Big Brother is Watching and Regulating  by Tom Reynolds

The Russian government, otherwise known as Vladimir Putin, has been shutting down opposition viewpoints.  TV stations have been shuttered and social media shut down.  Criticizing the government is against the law and it can get you fifteen years in prison.  (Or 24 hours watching videos of Kamala Harris’ and Joe Biden’s speeches, whichever is considered the harsher punishment.)

It could never happen here, could it?  (Censorship…not watching Biden and Harris speak.)

It did and still does.

John Adams was a great believer in the rights that were later enshrined in the Bill of Rights.  But when he was president, the Sedition Acts were passed, which made it illegal to criticize the government.  Adams’ defenders try to minimize his participation, but his Attorney General put people in prison because of it.  And if you don’t believe it was political, the Act expired on the last day of Adams’ presidency.  (Proving that given power, even the well intentioned can be corrupted.)

When Woodrow Wilson was president, the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 sent people to prison for criticizing the government.  In addition, newspapers were denied mailing privileges, the major source of wide spread circulation in that era.  Most worrisome is that the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of these acts!

Unlike Adams, Wilson was never well intentioned.  His stance should not come as a surprise, since he was not a fan of the US Constitution.  He did not care for those pesky ideas about separation of powers, which interfered with his progressive ideals of the USA becoming an administrative state run by experts and not run by “We the People”.  (Hmm….where have we seen that lately?) 

Franklin Roosevelt considered Huey Long one of the two most dangerous men in America.  (The other most dangerous person was General Douglas MacArthur.)   Those two were possible opponents in a future presidential election.  Roosevelt also went after a former Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon, and had the IRS investigating both Long and Mellon.  Long was assassinated before anything could come of it and Mellon was tried and acquitted on tax fraud charges.  While neither Mellon nor Long qualified for sainthood, their main fault, in Roosevelt’s eyes, was the sin of opposing him and his policies and possibly denying him another presidential term.

Currently, Joe Biden, through his Press Secretary Jan Psaki, revealed that the US government was actively coordinating with Facebook to flag the posts of United States citizens for being “problematic” and containing COVID-19 “misinformation.”  Psaki said, “In terms of actions that we have taken or we’re working to take…we’ve increased disinformation research and tracking”.   “Problematic”, “disinformation” and “misinformation” can best be described as anything that disagrees with the Biden administration.  

Judicial Watch revealed that State of California pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google/YouTube) to censor posts about the 2020 election. For instance, a California state agency successfully pressured YouTube to censor a Judicial Watch video concerning “vote by mail” and also a Judicial Watch lawsuit settlement about California voter rolls clean up.

Government is the most powerful body in the nation – and in the case of the U.S.A., in the world.  Only the government can legally imprison you or take your life, in accordance with laws the government makes and enforces.    Anyone subject to direct government inspection in order to operate a business or organization knows the power of “Big Brother”; inspectors and regulators can shut you down.  No one wants an IRS audit, even if you have done nothing wrong.  Conform to the government’s party line or die.

Standing in the way of big government is the US Constitution. Big government and those who promote big government are not happy with that limitation, so they look for ways to skirt around the Constitution.  Adams and Wilson used laws to shut down opposition but Biden has figured out that the Constitution only limits the government and private parties are generally free to do things that the government cannot.  Private parties simply need a nudge from big government in order to do things the government cannot legally do.

“…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, does not apply to private property.  Feel free to declare your property a gun free zone – or not.  But what if the local zoning board makes it apparent that, if you want a building permit, your property must be a gun free zone?

“Congress shall make no law …abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press” does not apply to TV and radio; TV and radio can “abridge” - or not “abridge” - all they want.  But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates and licenses TV and radio stations and has discretion in issuing or denying licenses.  An FCC dominated by Biden appointed commissioners could find reasons to deny licenses to those that do not conform to Biden’s ideology.          

Trust the science.  But science is based on the free exchange of ideas and the freedom to challenge any ideas.  As pointed out earlier, the Biden administration is strong-arming private social media organizations to label those who disagree with “government approved science” as disinformation and then to censor it.  (If science is based on the free exchange of ideas and that free exchange is prohibited, is what remains science?)

Our founders understood the dangers of an all-powerful central government but also understood the need for that same central government to exist.  They put direct limits on government, such as the Bill of Rights, and structural limits, such as the separation of powers.  The Left will use laws as a way to increase and stabilize their power, whenever they can.  Which is why we need a truly independent Judicial System that rules in accordance with the Constitution, as written.

