MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama license plates with the slogan "Don't Tread On me" are on the way.

The Foundation for Moral Law, a Montgomery nonprofit that seeks to acknowledge God in law and government, won approval of the car tags when they passed 250 pre-commitments to purchase the specialty plates.

The plates feature the design of Continental Col. Christopher Gadsden's flag of the 1770s, which shows a coiled rattlesnake ready to strike anyone who dares tread on it.

The plate is a message to government to respect the rights of its citizens, said Matthew Kidd, executive director of the foundation.

"Rights come from God," said Kidd on Tuesday.

The foundation was founded by Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in 2003, as a defense fund for Moore when he declined to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama judicial building, according to the group's literature.

Moore was suspended as chief justice on Aug. 21, 2003. Moore served as chairman and then president of the foundation until he won election again as Alabama chief justice in 2012.

In July, Moore's wife, foundation President Kayla Moore, posted a message on Facebook saying the group was seeking the plates to promote its message of recognizing God. The tags cost $50 each; $41.25 of the proceeds will benefit the group.

The flag and symbolism are popular with tea party conservatives. And at least six other states have the flag plates: Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, and South Carolina.

The plates are somewhat popular in Virginia, according to the Virginian Pilot. As of Nov. 30, the plates have been bought by 21,800 Virginia drivers, the paper said.

Kidd said the state will begin printing the plates some time in the future, and they will be be available through the Department of Revenue on demand.

Edited at 1:12 p.m.