The lawyers for both sides made it official today: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership has merged with the Second Amendment Foundation, guaranteeing JPFO will live on in its role as an educational organization dedicated to gun ownership rights, particularly for Jewish folks, but Gentiles as well.
Robert Meier, board member of JPFO prior to the agreement, told us that it was a very difficult decision to make, especially after putting so much of his time and life into the group, along with Aaron Zelman and a host of others, including many volunteers.
He said it was critical to the long-term success of JPFO’s name and mission that an organization with the sound management and financial depth take the group over as it was foundering badly. Currently, the group founded by civil rights giant Aaron Zelman as several thousand members and an impressive library of creative works to manage. Meier believes the Second Amendment Foundation is just such an organization that can pull off managing and caring for those resources.
SAF ANNOUNCES MERGER OF JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP
4 Sep 2014
BELLEVUE, WA (SAF) – The Second Amendment Foundation today announced that Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) has become part of the SAF family, bringing together two stalwart gun rights organizations under one banner.
“We’re both delighted and proud to announce this merger,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “JPFO was founded 25 years ago by the late Aaron Zelman, and it has become a strong voice in defense of the Second Amendment. I’m personally confident that bringing JPFO into the SAF extended family will benefit firearms owners at many levels.”
Zelman passed away in 2010, and for the past four years, the JPFO has worked hard to maintain its position in the gun rights community.
“We see this as a tremendous opportunity,” said Gottlieb. “With SAF’s resources, we expect JPFO to continue its important work and grow to meet new challenges, educating people about the pitfalls of gun control, and the benefits of gun ownership and personal protection.”
Gottlieb said JPFO operations will be transferred from Wisconsin, where it was founded by Zelman in 1989, to the SAF offices at Liberty Park in Bellevue, Wash. JPFO editorial support staff will stay on and help maintain organizational continuity, he added.
“A few years ago,” Gottlieb noted, “Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership also merged into the SAF family and it has proven to be a great benefit to the gun rights community.”
By joining with the foundation, JPFO will also become a member organization of the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights (IAPCAR) and expand its reach internationally.
JPFO will be operated independently as a project of SAF and current members and contributors to the organization will continue to receive all benefits promised, Gottlieb added. JPFO’s website will continue to run independently as a stand-alone entity but will now include links to it from TheGunMag.com, KeepandBearArms.com, as well as SAF.org.