Tuesday, April 5, 2011

SAF FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST BLOOMBERG OVER GUN PERMIT FEES



Second Amendment Foundation

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."


BELLEVUE, WA - The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that alleges New York City's $340 fee for a permit to keep a handgun in the home is "excessive andimpermissibly burdens the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."

SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and five individual New York City residents. Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

"Under state law," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, "the maximum fee for issuing a New York State handgun license is $10, but the law exempts citizens living in New York City. That exemption allows the city to charge an exorbitant fee for the license, which discourages city residents from exercising their civil rights while violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

"For decades the City has charged its residents exorbitant license fees that far exceed the fees charged by other states and cities that impose them," said attorney David Jensen, who is representing the plaintiffs. "The effect of this is to force a punitive tax on New York City citizens who choose to own firearms in compliance with the law. But people have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and the City cannot simply impose fees for the sake of burdening law-abiding gun owners."

"The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association was founded 141 years ago in New York City and we are proud to participate in an action to help restore the Second Amendment rights of all New York City residents," said NYSRPA President Tom King.

In its lawsuit, SAF notes that the $340 fee is not used to defray administrative costs, so there appears to be no purpose for it other than to discourage people from applying for a permit. The excessive fee, according to Gottlieb, puts the exercise of a constitutional right solely within the financial reach of the wealthy class, essentially turning a civil right into a privilege for the rich and well-connected.

"New York is one of only two states that require a permit just to keep a handgun in one's own home," Gottlieb said. "Citizens in the other 48 states would consider that an outrage. The city's residence premises' handgun license amounts to a charge of more than $100 annually to keep a handgun in one's home, which is ridiculous. Mayor Bloomberg is essentially taxing the fundamental right to defend one's self in his or her own home. We cannot think of anything more egregious than perpetuating a fee structure that puts a financial obstacle in the way of citizens who want to protect their homes and families.

"We believe the only recourse is to take this issue to the federal court," he concluded. "Billionaires like Mayor Bloomberg can be cavalier about a citizen's rights, but we can't, and we won't."


2 comments:

  1. Kudos to the SAF. I plan to post on this as well. This story has been woefully underreported. As I am familiar neither with American law nor the American legal system, I am unaware as to the likelihood of success of this action; but if it does succeed, it will totally change the landscape in terms of permit fees.

    I would like to pose an open question to you and/or your readers. Have permits such as Bloomberg's ever been successfully challenged? It seems to me, on a plain reading of the Second Amendment, all gun permits (/regulations generally) clearly infringe on your constitutional rights.

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  2. I plan to post on this as well.
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    Thanks.

    Have permits such as Bloomberg's ever been successfully challenged?
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    Good question that I can't answer off hand, but the link at http://www.saf.org/ lists all their actions in detail one after another.

    all gun permits (/regulations generally) clearly infringe on your constitutional rights.
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    I agree and that's why I also support the GOA. Below is their stance.

    An Idea To GOA
    http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=2526&highlight=goa

    ReplyDelete