The Connecticut Citizens Defense League sends out our heartfelt sympathies to the families, victims and the entire community of Newtown. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers always.

June 14th 2011 (Groton, CT) – The Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) on Monday joined eighteen other gun organizations representing hundreds of thousands of gun owners from twenty states and the District of Columbia by signing an Amicus Curiae brief in Peterson v. Garcia, et al. This landmark court case, filed by the Second Amendment Foundation, seeks to redress an affront to the rights of American citizens by the city of Denver, Colorado which does not permit the lawful carrying of firearms by residents of many states like Connecticut. This court case falls perfectly in line with the goals of the CCDL, which seeks to protect the fundamental right of all Americans to keep and bear arms. Denver's anti-firearm law is heinous and does little but create victims out of otherwise well intentioned citizens, and therefore must not be allowed to stand.

"This is about more than gun ownership." said organization president Scott Wilson after signing the brief. "This lawsuit is about one state saying that citizens from another state, honest citizens who have passed rigorous background checks to receive a concealed carry permit in their home state and perhaps others, are criminals if they enter the city of Denver with a handgun. This unequal treatment can have no benefit but to create victims out of good Americans who must render themselves defenseless simply due to geographical location. Our utmost appreciation goes out to the Second Amendment Foundation for their hard work on this case."

The Colorado case is another milestone on the road that was laid down by Heller v. District of Columbia in 2008 and continued in McDonald v. Chicago in 2010. These cases have stemmed the anti gun tide of the last half decade that has helped increase the violent crime rate in many of America's cities by denying law abiding citizens the right to self defense. The CCDL is thrilled to be a signatory on this new Amicus Curiae and a part of these court cases, and hopes that by influencing firearm legislation out of state the benefits of firearm ownership will be better understood and appreciated at home in Connecticut.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ccdl.us/attachments/192_Peterson%20Amicus%20Brief%20-%20Filed.pdf

The Second Amendment Foundation may be reached at http://www.saf.org

About the CCDL:
The Connecticut Citizens Defense League is a non-partisan, grassroots organization devoted to advocating rights affirmed by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Connecticut. We are especially dedicated to protecting the unalienable right of all citizens to keep and bear arms, for the defense of both self and state, through public enlightenment and legislative action.

The CCDL logo may be downloaded here: http://ccdl.us/images/CCDL/ccdl_logo.jpg

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
Peterson Amicus Brief - Filed.pdf		360 Kb
SAF - Release Amicus Denver.pdf		60 Kb

May 11, 2011 (Groton, CT) – Popular Connecticut gun rights organization the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) is now collecting canned goods at all of their meetings and events. Donations will be given to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and St. Johns Church in Sandy Hook. Scott Wilson, president of the volunteer organization, says "Community action has always been a part of our mission, we don't want to be seen as a group that only cares about guns. Firearms are just one part of the equation that represents individual liberty, and a lot of individuals have lost much of what they've spent their lives trying to build. Helping others is a moral imperative for us, just as we promote firearms ownership to lower the crime rate and keep the good guys safe." The CCDL holds regular meetings at 7:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at the Middletown Elks Lodge. Meetings are open to everyone but come early as seats fill up quickly.

For more information visit http://www.ccdl.us

Image attached, caption: CCDL Members at their 2nd Annual Picnic