Alan Gottlieb

Alan Gottlieb

by

1947

 

 

Alan Gottlieb

About Alan Gottlieb

Alan M. Gottlieb is one of the longest-serving leaders in the gun rights movement. Born in Los Angeles and trained in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, he founded the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) in 1971 and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) in 1974. SAF, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, focuses on education and litigation. It brought McDonald v. Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court case that applied the Second Amendment to state and local governments, and by 2026 it reported involvement in more than 260 lawsuits. Gottlieb serves as SAF’s executive vice president, with Adam Kraut as executive director.

Gottlieb has written or co-written more than 20 books, owns the publisher Merril Press, and is president of several Pacific Northwest radio stations. SAF publishes Women & Guns, The Gun Mag and the Journal of Firearms and Public Policy. In 2013 his organization backed the Manchin-Toomey background check amendment; the bill failed. Court records show he pleaded guilty in 1984 to filing a false tax return; his firearm rights were restored in 1985.

Key Facts

  • 1971: Founded the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
  • 1974: Founded the Second Amendment Foundation
  • 2010: SAF wins McDonald v. Chicago at the U.S. Supreme Court
  • 2013: Supported the Manchin-Toomey background check amendment
  • August 2026: SAF marks 52 years and more than 260 lawsuits
Timeline of key dates for Alan Gottlieb

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Sources

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