Kyle Rittenhouse thanks the National Foundation for Gun Rights

Kyle Rittenhouse: “Thank you for all the support”

Kyle Rittenhouse thanks National Foundation for Gun Rights

We recently had the privilege of speaking with Kyle Rittenhouse on the phone. He wanted to express his gratitude for all the assistance and support the National Foundation for Gun Rights has given him, and he asked us to pass a message on to our members who made it all possible:

“Thank you [to National Foundation for Gun Rights supporters] for all the support you have given from day one, and the generous donations to help not just me but my entire team and family. Without your generous support, we could not have gotten so far or beaten the charges against me.”

– Kyle Rittenhouse

The National Foundation for Gun Rights was the only Second Amendment organization to provide support and assistance to Kyle, standing by him from day one – even when the woke mob made it highly unpopular and even risky to do so.

Immediately after Kyle’s arrest, NFGR raised and sent him a $51,000 check to help support his family during their crisis.

And during the course of the trial – before the verdict was announced – NFGR raised another $25,000 to further assist Kyle regardless of the outcome of the trial.

Dudley Brown signs check for Kyle Rittenhouse
NFGR Executive Director signs a $25,000 check for Kyle Rittenhouse

This is due entirely to our members — pro-gun patriots who don’t care what kind of propaganda-narrative the anti-gun media is spinning.

We were all thrilled to hear the jury’s “not guilty” verdict on all charges, resulting in Kyle’s complete acquittal!

It was the right to self-defense itself that was on trial in Kenosha, WI, and the jury declared what we all know to be true: When you’re under attack from a mob bent on destroying you, you have EVERY right to defend yourself!

The right to defend yourself from attack is one of the bedrock principles of the American Republic – and that’s why the Left is so determined to obliterate it.

The National Foundation for Gun Rights exists to bring a no-compromise defense of the Second Amendment in the courts, and to stand behind law-abiding Americans unjustly targeted for exercising that right.

National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

NFGR joins Rocky Mountain Gun Owners in targeting illegal gun registry

National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

The National Foundation for Gun Rights is partnering with sister organization, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, to target an illegal gun registry in Douglas County, Colorado.

See RMGO’s press release below:

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and Allied Partners Finds Illegal Gun Registry in Douglas County

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

DENVER, CO – This morning, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners [RMGO] and the National Foundation for Gun Rights [NFGR] were given credible information that Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock has illegally collected and housed the data of gun owners, in direct violation of C.R.S. § 29-11.7-102.

RMGO and NFGR joined with a Douglas County resident to send Sheriff Spurlock a letter to demand him to preserve the evidence while they discuss the next steps with their attorneys.

“Sheriff Spurlock has a long history of supporting gun control legislation,” said Taylor Rhodes, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. “Spurlock’s illegal gun owner database is in direct violation of Colorado’s law.”

Enacted in 2003, C.R.S. § 29-11.7-102 gives specific guidelines prohibiting local governments, including law enforcement, from maintaining a list or database that includes persons who purchased or exchanged firearms or persons who transfer firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.

“After looking over the evidence, it is apparent this is a clear violation of C.R.S. § 29-11.7-102,” said Taylor. “RMGO will work tirelessly to make sure these records are destroyed and those responsible are held accountable.”

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners is a 501(c)(4) organization headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, with a mission to hold politicians accountable and achieve maximum liberty for an individual to defend themselves, their family, and their property without having to ask the government for permission to do so. Since its founding, RMGO has led the fight against anti-gun politicians with the support of 200,000 members and grassroots activists statewide.

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Rittenhouse prosecutors

Rittenhouse trial: Prosecutor’s star witness confirms what we knew all along – it was self-defense

Rittenhouse prosecutors
The prosecutors react to their star witness’ confirmation that Kyle acted in self-defense.

On Monday, the world heard Gaige Grosskreutz, the one remaining “victim” of the Rittenhouse shooting, testify under oath that Kyle did not fire until Gaige charged him with a gun pointed straight at him.

It was a remarkable moment. And the reactions underscored the impact of that testimony, with Kyle wiping tears, the prosecutor dropping his head into his hand, and Twitter exploding with disbelief.

But Gaige had simply repeated a fact that anyone who had done the most basic amount of research already knew. The Rittenhouse shooting is unusual in the sheer amount of video footage available to the public – almost from day one. 

And from day one, it was clearly a simple story of self-defense.