Through another branch of government, the Left has found a way to threaten our rights protected by the Constitution.  Donald Trump named it the “Swamp”, when he should have called it the “Sewer”.  It consists of the administrative experts that Woodrow Wilson so loved.  It’s career bureaucrats who ignore executives that do not agree with the Sewer’s beliefs and it rules like the kings of old, by divine right rather than the Constitution.  Using too many laws giving them too much power, the Sewer can destroy those they target.  Things like the FCC and the Department of Education can force ideas and values on private citizens, using the powers to regulate and budget. 

Ronald Reagan said the most dangerous words were “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”.  More government is not the answer and it forms a real threat to our rights.  If “We the People” do not take back control of our government in November, we may well be forfeiting our rights.  The Left never stops undermining the Constitution, either directly or indirectly.

Another Shooting  by Tom Reynolds

The leftist media is quick to publicize any shooting that furthers their goal of doing away with the 2^nd Amendment.

Not every shooting.  Only those that serve their purposes.  They ignore defensive uses of a gun, of which the minimum estimate is that defensive use of a gun happens 500,000 times a year.  (That minimum estimate is by the Center for Disease Control, not exactly a rabid fan of 2A.)  We won’t expand on those incidents since they are easy to look up – although, not in the NY Times.

On March 14^th, a U S Consulate came under fire.  Twenty-two military installations and sixteen road blockades were also attacked. Spike strips were put across the road to interrupt traffic and several semi-trucks were set on fire.  700 military personnel and 4 helicopters were required to secure the area.  No, not in the Ukraine or some other hot spot overseas.  And not in Spokane Washington where BLM and ANTIFA have rioted.  But in Mexico, only a few blocks from the US Mexican border.  It happened in Nuevo Laredo which is just across the Rio Grande from Laredo Texas. Reuters News Agency has characterized this area as “one of the most violent regions of the country”.  This occurred because a Mexican drug lord, “El Huevo”, was arrested and extradited to the USA.

A U S Consulate within walking distance of the U S Mexican border was caught in heavy fighting.  If this happened overseas, we could expect an immediate call to send in the U S military to protect our interests and, perhaps, evacuate personnel from such a dangerous area.  But since it happened at our southern border – hey, no big deal.  Admitting that our open southern border abuts such a violent area that military personnel had to be used to put down the violence would not reflect well on Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

Remember, in 2004, when the mutilated and charred bodies of four American civilian contractors were dragged through the streets of Falluja?   Closer to home, last November, the tortured bodies of nine men were found hanging from a bridge in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. 

Mexico is aflame with wars between drug cartels and on civilians.  And it doesn’t stop at the border.  These same violent cartels are the wholesalers of drugs into the USA.  For over half a decade, the DEA has been warning that Mexican drug cartels transport drugs into the country where they wholesale it to local distributors, such as the gangs that sell it on the street.  (We should point out that the Biden administration is focused-like-a-laser on the opioid epidemic by going after “Big Pharma” and is not interested in closing the border that the Mexican drug cartels must cross.) 

What does this have to do with gun rights and the 2^nd Amendment?

Gun grabbers love to use statistics about children being killed by guns but, for some reason, usually neglect to point out that most of these murders are youth gang related.  What finances these murderous gangs?  Mexican drugs.

Gun grabbers also like to equate the record setting purchases of guns to the Covid epidemic while ignoring the real reason: riots in the USA that go unpunished and violence on our border.  They also like to blame the increase in crime on the increase in gun sales.  While the left may blame increased sales on Covid and increased crimes on more guns, those of us who – legally - bought the guns know that the soft-on-crime policies of mayors, governors and the president have led to our increased need to arm ourselves for protection. 

The Left wants the American people to focus on only one side of any issue.  For instance, it points out the number of gun related crimes but ignores the number of instances when the gun stopped a crime or protected innocent lives.  In immigration, the Left focuses on those desperate illegal immigrants and ignores that an open border facilitates drug trafficking and border crossing by criminals. The Left spews statistics on the number of gun related crimes but ignores that most gun related crimes are committed with illegal guns.

Some people who defend the 2^nd Amendment do not want to get involved in other issues: it’s politics.  Well, they are right that it is politics but it’s all related.  Immigration, racial politics in schools, federal budget deficits, anti-2A proposals, etc.  They’re all related and we ignore any of them at our own peril.

It is amazing that we are seeing at our southern border something close to a failed nation, which is engulfed in violence.  Instead of increasing border security, the leadership in Washington is doing nothing to protect American citizens.  It’s almost as if the Left has a plan…

Letter From a SCOPE Member

SCOPE members often write to us with their thoughts on various issues.  Excerpts from one recent E mail is well worth wider redistribution.

