Earlier in his career, Mr. Moore was a deputy sheriff and could legally carry firearms while off-duty. As the current superintendent of the Champaign County Jail, Mr. Moore can no longer do so. ... <br />
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Read the whole editorial in [url=&quot;http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/19/the-right-to-bear-arms/&quot;]The Washington Times.[/url] <br />
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Posted Fri May 20 08:49:41 CDT 2011[/size][/font][/color]<br />
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