For that reason, the National Foundation for Gun Rights came to Kyle’s assistance. NFGR exists to defend gun rights and gun owners in the courts, and it was clear that Kyle needed help.

But, the Second Amendment doesn’t protect aggressors, only cases of legitimate self-defense. So before stepping in to help Kyle, we did our due diligence.

Our legal analysis team at the National Foundation for Gun Rights watched the available videos and read news story after news story, painstakingly piecing together exactly what happened that night.

And we reached the same conclusion anyone who watched the evidence with an open mind reached: this was self-defense, at a time when self-defense wasn’t fashionable or safe.

Because Kyle unwittingly became the symbol of standing up to rioters hell-bent on destruction – and frankly, because he had the audacity to fight back instead of letting them attack him at will – he’s been the target of the woke mob ever since.

The Kenosha shootings were the culmination of months of left-wing rioting and unrest, while police and politicians were either unwilling or terrified to check the rabid wave of destruction.

Meanwhile, ordinary Americans watched in disbelief, silently vowing that if the riots came to their town, they wouldn’t sit back and watch in horror as their businesses went up in flames at the hands of Marxist protesters. 

When we put out a call to help Kyle prepare for his day in court, those Americans – who we are proud to call our members – sprang into action and donated over $50,000 for Kyle’s legal defense and the assistance of his family.

National Foundation for Gun Rights donates to Kyle Rittenhouse's legal defense
NFGR Executive Director Dudley Brown signs a check for Kyle Rittenhouse’s family.

This was not a popular thing to do. Anyone who stood with Kyle back then caught some of the vitriol aimed at him. In addition to receiving plenty of profanity-laced hate messages, we were threatened more than once with deplatforming by Big Tech.

Kyle had become the unwitting symbol of the peace-loving Americans who believe in protecting life and property with the Second Amendment at their back, and for that, the left was determined to destroy him.

Over the last year, the leftist media (assisted by the Kenosha County Prosecutor) carefully cultivated a picture of a reckless, hate-filled teenage vigilante, a white supremacist there to spread violence.

That’s all well and good, as long as you listen to the media and not the evidence.

Or until the prosecution’s star witness has an awkward moment of truth on the stand.

The Second Amendment is there so that you don’t have to lie helpless on the street while the Anthony Hubers of the world batter you with a skateboard, and the Gaige Grosskreutzes charge at you with illegally possessed guns.

That’s what this case is about, and we were the only gun rights group in the nation who listened to the available evidence and had the courage to stand with Kyle from day one in the face of the woke mob.

A face that now, thanks to the witness testimony in court, is dripping with egg.

National Foundation for Gun Rights

WIN: Spearfish repeals concealed carry ban!

In response to a legal warning from the National Foundation for Gun Rights, the City of Spearfish, SD, just repealed an illegal ordinance banning concealed carry in their town!

Since at least 1982, the City of Spearfish has banned the concealed carrying of firearms within the city limits, despite South Dakota’s 1983 preemption law, which specifically prevents cities and localities from passing and enforcing local-level gun control.

This was brought to our attention by a Spearfish resident, who shared that local citizens were concerned about this local ban and how it affected their ability to bear arms in a Constitutional Carry state.

Our Executive Director, Dudley Brown, is originally from Spearfish, and remarked:

“All local level gun bans are horrendous, but to see this in my own hometown, in a state which has a rich history of gun rights and passed Constitutional Carry into law a few years ago, is especially heinous. The current city council is duty bound to remove these outdated and illegal prohibitions on a constitutional right.”

Dudley sent the City Council a letter pointing out the illegal nature of the concealed carry ban, and calling on the council to repeal it immediately or face us in court.

At their very next meeting, the Spearfish City Council gave first reading to a repeal ordinance!

Since then, the repeal ordinance has received second (and final) reading and been published in the local newspaper as required by law.

It is set to go into effect November 26, 2021, and Spearfish residents will be free to exercise their Second Amendment rights free of any threat of local prosecution.

The full text of NFGR’s legal warning letter may be found here: GunRightsFoundation.org/Spearfish-Letter.

US Supreme Court rules to uphold Second Amendment

Supreme Court hears oral arguments in NYSRPA v. Bruen

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the first major gun case the Supreme Court has taken in over ten years.

This case challenges New York’s restrictive concealed carry law, which bans ordinary citizens from carrying a firearm unless they can show “good cause” – and the New York courts have said a desire for self-defense isn’t good enough.

