BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and their CEO Alan Gottlieb, have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and members of his staff, alleging that Ferguson has used the power of his office to chill the activities of SAF, which are aimed at protecting and expanding Second Amendment rights.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The case is known as Second Amendment Foundation v. Ferguson.
Additional plaintiffs are 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.
Ferguson and three assistant AG’s assigned to the Consumer Protection Division (CPD) of the Attorney General’s office are being sued individually and in their official capacities.
According to the complaint;
“Over the last two years, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office (“CPD”) has carried out an expansive, highly intrusive probe into the private affairs of SAF, CCRKBA, CDFE, SBA, LPP, MMM, Mr. Gottlieb, and his family. It has served Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) on each of the plaintiffs, including two on Mr. Gottlieb, citing the same consumer protection laws Mr. Ferguson was recently found to have abused.”
The complaint refers to a recent Washington Supreme Court ruling which “held unanimously that Mr. Ferguson’s office improperly used Washington Consumer Protection and Charitable Solicitations Acts to suppress constitutionally protected speech with which he disagreed.”
“It is a sad day when you have to sue the state Attorney General for violating your civil rights,” Gottlieb stated. “This is not something we ever anticipated, nor do we take any pleasure in it. However, because the CPD has singled out SAF and myself for invasive and expensive harassment because of my political beliefs, especially my positions on gun control and our outspoken criticism of Attorney General Ferguson, our only recourse is to take legal action.
The lawsuit notes that Gottlieb is “a vulnerable target,” as a 76-year-old man “with a history of cardiac arrest.”
“CPD’s treatment of Mr. Gottlieb is designed to destroy his health, make his and his family’s lives miserable, and to chill the activities of SAF and the other entities or force them out of business as punishment for their politics and opposition to Mr. Ferguson and his agenda,” the complaint alleges.
“The Office of the Attorney General is one which inherently possesses significant power and comes with the expectation that its holder will not abuse that power for a political agenda or personal crusade,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “Unfortunately, for the people of Washington, Attorney General Bob Ferguson has placed his political preferences above impartiality. For the past two years, his office has inquired into the activities of the Second Amendment Foundation in a highly intrusive manner.
“From the very beginning,” Kraut continued, “the Foundation has cooperated with the Attorney General’s Office and supplied all of the requested information, made employees available for depositions, spending hundreds of man hours and tens of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees to do so, all while pursuing its mission. Yet, the Attorney General’s Office has not once clearly articulated the basis for the investigation or any wrongdoing of the Foundation. What is clear is that this investigation stems from the Attorney General’s abuse of office in an effort to silence and cause harm to his political enemies. Regrettably, and despite the Foundation’s efforts to resolve this amicably, the Attorney General has elected to continue to waste the taxpayer’s money due to his failure to recognize that his two-year fishing expedition has rendered nothing useful to his political ambitions and forced the Foundation to bring this action to vindicate its rights in an effort to stop this unjust harassment.”
Second Amendment Foundation v. Ferguson
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 better to inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
Awesome… Now this is how you fight… Give em hell!
I could care less if you love him or hate him but this lowlife attorney general at Washington taxpayer expense sued President Trump over 50 times! With each torte filed he sent out a flurry of campaign solicitation emails. This mendacious reprobate still uses DJT as a fundraising instrument. He is the dimocRAT leader to replace the 4 term reprobate governor asswipe inslee. Ferguson formally announced his candidacy Tuesday. If you have ever thought about donating to the 2nd Amendment Foundation, today would be the day to open your checkbook and join. I’m going to write a check today, I’m… Read more »
All true, BFB. Don’t forget, this POS also sued the Navy and Whidbey Island NAS, which is home to all Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler. Whidbey Island NAS has been in existence since WWII. He did this on behalf of his Seattle elite donors who moved out of the Seattle squalor that Ferguson helped to create, to the island, whom are now complaining about all of the fighter jet noise from the mission training happening there.Tim Eyman aught to join the lawsuit, as Ferguson’s done the same to him, including financially breaking him, which was the… Read more »
Yes, yes, yes! I forgot about that travesty. I cannot imagine how anyone could vote for this little tyrant. The way he runs his office should scare the Hell out of people. No jab, no job. He’s really evil and mentally he looks at everything thru a radical revolutionary lens. Truly dangerous.
Will do.
Already a a member. …guess we should all send a bump anyways.
I hope the court sides with you and forces AG to reimburse your organization and you ALL associated legal fees
the scumbag should be arrested under 242, abuse of power but as with all government trash no one takes it out and dumps it in the sewer where it belongs
The alleged pedo T. F. throws as much poo as he can in every direction to gain notoriety, besmirch his intended victims and influence outcomes. Good to see him called out and enjoying similar treatment. I hope SAF prevails.
This little weasel face piece of human trash is running for governor now. We are so screwed. I’ve lived in Washington my whole life and I love it here. Unfortunately in the last 10 years or so we’ve had so many refuges from California come here and so many frustrated conservative types have fled to Idaho and Montana that I think this beautiful state has become a lost cause.
Unfortunately that feeling is shared by most of the firearm owners of the state, thus why they are historically lackluster voters. Most believe their vote is useless, so why vote when one can simply not comply… except non-compliance means an expensive trip across the state border that not everyone can do. King County accounted for 1/4 of the ballots cast in the 2020 general election (1,429,453 of the 4,892,871 total votes) with an 85% turnout. Some counties had less than 80% and only 2 barely broke 90%. That means there are still a LOT of voices unheard in our state.… Read more »
I hate weasels like Ferguson. Wish I could vote in Washington.
I wish you could too.
And this AG has just yesterday filed to run for Washington State Governor, because the current Governor has stated he will NOT run for a Fourth Term…
LOVE the GRIMISSING SMILE on this ANTI-AMERICAN COMMUNIST! May he NOT be PROTECTED by one, CONSTITUENT PAID FOR, single GUN while up and about from his home!
From your lips to God’s ears.