The Biden administration, media and Democrat party continue the takedown of America by carpet bombing our border, federal budget, health and education systems, judicial system, policing, energy independence, our military, the internal combustion engine and the social norms of gender identity, child rearing, family and marriage. There is little doubt that, at the (eventual) back end of this overturn of constitutional rights and societal norms, is the abolishment of the Second Amendment.

The road to the gutting of the Second Amendment goes through the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment. Look for more red flag laws, a tie-in from guns to “national health,” mandatory firearm insurance, limits on ammunition by law and or costs and a new focus on “automatic” or “assault rifles,” because criminals are now using fully automatic weapons in the commission of crime.  (See the crime rise and automatic weapons being used in Houston.)  Many of these criminals are cartel members who have brought their automatic weapons with them as they relocate from Mexico to Houston and other Texas cities. 

You know this. I know this. What is beyond knowing, exactly, is why not one Republican politician - state or national - dares to put all of this traitorous behavior in strong, clear speech on a meeting room floor. To remain silent (whether in fear or ignorance or complicity) at times such as these is well beyond the bounds of the generally accepted “don’t get upset or take it seriously, it’s only politics.” There is no excuse, there are no acceptable reasons for the political silence we now have as the nation collapses under an internal betrayal.

During the American Revolution a mere thirteen percent of colonists actively supported the revolution by putting life or fortune on the line.  The other eighty seven percent rode the fence or betrayed their fellow colonists by supporting the crown. Unfortunately, today, we don’t have that mere thirteen percent of elected representatives fearlessly speaking the truth in defense of America.  

And that is sad because it would change everything.

As the writer pointed out, we can’t rely on most politicians to take on issues unless we, the voters who keep them in office, are willing to spend the time prodding them into action.  This November’s election is less than 8 months away and the future of America is at stake.  Primaries that will determine who runs for office are coming in June.  Win or lose the Left will not stop trying to overturn the 2^nd Amendment.  Work for and elect candidates who will defend the Constitution.

Westchester County Seeks Permission to Set Pistol License Fees  by Robert Romanowski 

The Westchester County Board of Legislators has requested “home rule” legislation from Albany that would allow the County of Westchester to raise Pistol License fees to any amount.

Bill A-07939 introduced in the Assembly by Steven Otis (D-Port Chester) and S06659 in the NYS Senate by Shelly B. Mayer (D- Port Chester) would allow Westchester to have home rule.  That is, to set its own licensing fees.  Westchester County currently uses the New York State fee schedule.  All of this is being done without any comment from the public, pistol licensees or gun owners.

This legislation would allow the county to set fees for new applications, amendments and re-certifications.  It has been reported that the current $10.00 fee could rise to as much as $200.00 per year, raising the cost of a 5-year re-certification to $1000.00. This could make pistol licenses unaffordable to a whole segment of the community such as retirees, people on a fixed income and lower income wage earners.

This legislation has nothing to do with any kind of budget shortfall in Westchester County and everything to do with making a Constitutional right unaffordable to as many Westchester County residents as possible and to discourage others from applying for permits.

Beware of actions like this in our home county!

All SCOPE members are urged to contact their State Senator and Assembly member and tell them to please oppose this legislation.  By killing these bills in Albany, Westchester County cannot act on this matter.

If you are a Westchester County resident, please call 914-995-2800 to tell your County Legislator that you oppose this legislation.

Pistol Permit Recertification Email

Several SCOPE members are getting emails about their pistol permit recertification and are, legitimately, concerned about a scam. SCOPE tried to get confirmation from the state police.

A visit to the state police web site is not helpful in confirming if these Emails are valid.

The state police web site “contact information” contains a phone number.  (You will have a better chance reaching the IRS on April 15^th).  We tried.  After a very long message you get to press 1 and end up in oblivion.

The web site also has an Email address - but it goes to the governor.  Good luck getting a timely response that does not refer you to the state police web site.

Finally, calling the local troop headquarters got a human being who tried to help.  She investigated and could only say, “We believe Emails are being sent out”.  She could not confirm yes or no and she cautioned not to click on any links in the Email.

Our best advice is to treat the Email as a reminder, only.  Do not click on the links.  Below is the information that SCOPE previously sent out.  It contains a legitimate link to start the recertification process. 

The deadline for pistol permit renewal in New York is five years after your exact date of certification.

