Huffington Magazine Issue 43 | Page 61

DIVIDE OR CONQUER that harm their cause. “The typical strategy for any savvy advocacy group would be to say, ‘What are the most appealing cases that we have the best chance of winning, and where do we have the best chances of winning them?’” said Carl Bogus, a constitutional law expert and professor of law at Roger Williams University. In the wake of the Heller decision, the NRA pursued a strategy of expanding gun rights gradually. “This makes sense, because many courts are reluctant to offer broad constitutional rulings with regard to individual rights,” said Richard Broughton, a professor of law at the University of Detroit and a former Justice Department prosecutor. “The NRA takes on specific issues, and they’re not going for broad Second Amendment rulings. Instead, they’re asking the courts to narrowly interpret gun regulations and working to win smaller victories they can build on.” Ken Klukowski, a constitutional law professor at Liberty University and former NRA staffer, agrees. “The NRA takes the long view. They are extraordinary minds for the long ball and the big picture,” he said. HUFFINGTON 04.07.13 ‘STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT’ The NRA offered a textbook display of its methods in February, when it announced it was considering a lawsuit against the Illinois State Police over a backlog in the processing of gun permit applications. Reached for comment, a spokesman said that the NRA’s litigation strategy “is designed to defend the fundamental constitutional right of our over 4.5 million members and tens of millions of supporters.” By contrast, the SAF’s strategy has been offensive, swinging “THE SAF’S BLUEPRINT FOR LITIGATION IS ‘OVERLY AGGRESSIVE AND POTENTIALLY RECKLESS.’” for the fences and often making very broad constitutional arguments. “Our feeling is strike while the iron is hot and build as much case law as you can,” Gottlieb said in an interview with The Huffington Post. “Then weave [the case law] into a spider web that’s strong enough so our opponents can’t get through it.” Gottlieb makes no secret of his desire to push more gun rights