In a major win for privacy and gun rights advocates, a U.S. District Court has vacated an order that would have forced the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) to hand over its membership list to the federal government.
The reversal came after SAF, its partner organizations, and the Department of Justice filed a joint motion to amend the judgment late last week.
The Case: Reese v. ATF
The case in question, Reese v. ATF, challenges the federal law barring licensed firearm dealers from selling or transferring handguns to adults under 21. Initially, the court limited relief to individuals who were members of the plaintiff organizations as of the filing date and who resided within the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana).
The original judgment went a step further, ordering that plaintiffs “provide to Defendants a verified list of their members as of November 6, 2020,” within 21 days — a move that immediately raised alarms within the gun rights community.
Privacy vs. Government Overreach
The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners made it clear from the outset: no membership data would be released to the government, period.
“We had no intention of releasing any private membership data and were prepared to take all necessary steps to ensure our member list was not disclosed,” said Bill Sack, SAF’s Director of Legal Operations. “Luckily, the court responded to our joint motion promptly and vacated its original order.”
With the order vacated and further proceedings scheduled to determine the proper scope of relief, SAF expects additional updates in the near future.
Standing Firm on Principle
The Second Amendment Foundation, joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Louisiana Shooting Association, and three individual plaintiffs, is fighting not only for the rights of young adults but also for the right of all Americans to support pro–Second Amendment organizations without fear of government reprisal.
“It’s preposterous to think we would release any type of member data to anyone,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We’re thankful the court saw its error in the judgment and vacated the original order. However, we want to make it extremely clear — we will never release the private data of SAF supporters to the government. That’s akin to letting the fox into the henhouse, and it will never happen.”
Why It Matters
This episode underscores a growing concern among gun owners and constitutional advocates: federal agencies are increasingly demanding data that could be used to identify and target law-abiding citizens for exercising their rights.
Had the order stood, it would have set a chilling precedent — one that could discourage Americans from joining or donating to Second Amendment organizations out of fear that their information could end up in government databases.
By standing firm, SAF not only protected its own members but reaffirmed a fundamental American principle: the government has no business keeping lists of citizens who support constitutional rights.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
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