So the question before the high court is this: Does the Second Amendment protect the right to BEAR arms as well as to CARRY them?

The answer is an unequivocal YES, as the National Foundation for Gun Rights legal team told the Supreme Court in a hard-hitting amicus brief filed back in July (click to read it).

What happened in oral arguments?

The good news is that a number of the Justices asked pointed, even scathing questions that highlighted the fact that gun rights are protected by the Constitution.

Even Chief Justice John Roberts (widely regarded as the weakest link on the Court for gun owners) actually sounded pro-gun with quotes like this:

“[T]he idea that you need a license to exercise the right [to bear arms], I think, is unusual in the context of the Bill of Rights.”

The Biden administration and New York’s legal counsel teamed up to defend New York’s carry regime, doing their level best to spin the Supreme Court into thinking it’s constitutional to arbitrarily deny law-abiding citizens the right to carry firearms.

At one point, Justice Alito caught New York’s legal team distorting history in an attempt to shore up their argument for gun control:

JUSTICE ALITO: Yeah. Well, I’m going to give you an example, which is — you know, it’s troubling. I can see how it would slip through. I’m not accusing you personally of anything.

 But, on page 23, you say that in founding-era America, legal reference guides advised local officials to “arrest all such persons as in your sight shall ride or go armed.” And this is a citation to John Haywood, A Manual of the Laws of North Carolina, 1814.

 So I looked at this manual, and what it actually says is “you shall arrest all such persons as in your sight shall ride or go armed offensively.” And somehow that word “offensively” got dropped —

MS. UNDERWOOD: Well, our —

JUSTICE ALITO: — from your brief.

MS. UNDERWOOD: I will —

JUSTICE ALITO: Do you think that’s an irrelevant word?

Of course, it’s not an irrelevant word. Justice Alito went on to point out that including the word “offensively” means the founding-era law actually doesn’t support gun control. (Which, presumably, is why the New York legal team left it out.)

At another point, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, speaking of the problems with government officials giving permission to exercise rights, said:

“Well, that’s the real concern, isn’t it, with any constitutional right? If it’s the discretion of an individual officer, that seems inconsistent with an objective constitutional right.”

What does this mean for gun rights?

As encouraging as these moments were, they provide very little insight into how the Court will actually rule.

After all, the Supreme Court is known for asking tough questions only to issue a narrow ruling that doesn’t do much for gun rights – in other words, a piecemeal approach to “appease” both sides.

And based on other questions raised by the Justices, some of them seem to be at least considering the possibility of a middle-of-the-road ruling that dodges the real issue – which will almost certainly include glaring loopholes the gun grabbers will seize upon.

There is also the possibility that – despite grilling the gun-grabbers today – Chief Justice Roberts could shock us all with an anti-gun ruling.

This means we still have our work cut out for us.

Even in the best-case scenario – if the court issues an historic pro-gun ruling – state legislatures, D.C. politicians, and gun control groups alike will immediately start trying to get around it – or will even defy it outright, just as they did after the last major pro-gun Supreme Court ruling in 2010.

This means we have to be ready to sue in many more places when the final ruling is handed down, likely in the spring of 2022.

Bottom line? Yesterday was a good day for gun owners at the Supreme Court, but this case and what it means for the Second Amendment is FAR from being decided.

Tomorrow the fight continues. Stay tuned!

And if you would like to help us fight for gun rights in the courts, click here to make a tax-deductible donation.

National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

NFGR Sends Legal Warning to South Carolina Lawmakers over First Amendment Threat

National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 2021

Contact: NFGR Press Room
Tel. 877-405-4570
Email: pressdept@gunrightsfoundation.org

National Foundation for Gun Rights Warns of Lawsuit if South Carolina General Assembly Passes “Gag Act” into Law

Enactment of S 174 would trample South Carolinians’ right to political speech and association free from government intrusion

Loveland, CO – The National Foundation for Gun Rights and allied law firm the Dhillon Law Group, Inc. informed the South Carolina Senate that if they pass Senate Bill 174 (commonly known as the Gag Act) into law, the Foundation will file a lawsuit as the law constitutes an infringement on multiple Constitutional rights.

“The Gag Act is a blatant violation of the rights enshrined in the First Amendment, and if the South Carolina Senate thinks they can get away with stripping the right to free speech and privacy away from ordinary citizens who join political groups, they better be prepared to face us in court,” said Dudley Brown, Executive Director of the National Foundation for Gun Rights.

