Editor’s Note: In the aftermath of two significant Supreme Court Second Amendment rulings, and the announcement that the court will take up the constitutionality of bans on modern semiautomatic rifles this fall, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued the following statement on why American gun owners have much to celebrate as the United States observes its 250th anniversary this Saturday, July 4.
Following two significant Supreme Court rulings on the Second Amendment, and the Court’s announcement it will finally consider the constitutionality of state and local gun bans, American gun owners have a lot to celebrate this July 4th as the nation reaches its milestone 250th anniversary of independence, according to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
“We live in a nation founded on the concepts of freedom and individual liberty,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights, the guideposts by which we have made our way through history, is the Second Amendment, protecting the fundamental right of the people to keep and bear arms. This would not have happened without the dedication of our sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation, which has been on the front lines of this battle. Both cases which have been granted high court review are SAF cases, Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, and we are proud to have been part of those efforts.
“Look at the record,” he observed. “Since the 2022 Bruen ruling, court cases made possible by SAF’s victory in the 2010 McDonald case—with our state affiliate organization, the Illinois State Rifle Association as a co-plaintiff—including those involving the CCRKBA, have invalidated at least 78 restrictive gun control laws and regulations around the country. Now, with the 6-3 ruling in Wolford v. Lopez, the score has risen to 79, and could go as high as 83 as it applies to similar restrictive laws in California, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. Fighting back with history and the Constitution on our side has resulted in a string of losses to the gun prohibition movement.
“Even before that,” Gottlieb recalled, “we were beginning to set the record straight starting with the 2008 Heller ruling. The McDonald ruling, incorporating the Second Amendment to the states via the 14th Amendment, opened the flood gates for several successful legal challenges by SAF, CCRKBA and others, to unconstitutional gun control laws across the country
“And now, the Supreme Court’s long-awaited announcement that it will scrutinize bans on modern semiautomatic sport-utility rifles when it convenes in October came as a vindication of our decades-long fight to restore the Second Amendment to its original stature,” he continued. “It is the proverbial icing on the cake, along with the Court’s decision to let the SAF victory in the Third Circuit stand by denying Pennsylvania’s certiorari petition, which tried to deny full gun rights to young adults in the 18- to 20-year age group.
“We are especially proud of our state affiliate, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), and its leader, Holly Sullivan, who coincidentally serves on the CCRKBA Board of Directors,” Gottlieb added. “Because CCDL is a plaintiff in the Grant case challenging Connecticut’s rifle ban, it essentially puts the Committee on the playing field. Frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“For the first time in recent history, we have a Justice Department willing to enforce the Second Amendment, rather than sit on the sidelines as private organizations defend the Constitution,” Gottlieb noted. “It is gratifying at this special time in our nation’s history to have allies so willing to step forward and join us in this great cause.
“We wish everyone an incredible July Fourth,” he concluded, “as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. We renew our commitment to protect and defend the Constitution, and especially the Second Amendment. We have come a long way, and we still have farther to go, but with strong allies, we will get this job done.”
