MARCH 16, 2023

CCRKBA Condemns Democrats' War on Freedom; Rights Under Attack

Contact: Alan Gottlieb (425) 454-4911

BELLEVUE, WA – Gun owners in several states where Democrats control the legislative process are facing an onslaught of gun control and prohibition legislation and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today condemned what appears to be the party’s war on freedom in state capitols across the country.

“We are witnessing a full frontal assault on Second Amendment rights, not only in Washington, D.C. with Joe Biden leading the charge,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but in state legislatures in California, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Washington and elsewhere Democrat majorities have gained control. Equally alarming is the support their extremist gun control agenda is getting from a small but vocal minority of gun prohibitionists who are determined to destroy the Second Amendment.

“These anti-gun zealots have forgotten that you can’t give away your neighbor’s freedom and expect to keep your own,” he observed.

In California, the threat has spread to the First Amendment, as the state has enacted a statute clearly designed to prevent, or at least discourage, legal challenges to gun control laws. This statute is now being challenged in federal court on First Amendment grounds. In other states, Democrats want people to jump through bureaucratic hoops, such as expensive training mandates or obtaining purchase permits from the police that amount to prior restraint, and require access to their medical records before they can purchase a gun, which raises Fourth Amendment issues. In New York, getting a carry permit even requires disclosure of social media accounts.

“What is truly alarming is the holier-than-thou arrogance of Democrat politicians who think penalizing law-abiding citizens by restricting their rights will somehow prevent criminals or crazy people from committing mayhem,” Gottlieb said. “Sadly, the establishment media has obviously chosen sides in this fight, going so far as literally adopting the anti-gun vocabulary by describing gun control legislation as ‘gun reform’ or ‘gun safety’ measures. The media is unwittingly opening the door to regulation of their rights, as Democrats and the Biden administration have already shown a desire to control and manipulate the news narrative.”

“This isn’t about preventing crime or improving public safety, it’s about control,” he warned. “It’s not about guns, but about rights, not just the right to keep and bear arms, but the right to privacy and redress of grievances. Democrats want to diminish First and Second amendment rights so they can control the narrative and decide what people can own. For a party that calls itself ‘Democrat,’ this is about as far away from democracy as it gets.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.