If passed into law, the Gag Act would force organizations like the National Association for Gun Rights, Palmetto Gun Rights, and other grassroots groups and citizen organizations to disclose the private information of their members, as well as restrict citizen lobbying during state elections.

Part of the letter reads, “Senate Bill 174 (S 174) would flagrantly violate the constitutional rights of those who dare to speak to the public and associate with each other regarding their country’s and South Carolina’s pressing political challenges. We urge the Senate to reject this bill, which defies Supreme Court precedent rejecting unnecessary, invasive, vague, overbroad, and burdensome political disclosure requirements that unlawfully chill First Amendment freedoms of speech and association. Specifically, S 174 is a multi-pronged assault on South Carolinians’ constitutional rights and must be rejected.”

The National Association for Gun Rights has a vested interest in protecting the First Amendment, Second Amendment, and privacy rights of its members, as well as protecting the privacy rights of its state chapter, Palmetto Gun Rights.

The letter concludes:

“If SB 174 is enacted, we have been authorized to file a lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983 for the deprivation of constitutional rights. Once we prevail in protecting those rights, we will seek our reasonable attorney fees under 42 U.S.C. §1988(b). We thereby strongly encourage you to reconsider moving forward with the proposed legislation.”

A full copy of the letter sent to the legislative leadership of the South Carolina Senate can be found here: South Carolina Senate Letter

The National Foundation for Gun Rights is a 503(c)(3) organization that exists to expand pro-gun precedents and defend gun owners in the courts.

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National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

NFGR sends legal warning to Spearfish, South Dakota over concealed carry ban

National Foundation for Gun Rights press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2021

Contact: NFGR Press Room
Tel. 877-405-4570
Email: pressdept@gunrightsfoundation.org

National Foundation for Gun Rights sends Cease and Desist letter to Spearfish City Council, Mayor and City Attorney

Loveland, CO – The National Foundation for Gun Rights is demanding the Spearfish City Council, Mayor, and City Attorney stop illegally restricting law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to keep and bear arms while in Spearfish.

Since at least 1982, the City of Spearfish has had a city ordinance banning the carrying of firearms in Spearfish. This ordinance flies directly in the face of South Dakota’s 1983 preemption law, which specifically prevents cities and localities from passing and enforcing local-level gun control.

“Preemption laws are written for a reason – but apparently the City Council, Mayor, and City Attorney for Spearfish aren’t terribly worried about having unconstitutional laws on the books which restrict a law-abiding citizen’s right to bear arms while out in public,” said Dudley Brown, Executive Director of the National Foundation for Gun Rights.

Dudley Brown grew up in Spearfish before relocating during college.

“All local level gun bans are horrendous, but to see this in my own hometown, in a state which has a rich history of gun rights and passed Constitutional Carry into law a few years ago, is especially heinous. The current city council is duty bound to remove these outdated and illegal prohibitions on a constitutional right.

If they don’t, you can rest assured the National Foundation for Gun Rights will bring swift legal action against the city.” said Brown.

The National Foundation for Gun Rights is exploring all legal options to strike down City Ordinance 11-86, which bans citizens from exercising a constitutionally protected right.

“Punishing law-abiding gun owners, defying state laws, and making Spearfish a safe haven for criminals is not something I’ll stand by and let happen. I hope they’re ready to face the legal consequences if they refuse to act.” said Brown.

The full text of the cease-and-desist letter may be found here: GunRightsFoundation.org/Spearfish-Letter.

The National Foundation for Gun Rights is a 503(c)(3) organization that exists to expand pro-gun precedents and defend gun owners in the courts.

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San Jose city hall -Photo credit: Daderot

Preparing to sue San Jose!

San Jose city hall
San Jose city hall. Photo credit: Daderot

Things are heating up in San Jose!

As you know, back in June the City of San Jose voted to have their city attorney research and draft an ordinance imposing an annual tax and liability insurance mandate on gun owners within the city limits.

We responded immediately. Our lawyer sent them a cease-and-desist letter warning them to prepare for legal action if they attempt to tax the Second Amendment rights of San Jose citizens.

Mayor Liccardo responded by pretending it was all our fault:

“In the realm of sensible gun regulation, the gun industry and their lawyers ensure that no good deed goes unlitigated. I suppose that I should not be surprised that they have threatened to sue the city before they’ve even seen a single word in the ordinance.” (San Jose Inside)

Mind you, the City Council adopted a long, detailed list of exactly what they wanted (which you can view here), so everyone has a pretty good idea of what’s going to be in that ordinance.

