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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
"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."
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is dedicated to promoting a better understanding about our Constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms.
To that end, we carry on many educational and legal action programs designed to better inform the public about the gun control debate.
