Alan Gottlieb
By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
Following weeks of speculation, the Second Amendment Foundation confirmed that the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership has merged with the Bellevue, Wash.-based gun rights organization.
SAF is widely known for its legal actions that included the Supreme Court victory striking down Chicago’s handgun ban, and a separate federal court win that forced the Illinois legislature to adopt a concealed carry law.
JPFO was founded in 1989 by the late Aaron Zelman. Since his death in December 2010, the organization has had difficulties. SAF was approached about the merger, and the process was kept confidential until the middle of August when writer Claire Wolfe, upset over the looming acquisition, went public.
There was a brief internet controversy, but SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb remained on course and completed the merger. He said in a press release that the action brings together “two stalwart gun rights organizations under one banner.”
“We see this as a tremendous opportunity,” Gottlieb said. “With SAF’s resources, we expect JPFO to continue its important work and grow to meet new challenges, educating people about the pitfalls of gun control, and the benefits of gun ownership and personal protection.”
Gottlieb told TGM that he intends to maintain JPFO’s independence, although operations for the group will move from Wisconsin, where it was headquartered under Zelman, to SAF’s headquarters in Washington state. There are some advantages for JPFO under the new arrangement, including becoming a member organization in the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights (IAPCAR), thus expanding its reach internationally.
Current JPFO members and contributors will continue to receive all benefits promised, Gottlieb said. JPFO’s website will continue to run independently as a stand-alone entity but will now include links to it from TheGunMag.com, KeepandBearArms.com, as well as SAF.org.
While Gottlieb came under some fierce criticism following Wolfe’s disclosure, he also got support from others in the gun rights community. Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, leaped to his defense, as did Massad Ayoob. National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea noted that after Gottlieb acquired Keep and Bear Arms.com, he continued to have articles posted there, and contributions from other writers, including Zelman’s original articles, remain on the website.
“JPFO was founded 25 years ago,” Gottlieb said, “and it has become a strong voice in defense of the Second Amendment. I’m personally confident that bringing JPFO into the SAF extended family will benefit firearms owners at many levels.”
