BELLEVUE, Wash. — Oct. 6, 2025 — During the 40th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC), the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) presented several prestigious awards to honor those who have gone above and beyond in the advocacy of our Second Amendment rights over the past year.
“We were honored to present awards to those in the Second Amendment space who are deserving of such a distinction,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This year’s recipients are the people who are on the front lines fighting for our civil liberties and who unapologetically support SAF’s work – whether in the courtroom, the lecture hall or in the media. It was a privilege to share the stage with these award winners and to publicly recognize their achievements over the past year.”
This year’s awards and recipients include:
Golden Bowtie Award: Presented to people and/or organizations who have made significant contributions of time, talent and treasure to SAF and its mission.
- Chris Cox,gun rights advocate and influential legislative strategist
Defender of Liberty: Awarded to individuals and/or organizations for their significant contributions to defending the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
- Mike Harris, Director of Public Policy, Gun Owners’ Action League
- Edward Paltzik, Litigation Counsel for SAF, Of Counsel to Houston-based firm Taylor Dykema
- Bryan Strawser, Chairman of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus
- Ava Flanell, Vice-President of Legislative Engagement, Colorado State Shooting Association
Bill of Rights: Recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the preservation of civil liberties.
- Andrew Bailey, Former Missouri Attorney General, current Co-Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Scholar of the Year: Presented to academics and other scholars who have made significant contributions to the history and meaning of the individual right to keep and bear arms.
- David Kopel, Research Director of the Independence Institute, Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute and Adjunct Professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Denver University, Sturm College of Law.
Journalist of the Year: Recognizes journalists and media members for their contributions to reporting on gun rights and Second Amendment issues.
- AWR Hawkins, Award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins.
“As in years past, the 2025 award winners are the scholars, advocates and media members who have excelled in promoting and educating the public about our constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “It was an honor to publicly recognize those who are such staunch advocates of our Second Amendment rights during this year’s GRPC.”
For more information visit SAF.org.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
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