As the nation prepares to celebrate National Bill of Rights Day on Saturday, it is important to remember that all of the rights enshrined in the first ten amendments to the Constitution are equal, and deserve the same zealous protection as all the others, the Second Amendment Foundation, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership said today.
“Despite the efforts of lobbying groups and some politicians,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “the Second Amendment has retained its position as the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights. The individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms protects all of the other rights, including free speech and press, the right to legal counsel, the presumption of innocence, and to be secure in our persons, homes and papers against unreasonable search and seizure.
Gottlieb, who is also CCRKBA chairman, noted that these two organizations have steadfastly defended other rights, and will continue doing so “because the Bill of Rights is only as strong as its weakest link.” JPFO is a non-profit educational organization that defends human rights.
“Our mission is that of any citizen who values the liberty and freedom our nation symbolizes above all other nations of the world,” he stated. “Our Bill of Rights is the envy of every other citizen of every other country. Our Bill of Rights is the foundation upon which our nation continues to stand as the land of opportunity. It’s why so many want to come here and why so few ever want to leave.
“Since it was ratified in 1789,” Gottlieb continued, “our Bill of Rights has weathered many a storm, not the least of which has been the almost unceasing effort to erode the protections provided by the Second Amendment. We must defend the Second as vigorously as we have defended all of our other individual rights.
“The Bill of Rights doesn’t give anything to anyone,” he observed. “It doesn’t grant rights, but it does guarantee them. Our Bill of Rights has the much tougher job of protecting our natural and fundamental rights from infringement or abridgment. Those wise old Founders understood this when they delineated our rights within the first ten amendments of the Constitution. Bill of Rights Day serves as a reminder that what we have is worth protecting.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (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 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
