The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is an advocacy and litigation organization that promotes a better understanding of the rights to firearm ownership and usage secured by the Second Amendment through educational and legal action programs. ¹ SAF was founded by Alan Gottlieb in 1974 and has published books, newsletters, and journals and participated in more than 260 legal actions in defense of the right to keep and bear arms. ²

The Second Amendment Foundation owns 50% of the radio stations KBNP, KITZ, and KSBN, and the website KeepAndBearArms.com. ³ The other 50% is owned by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a lobbying and advocacy organization chaired by Gottlieb. ⁴

Activities

The Second Amendment Foundation participates in legal actions to defend, restore, and expand gun rights. As of August 2024, SAF is participating in legal challenges against California’s 2023 law imposing an 11 percent tax on firearms and ammunitions sales, Pennsylvania’s ban on carry permits for people aged 18-20, the federal ban on carrying firearms in Post Office buildings, and the federal prohibition on the purchase and possession of firearms and ammunition by users of medical marijuana. ⁵

The Second Amendment Foundation hosts an annual Gun Rights Policy Conference featuring influential gun rights activists and leaders. The 2024 conference scheduled for late September is themed “Empower, Educate and Defend” and included scheduled speakers Sarah Joy Albrecht, founder and executive director of Hold My Guns; Will Bergstrom, a Second Amendment rights attorney; Bobby Cox, vice president of government affairs for firearm manufacturer SIG SAUER; Kenyon Gleason,  president and secretary of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers; and Joseph Greenlee, director of the office of litigation counsel at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. ⁶

In 1988, the Second Amendment Foundation established the Center for the Study of Firearms and Public Policy to publish the Journal on Firearms and Public Policy. The intent of the journal was to provide legal, economic, historical, and other scholarly research about the Second Amendment to a more expansive audience. The journal was published annually between 1989 and 2016. ⁷

Funding

The Second Amendment Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While SAF does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Melva Bucksbaum Family Foundation ($250,000 in 2023), ⁸ the KatherineJames Foundation ($150,000 in 2022), ⁹ and DonorsTrust ($100,120 in 2022). ¹⁰

People

Adam Kraut is the executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation. Kraut formerly worked as vice president of programs at the Firearms Policy Coalition and the FPC Action Foundation. ¹¹

Lauren Hill is senior vice president and vice president of development at SAF. Hill formerly worked as director of corporate relations at the Firearms Policy Coalition. ¹²

Julianne Hoy Versnel is the vice president of international outreach at SAF and represents SAF on the Executive Committee of the World Forum on Shooting Activities. Versnel is a founding officer of the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights and publisher of the Journal on Firearms and Public Policy. ¹³

Matt Coffey is the vice president of communications at SAF. Coffey formerly worked as a senior communications manager at Ducks Unlimited. ¹⁴

Bill Sack is the director of legal operations at SAF and a practicing attorney. Sack formerly worked as director of legal operations at the Firearms Policy Coalition. ¹⁵

Board of Trustees

Massad Ayoob is the president of the Second Amendment Foundation. Ayoob formerly worked as director of the Lethal Force Institute and is a former vice chair of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. ¹⁶

Alan M. Gottlieb is the founder and executive vice president of SAF, the chair of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise. Gottlieb formerly sat on the board of the American Conservative Union. ¹⁷

Robert Wiest is the treasurer of the board. ¹⁸

Fredy Riehl is the secretary of the board of SAF and the owner and editor-in-chief of AmmoLand.com. In 2012, SAF awarded him the Defender of Liberty award for his work in defense of the Second Amendment. ¹⁹

Tom Gresham is the host of “Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk,” a nationally aired radio show featuring discussions about guns and shooting sports. ²⁰

Gene Hoffman is president of the California Gun Rights Foundation. ²¹

Jim Irvine is the chair of the A1S4 Protection PAC and the co-director of FASTER Saves Lives. Irvine formerly served as president of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation. ²²

Daniel Mitchell is a firearms retailer and gun rights activist. In 2023, SAF awarded him its annual Distinguished Service award. ²³

Tom Taylor is executive vice president of commercial sales at SIG SAUER, chair and CEO of Honored American Veterans Afield, and a member of the Board of Governors of National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), the principal trade group for the firearms industry. Taylor is a former vice president at Smith & Wesson and former president of the Remington Outdoor Foundation’s Freedom Group. ²⁴

1. “Our Mission.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 19, 2024.https://saf.org/about/.
2. “Our History.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://saf.org/our-history/.
3. Second Amendment Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule R, Part IV.
4. Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Part VII Section A and Schedule R Part IV.
5. “Active Cases.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://saf.org/category/legal/active-case/.
6. “2024 GRPC Speakers.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://saf.org/2024-grpc-speakers/.
7. “Publications.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://saf.org/publications/.
8.  Bucksbaum Family Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule I, Part II.
9. KatherineJames Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XV, Line 3.
10.  DonorsTrust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
11. “Adam Kraut.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-kraut-b84492aa/.
12. “Lauren Hill.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenhill713/.
13. “Our Team.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://saf.org/our-team/.
14. “Matt Coffey.” LiinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-coffey-4395ba14/.
15. “William Sack.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-sack-6ab50617b/.
16. “Our Team.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://saf.org/our-team/.
17. “Alan M. Gottlieb.” ProPublica. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/name_search?q=%22Alan+M.+Gottlieb%22
18. “Our Team.” Second Amendment Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://saf.org/our-team/.
19. “Fredy Riehl.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredyriehl/?locale=es_ES.
20. “Gun Talk Radio.” Gun Talk. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.guntalk.com/gun-talk-radio.
21. California Gun Rights Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
22. “Jim Irvine.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-irvine-b26b788/.
23. “SAF Honors Dan Mitchell with Distinguished Service Award.” Second Amendment Foundation, October 10, 2023. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://saf.org/saf-honors-dan-mitchell-with-distinguished-service-award/.
24. “Tom Taylor.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-taylor-695543179/.