Stephen (Steve) Leonard,  Director of Marketing and Communications

Hello SCOPE members,

This is Steve Leonard. I’m pleased to introduce myself as the newest member of the SCOPE leadership team.

I am a lifelong New York State resident, have been married to my wife Lynn for 35 years, and am the proud father of two daughters, Anna and Julia.

As a SCOPE member in Steuben County, I am re-entering the public arena following an 18-month retirement from an executive role at Siemens Energy.

On Saturday, April 18th, the SCOPE Board of Directors appointed me as Director of Marketing and Communications. In this volunteer role, I will lead our strategic marketing and communications efforts with one clear goal: turn out more gun owners and Second Amendment supporters to the polls this November.

You may wonder why I accepted this volunteer position. It’s simple. Governor Kathy Hochul continues to push some of the most extreme anti-second amendment laws in the nation. In addition, her policies — from the costly Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) to cashless bail — are making New York more expensive and less safe. Meanwhile, billions in taxpayer dollars support sanctuary policies that prioritize illegal immigrants over New York citizens.

It’s time for a change in Albany!

In the 2022 gubernatorial election, Hochul won by roughly 378,000 votes. Conservative estimates indicate that more than 1.2 million gun owners and 2A supporters stayed home! If slightly more than 30% of them had voted, we would likely have a pro-2A governor in office today.

To reach far more people ahead of the 2026 election, we will be more heavily leveraging social media tools. In just the last couple of days, I’ve begun posting on the S.C.O.P.E., Inc. Facebook page.

While we currently have about 3,000 dues-paying members, our Facebook group has nearly 7,500 members. We are looking to significantly expand that number in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to use email for internal SCOPE member communications, but I strongly encourage you to join our Facebook group (if you haven’t already). It’s the fastest way to access timely information and easily share it with family, friends, and neighbors across our great state.

Our rights aren't disappearing overnight; they are being eroded by a thousand small cuts. We can no longer afford the luxury of apathy. While many gun owners and 2A supporters sit idle, New York is systematically stripping away the freedoms our ancestors fought to secure. It is time to we help motivate those on the sidelines and get them to the polls.

I’ll close with a final thought…. If we don’t act now to elect leaders this November who will protect our constitutional rights, then when?

Thank you in advance for your support. I’m looking forward to working with you.

In Liberty,
Stephen (Steve) Leonard
Director of Marketing and Communications
S.C.O.P.E – Shooters Committee On Political Education