Attorneys general representing 19 states have signed onto an amicus curiae brief in the Second Amendment Foundation’s case of Drake v. Jerejian, asking U.S. Supreme Court determination whether the Second Amendment secures the right to carry handguns outside the home for self-defense.
In their brief, written by Wyoming Attorney General Peter K. Michael, the attorneys general note, “significant splits of authority have developed in both the federal and state courts as they have tried to answer questions involving the right to keep and bear arms outside of the home.”
The case, which is joined by the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, also asks the high court to clarify the standard of review governing Second Amendment claims involving restrictions on the right of law-abiding adults to carry handguns outside the home. This case challenges New Jersey’s arbitrary requirement that carry permit applicants demonstrate a “justifiable need” to carry a handgun outside the home
Wyoming Attorney General Michael is joined by colleagues in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
“It is significant that so many attorneys general decided to sign on to this important brief,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Their legal experience and understanding of this important constitutional and civil rights issue should carry great weight with the high court.
SAF is represented by Virginia attorney Alan Gura, who has won both of the significant Supreme Court rulings on the Second Amendment, in 2008 and 2010. These victories have paved the way for numerous successful challenges of state and local limitations firearm civil rights.
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 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
