A NOVEMBER 2025 SCOPE UPDATE
With the year drawing to a close and SCOPE marking its 60th anniversary, now is an ideal time to reflect on the organization’s work over the past several months. During this period, several new committees were formed to advance emerging initiatives. In addition, both individual and chapter membership as well as overall funding continued to grow. More and more New Yorkers are recognizing that the Second Amendment can no longer be taken for granted. Let’s take a closer look at some of the progress made.
TOP TEN MOST EGREGIOUS FIREARMS LEGISLATION UPDATE. As many know, 2026 marks the second year of a two-year legislative session. This means that bills remain on the table and numbers from 2025 remain the same in 2026. Although the New York State Legislature is currently out of session and will reconvene in January 2026, legislators in both the Assembly and Senate can—and often do—draft bills in preparation for the upcoming legislative year.
For context, in January 2025, 69 firearms-related bills were introduced. SCOPE personnel carefully reviewed each bill and narrowed the list down to SCOPE’s Top Ten Most Egregious Firearms Legislation.
SCOPE personnel will continue to review firearms legislation to keep SCOPE’s Top Ten Most Egregious Firearms Legislation list current with any new bills introduced in 2026. It is especially important for county chapters to use this document to inform both politicians and the public about Albany’s actions affecting Second Amendment rights.
CANDIDATE RATING SYSTEM. The year 2026 marks a significant election cycle in New York, with all Congressional seats, as well as the offices of Governor, Attorney General, State Senators, and Assemblymembers, up for re-election. This makes it a particularly busy period for SCOPE, whose key responsibility is to evaluate politicians based on their legislative and voting records to inform and educate our members.
On November 13, 2025, a meeting was held to establish a framework for conducting these ratings. Attendees included Tom Reynolds, Bo Rabarsky, Ron Havlen, Joe Atkinson, and John Elwood. The evaluation process will consider bills sponsored or co-sponsored, voting records, press releases and news articles, policy platforms, and the SCOPE questionnaire, which is currently being updated. We hope that chapters and other members will join us in producing our best ever result.
Given the number of offices requiring coverage, SCOPE reached out via email to other New York State Second Amendment organizations for assistance. The Candidate Rating System is scheduled to be fully operational by June 1, 2026, ahead of New York’s primary elections on June 23, 2026.
SOCIAL MEDIA COMMITTEE. One of the most significant recent developments at SCOPE is the creation of the SCOPE Social Media Committee (SSMC). Aimed at expanding youth engagement, the committee—Chris Nichols, Ken Kasek, Marsha Devine, Ron Havlen, and Joe Gigliotti—presented a comprehensive social media plan to the SCOPE Board of Directors (BOD) in October, which the BOD subsequently approved. The SSMC’s mission is to develop social media content that reaches young Americans, emphasizing the importance of the Second Amendment and showcasing SCOPE’s efforts to protect it. Initial outreach is focused on X, Reddit, and Facebook, with performance analytics used to gauge effectiveness. SCOPE’s first social media content is now live on X at https://x.com/SCOPE_NY_2A.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION PLAN. Schuyler County Chairman Robert Halpin recommended and volunteered to develop a Strategic Communication Plan (SCP) for SCOPE. A strategic communication plan is essential because it provides a roadmap for all organizational communications, ensuring they align with SCOPE’s goals, save time and resources, and build a consistent, strong brand. The plan helps define objectives, identify target audiences, and coordinate messaging across multiple channels, ultimately improving efficiency, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and increasing the likelihood of achieving organizational objectives. The SCOPE Social Media Committee (SSMC) will be integrated into the SCP, with a draft expected early in the new year.
LAWSUIT RESEARCH COMMITTEE. When you ask someone to join SCOPE, they will often respond with, “Why should I join?” There are many strong answers: SCOPE supports lawsuits that defend the Second Amendment, contributes to high school shooting sports, and educates both the public and lawmakers about firearms legislation coming out of Albany. At our most recent Board of Directors (BOD) meeting, members endorsed the idea of establishing formal criteria for determining which lawsuits SCOPE should support. Consequently, a Lawsuit Research Committee was created to recommend those criteria and advise the BOD on which cases to fund. The committee meets regularly and will brief the BOD in January with its recommendations for 2026. Ultimately, one clear answer to “Why should I join?” is that SCOPE is committed to supporting legitimate, impactful lawsuits that protect the Second Amendment.
BYLAWS REVIEW COMMITTEE. The By-laws Review Committee (BRC) meets as needed to review SCOPE By-laws, recommend updates, and address any questions from the Board of Directors (BOD). The committee is chaired by Robert Halpin and includes members Carrie Christman, Jim Krywalski, and John Elwood. Efforts are ongoing to update the SCOPE Code of Conduct, which, I hope, will be presented to the BOD in January. The most recent approved version of the SCOPE By-laws, dated October 2025, is available on the SCOPE website under “About Us” at the bottom of the page.
ALL MEMBERS’ MEETING. Coordination for the All-Members Meeting (AMM) is currently underway. The AMM is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Montour Falls Moose Lodge from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Since 2026 is a mid-term election year, the guest speaker is expected to be engaging and informative. Lunch will be provided.
The Board of Directors will convene immediately afterward at 1:00 PM.
THE 2025 SCOPE BANQUET. Planning is already underway for the 2026 SCOPE Banquet, which is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Palmyra VFW. Guest speakers have not yet been finalized, but given the significance of the upcoming election year, SCOPE will be working to secure a nationally recognized speaker.
RE-ACTIVATED CHAPTERS. Congratulations to the Erie and Chemung County chapters for successfully reactivating. Erie County resumed operations in August 2025 under the leadership of Mark Drews, while Chemung County reactivated in October 2025 with Ron Havlen serving as chapter leader.
Niagara County appears to be next on track for reactivation. The county held an initial informational meeting on October 6, followed by a second meeting on November 3, and is scheduled to meet again on December 1, 2025. The Niagara County Chapter of SCOPE is led by Simeon Mokhiber. I expect Niagara’s reactivation will be official at the next SCOPE BOD in January 2026.
On a negative note, the Capitol District Chapter of SCOPE ceased operations in October largely because attendance was non-existent. We will work in the future to reactivate the chapter.
This article highlights several key initiatives that SCOPE is currently undertaking. As 2025 draws to a close and we prepare for the new year, it is essential for SCOPE to reassess its priorities to ensure we remain effective in protecting, restoring, and expanding Second Amendment rights for all New York State citizens. I extend my sincere thanks to all SCOPE members for your time, talent, and resources in supporting and defending the Second Amendment.
With All Honor and Respect,
John R. Elwood, SCOPE President
JRElwood1355@gmail.com
