We just received some amazing news that will impact houses of worship throughout the state of New York.

Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected the State of New York’s unconstitutional attempt to make His Tabernacle Family Church—and all houses of worship in New York—gun-free zones.

New York had previously enacted expansive laws to prohibit the possession of firearms in houses of worship and other “sensitive” areas regardless of whether a person possesses a license to carry.

While this law singled out houses of worship making them gun-free zones, businesses were still allowed to use firearms to defend themselves.

The Second Circuit Court found this law to be unconstitutional and it explained in its opinion that it is, “hard to see how the law advances the interests of religious organizations, as a whole, by denying them agency to choose for themselves whether to permit firearms.”

Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty, explained, “The court made it clear that the U.S. Constitution grants the right of self-defense for all Americans and houses of worship cannot be disarmed. No American should be forced to sacrifice one constitutionally protected freedom to enjoy another.”

First Liberty Institute and the law firms of Clement & Murphy PLLC and Ganguly Brothers PLLC filed the lawsuit on behalf of His Tabernacle, a nondenominational church founded by Pastor Micheal Spencer.

Pastor Spencer said, “We are grateful that the Court protected our First Amendment freedoms to make decisions about the safety of our congregation.”

This is a great victory for His Tabernacle.

It is because of supporters like you, we were able to fight and win for Pastor Spencer and all houses of worship in New York.

And just like with all of our clients, Pastor Spencer will never receive a bill for our services.

Throughout this month, you have an opportunity to be a force multiplier for faith thanks to our $600,000 Matching Grant. When you make a gift before midnight on December 31st, the impact of your gift will be doubled.

Your timely gift today will make sure we can stay on the frontlines in the fight for faith. Together, we can deliver more victories like this one at our nation’s highest courts.

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