NEW JERSEY’S BACH
CHAMPIONS GUN RIGHTS
Scott Bach is the January 2012 Defender of the Month.
“Scott is actively involved in MULLER et al v. MAENZA et al,” states Alan Gottlieb, Chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “This is a case brought by our sister organization, The Second Amendment Foundation, to challenge the ‘deprivation of civil rights under color of law’ in the denial of permits in New Jersey.”
In his seventh year as president of the New Jersey State Rifle & Pistol Clubs, he recently became executive director of that organization. He spent almost 13 years in law enforcement and recently retired as auxiliary police captain in a large municipal police department.
He twice sued the Garden State to overturn unconstitutional handgun laws, and he defeated the Jersey City gun ban in court. He has also sued the Port Authority in New York and New Jersey for wrongly arresting honest gun owners and he helped secure a gubernatorial pardon for Brian Aitken, the traveler whose outrageous conviction for violating a New Jersey gun law made national headlines.
In his “spare time,” Bach has added to his resume three terms on the National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors — he is running for a fourth term, having been nominated by both the Nominating Committee and member petition — and he was founding chair of NRA’s Right to Carry Committee. He has served as vice chair of the NRA Public Affairs Committee and spent about six years on the Executive Committee.
Along the way, Bach secured concealed carry permits in eight states, became licensed to practice law in four states, became an NRA-certified firearms instructor, and managed to appear on television several times and participate in numerous gun rights debates. He also attended Thunder Ranch and Gunsite training courses. He also helped restore black bear hunting in New Jersey, ending a 30-year ban, after an encounter with one of the bruins.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb told Point Blank that working with Bach on various projects has been inspiring.
“Bach has the energy of any three other people,” Gottlieb observed. “When there is work to be done, Scott rolls up his sleeves. When there is a crisis, you can count on him to be there. It’s a delight to work with someone with his knowledge, talent and experience.”
Scott Bach has championed gun rights in a state where those rights have been severely eroded and much