Mayor Liccardo’s spokeswoman said the city was moving ahead with the ordinance, so we began planning for legal action.

Our legal counsel is currently preparing documents to be ready to file as soon as the ordinance is passed.

We’ve also put out a call to gun-owning city residents willing to serve as plaintiff (click here to apply!), and YouTuber Reno May promoted our upcoming lawsuit and plaintiff search on his awesome channel:

We have been incredibly humbled by the outpouring of responses, which our legal team is working their way through. San Jose gun owners are NOT happy about their city council’s mad dash for extreme gun control, if the number of plaintiff volunteers is any indicator!

Now, it’s a waiting game. Will the San Jose City Council think twice about taking on an expensive legal fight with little chance of success? Or will they insist on throwing away their constituent’s hard-earned tax dollars on experimental gun-control-by-litigation projects?

The city attorney is supposed to present the draft ordinance sometime in September, so we are watching the city council agendas and meetings very closely.

Finally, putting the best lawyers in the courtroom to fight for gun rights isn’t cheap. We need as many citizen partners to step up to the plate and back this lawsuit financially – even if they don’t live in San Jose.

Trust me, if San Jose gets away with taxing Second Amendment rights, it won’t be long before Bloomberg-funded progressive mayors all across the United States will push to impose similar gun violence taxes on their cities.

Even if you don’t live in San Jose, will you consider becoming a partner in this lawsuit by chipping in a tax-deductible contribution here?

GOA v. Garland bump stock case National Foundation for Gun Rights

JUST FILED: Amicus Brief In 6th Circuit bump stock case

GOA v. Garland bump stock case National Foundation for Gun Rights

The National Foundation for Gun Rights just filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in GOA v. Garland – a legal challenge to the ATF’s bump stock ban imposed in 2018.

Back in March, a three-judge panel on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that bump stocks were not machine guns and that executive agencies couldn’t create law:

“Federal criminal laws are not administrative edicts handed down upon the masses as if the administrators were God delivering the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai…

It is not the role of the executive — particularly the unelected administrative state — to dictate to the public what is right and what is wrong.”

Unfortunately, the full court vacated this ruling and agreed to rehear the case en banc (by all the Sixth Circuit’s active judges).

NFGR’s amicus brief focuses on an overlooked aspect of the case – that forcing gun owners to discard their bump stocks (or lose them in a “tragic” boating accident) is an unconstitutional form of theft, and violates the “Takings” clause of the 5th Amendment (“nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”).

There’s a very good reason the ATF conveniently “didn’t think about” compensating bump stock owners: it would have added a hefty $312.1 million price tag to the regulation! As our brief notes, that may well have made the government think twice about unconstitutionally banning this harmless gun accessory.

The impact of this case goes far beyond bump stocks. At stake is whether a federal agency (such as the ATF) – controlled by bureaucrats who are not accountable to the people – can unilaterally make laws, especially laws that violate the Constitution.

President Biden’s ATF is currently in the process of rolling out even more unconstitutional gun regulations targeting home-built firearms and stabilizing braces for commonly owned pistols.

These regulatory attacks will keep coming unless the federal courts stop the ATF from overstepping its constitutional role and attacking the Second Amendment, and GOA v. Garland will almost certainly end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

To help us prepare to fight for the rights of gun owners at the U.S. Supreme Court, click here to make a tax-deductible contribution!

To read our full brief, click below:

US Supreme Court rules to uphold Second Amendment

JUST FILED: Amicus brief in Supreme Court gun case

National Foundation for Gun Rights filed amicus brief in Supreme Court Second Amendment case

Today, the National Foundation for Gun Rights filed an amicus brief in U.S. Supreme Court case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. This is the first major Second Amendment case the Supreme Court has agreed to consider in over ten years.

The case challenges New York’s permit laws, which prohibit concealed carry without a permit – but deny permits unless the applicant can demonstrate a “special” need to carry a gun (which does not include a general desire for self-defense, according to state courts). As a result, ordinary citizens are functionally prohibited from exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

NFGR’s amicus brief argues that the Second Amendment is NOT a second-class right — as state legislatures, lower federal courts, and even the Supreme Court itself have treated it — and that the right to public carry is protected by the Second Amendment as understood by the Founders.

Click below to read the brief!

Amicus brief in NYSRPA v. Bruen by National Foundation for Gun Rights