SAF

by

Second Amendment Foundation

1974

  • 1989  2nd Amendment foundation acquired Women & Guns, founded by Sunny Jones, who remained as its editor
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SAF

Alan Gottlieb

Alan Gottlieb

Joseph Tartaro

Joseph Tartaro

 

About the Second Amendment Foundation

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is a nonprofit educational and legal action organization founded in 1974 by Alan Gottlieb and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Where many gun rights groups focus on lobbying, SAF has built its reputation in the courtroom, sponsoring and funding litigation that challenges restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms. Its best-known case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, was filed in 2008 with attorney Alan Gura as lead counsel and ended in a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments, not only to the federal government.

SAF also publishes for gun owners, including Women & Guns magazine, TheGunMag (successor to the long-running Gun Week), the Gottlieb-Tartaro Report newsletter and the annual Journal of Firearms and Public Policy. Joseph Tartaro served as president for many years; after his death, firearms instructor and author Massad Ayoob was named president in 2020. As of 2026 the foundation remains active, with Gottlieb as executive vice president and Adam Kraut as executive director, and it continues to file and back Second Amendment cases across the country.

Key Facts

  • 1974: Founded by Alan Gottlieb in Bellevue, Washington
  • 1989: Acquired Women & Guns magazine, with founder Sunny Jones staying on as editor
  • June 26, 2008: Filed McDonald v. City of Chicago challenging the city’s handgun ban
  • June 28, 2010: Supreme Court rules in McDonald that the Second Amendment applies to the states
  • 2020: Massad Ayoob named president, succeeding the late Joseph Tartaro
Timeline of key dates for the Second Amendment Foundation

Sources

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