SAF Hails California High Court Victory Over S.F. Handgun Ban

BELLEVUE, Wash., April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Supreme
Court made the right decision in rejecting an appeal by the City of San
Francisco that sought to uphold its handgun ban, the Second Amendment
Foundation said.

SAF was joined in a lawsuit against the handgun ban by the National Rifle
Association, Law Enforcement Alliance of America, California Association of
Firearms Retailers and San Francisco residents. The lawsuit was filed just
days after voters in the city passed Proposition H in November 2005.

"How many times must the courts tell the City of San Francisco that it cannot
pass this kind of a Draconian measure," wondered SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb.
"This lawsuit essentially followed the same legal path as SAF's earlier
lawsuit against the city and then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, which also struck
down a gun ban. We plowed this legal ground more than 20 years ago, and
nothing has changed. We are proud to have been part of a team effort this time
around that reinforces SAF's original victory.

"The fact that the State Supreme Court unanimously decided to reject the
city's appeal will hopefully send a message that it cannot place the burden of
crime reduction on the backs of law-abiding citizens," he stated.

"Frankly, we were disappointed that this legal battle ever had to be fought,"
Gottlieb continued. "We told the city early in 2005, before the measure was
placed on the ballot, that this issue had already been decided by the courts,
and that if they pursued this ban we would bring legal action. We weren't
bluffing, and neither were our friends at the NRA, LEAA and the California
Retailers.

"This lengthy legal battle should not have been necessary," he concluded. "It
took up valuable time in an already-clogged California court system, and it
wasted a considerable amount of public money and resources when the outcome
was predictable. If the city truly is seeking solutions to a crime problem, we
would be happy to sit down and work with them. Crime is everybody's problem,
and we should be working together, instead of fighting each other in court,
because it accomplished nothing."

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) 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.

SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation

Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, +1-425-454-7012