The Second Amendment Foundation and founder Alan Gottlieb have moved their civil rights lawsuit against Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from federal court to Washington State court in a move the plaintiffs hope will bring a speedier resolution to their case.
“We believe we will do better in the state courts, considering Ferguson’s loss before the state Supreme Court earlier this year in the long running Value Village case,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state high court ruled unanimously that Ferguson’s office ‘improperly used Washington Consumer Protection and Charitable Solicitations Acts to suppress constitutionally protected speech with which he disagreed.’
“On the other hand,” he recalled, “we won unanimously before the state Supreme Court in our lawsuit against the City of Edmonds for violating Washington State’s long standing firearms preemption law. That was a legal action Ferguson’s office should have taken, but because of his clearly established anti-gun sentiments, the job of protecting Washington law fell to SAF.”
Joining the lawsuit is the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, SAF’s sister organization for which Gottlieb serves as chairman. Additional plaintiffs include the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, the Service Bureau Association, Merril Mail Marketing and Liberty Park Press. They are represented by attorneys Steven W. Fogg and Jack M. Lovejoy at Corr Cronin LLP in Seattle.
In addition to Ferguson, the lawsuit also names three assistant AGs assigned to the Consumer Protection Division. All are being sued individually and in their official capacities.
The lawsuit came after the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s office carried out an expansive and highly intrusive probe into the private affairs of SAF, CCRKBA, CDFE, SBA, LPP, MMM, Gottlieb and his family. It has served Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) on each of the plaintiffs, including two on Gottlieb, citing the same consumer protection laws which the state Supreme Court ruled Ferguson and his office had abused in the Value Village case.
“After much deliberation, we felt it was best to move this lawsuit to state court where the Washington Attorney General has already been held to account for abusing his office’s authority,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “SAF has, and continues to, cooperate with the Attorney General’s Office by providing requested information, offering employees for depositions, and delivering updated documents before they are requested. We are ambivalent that the Washington Courts will put a swift end to the Attorney General’s continuing undue harassment stemming from his seeming desire to score cheap political points by copying one of his colleague’s tactics to bolster his otherwise unimpressive resume for his gubernatorial bid.”
About The Second Amendment Foundation
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 720,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
Evildoers use the process as punishment for those who oppose them. If you stand out, you will be hammered down.
Lol, check this out. Unbelievable.
Rantz: Mayor scolded for calling 911 on ‘far right-wing’ signature gatherers – MyNorthwest.com
She was the one that referred to the gatherers as “far right wing” in her call to 911. She is deranged with her power.
These are the kind of people we need to stop in their tracks because if we don’t, they get away with it.
Another left winger with no knowledge of or respect for the constitution, especially rights and liberties belonging to the masses.
Calling 911 in a non emergency situation when she wanted to stop people from collecting signatures should have got her a trip to jail for interfering with people exercising thier rights peacefully and lawful . Democrats are evil people period !
At the very least she should be cited fir misuse/abuse of 911.
This state (WA) is every bit as politically and AG corrupt as the Biden admin and the DOJ. AG Ferguson has financially broken Tim Eyman with endless frivolous lawsuits just like he’s trying to do to SAF and Allan Gottlieb personally. Now he’s running for governor. If even there was a tyrant, it’s him. Heaven help this state if he wins.
‘this state’ has been in the forefront of unconstitutional actions towards its residents far before Barrack got elected. It cannot go any lower. IMO, the only law forces here in WA that support this nonsense is the WSP and the Seattle police. Lets just go into the homeless areas of Seattle and pull our next leaders from the addicts and gang bangers. It couldn’t get any worse than it already is. F#%k Inslee and Fergy.
Any Person Subject To… So just who is “Any person” and what EXACTLY is it that makes them subject to? In other words, what is the basic premise that is being operated off of, in that case? If we cannot be told with 100% precision what we need to know here, then we are being forced to endure some kind of a fraud. Who really knows if they are actually subject to a law, ordinance, statute or regulation, if it is not clearly spelled out for all to see? Or are we all just supposed to “go along to get… Read more »