Heller Foundation raising funds for machine gun lawsuit :: 03/30/2015

Due to differences with a crowd-sourcing website that had previously been used, a prominent name in gun rights advocacy has taken point on fundraising to support a lawsuit challenging federal restrictions on post-1986 machine gun ownership. The Heller Foundation alerted its supporters in a Friday email and corresponding post to its Twitter feed that it has joined with the plaintiff and his attorneys by promoting, collecting and administering financial support for the Hollis v. Holder lawsuit.

“The Heller Foundation is pleased to announce that it has teamed with Jay Hollis and attorneys Stephen Stamboulieh and Alan Beck to fight the federal restrictions on machine gun ownership,” the foundation elaborated in a case overview post. “District of Columbia v. Heller became the cornerstone for gun owners nationwide to push other important wins through the federal court system. Jay Hollis, Stephen Stamboulieh, Alan Beck, and the Heller Foundation intend to build on those wins in the ongoing battle for the Second Amendment by targeting the National Firearms Act and the machine gun ban.”

The foundation, established after the landmark case named for plaintiff Dick Heller that resulted in Supreme Court recognition that the Second Amendment is an individual right, has declared “a 'no compromise' stance” for the right to keep and bear arms, asserting “[e]ach able bodied person of sound mind should always have the right to stay and be armed with the weapon of their choosing.” That fits closely with the goal of the lawsuit, where Jay Hollis, acting individually and as trustee of a revocable living trust, is suing Attorney General Eric Holder and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director B. Todd Jones [with his successor’s name to be substituted] in their official capacities for administering, executing and enforcing “statutory and regulatory provisions [that] generally act as an unlawful de facto ban on the transfer or possession of a machine gun manufactured after May 19, 1986.”

“Winning this case is critical to the security of the nation’s citizens,” foundation chairman Dick Heller asserted. “We think it’s important enough that donors to the Heller Foundation can now make a directed contribution on our web site, HellerFoundation.org, for the support of this case.”

“95 percent of funds go towards the case, five percent for credit card and operational fees,” the foundation assured supporters in the Friday email. “All donations are now tax-deductible.”