Examples: 1/1/2017 is due 1/1/2022; 1/31/2017 is due 1/31/2022; 1/1/2018 is due 1/1/2023

You can check on the date you certified on this site:  NYS Pistol Permit Recertification

You will need your driver's license number.

It's faster submitting the information on-line, but you can still submit a paper application

Information is available at the NY website.   NYS Pistol Permit Recertification

You will need all of the information on the pistols you will be submitting AND your New York Driver's license

SCOPE strongly suggests that, before sending the information in,

you TRIPLE CHECK the information, as just one mistake can cause a problem.

After submitting, you can go back to the "HOME PAGE" and check for confirmation that your application has been accepted and that you're "good".

Do yourself a big favor and print out the information so you can have it when you have to renew again.

You Gotta Be Kidding!  by Tom Reynolds

When did Albany and Washington get transported to some alternate universe?

Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a rise in gun ownership and also a rise in crime.  The Left claims that gun ownership causes the rise in crime.  Since we are the ones buying the guns, we know that more crime creates more gun ownership; we buy guns to protect ourselves, not to commit crimes.

 The left ignores riots, looting, arson and murder as punishable crimes.  They also ignore other causes such as soft-on-crime D.A.’s and bail reform.  The latter, is a revolving door through the criminal justice system for criminals, as the Left puts criminal rights before victim rights.  There are unending reports of freed criminals committing even more crimes once they walk through the revolving door…again and again.

Why stop with just bail reform to free criminals?  In a particularly tone deaf, in-your-face act, New York State is closing prisons.  With crime rising, wouldn’t it be logical to predict that more people will be jailed? Not so to Governor Hochul. In the future, watch for the excuse that we can’t jail criminals because prison overcrowding is inhumane.

On another issue, most economists would agree that when any government prints money, inflation pressures mount.  The only real point of contention is whether or not the government has to do their printing over a short period in order to trigger inflation.  

You may have noticed that we are in an inflationary spiral that even Joe Biden no longer calls “transitory”.  You may also have noticed that the government is spending money like a drunken sailor (with apologies to drunken sailors).  All fueling more and more inflation.

In the midst of all this, Congress is about to pass another $1.5 trillion bill. It’s 2,741 pages long!  Anyone read all of it?  It’s reported there is $100 billion for Green New Deal initiatives.  Washington doesn’t see a down side to the endless printing of money or trillion-dollar deficits.  It’s as if both parties in Washington have just given up on fiscal self-control and are saying, “Let’s party” as the Titanic nears the iceberg.  For some, that iceberg is going to hit this November - if we can still afford the gas to drive to the polls. 

Joe Biden believes the world’s biggest threat is Global Climate Change, so he is trying to shut down American oil production and oil pipelines.  But he is also asking foreign countries to pump more oil in the current crisis over oil and gas prices.

The U.S.A. is definitely part of the “globe”.  But the last time I looked at a world map, so were Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, Iran and Canada.  Apparently, Biden has different world maps than the rest of us.

Since “Global whatever” is our biggest threat, China is somewhere down the list.  We can do sanctions against Russia because of the Ukrainian invasion and there’s not much Putin can do about it in economic retaliation against the USA. 

But what about China if it invades Taiwan? Chinese interests bought Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer and processor in the world.  Another Chinese company bought AMC Entertainment, one of the largest movie theatre chains in the USA.  A Chinese company, Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group, Inc. is building a $100 million plant in Thomasville, Alabama.  Guizhou Gouchuang Energy Holdings Group spent 616 million dollars to acquire Triple H Coal Co. in Jacksboro, Tennessee. (Yeah, China is mining coal in the USA.  How’s that helping global whatever?)  After being bailed out by U.S. taxpayers, GM is involved in 11 joint ventures with Chinese companies.  A lack of Chinese made computer chips is affecting car production in the USA.

Biden and our NATO allies ignored the implications of becoming dependent upon Russian oil and Natural Gas and that certainly had to embolden Putin’s war plans for the Ukraine.  Anyone in Washington concerned about Chinese sanctions against the USA if we take action against China in a Taiwan crisis?  Nah!  Let’s spend some more money on the Green New Deal and party!   

After World War 2, Britain raised its income tax levels so high that many millionaires left Britain, often giving up their British citizenship.  ”Ozzy” Osbourne just announced that, because of high taxes, he is leaving California and moving back to England.

The lack of Bipartisanship is often decried.  For example, Democrats want “Drop Boxes” for voting and Republicans believe that will lead to voter fraud.  How about a bipartisan compromise?  Andrew Wilkow suggests putting the Drop Boxes in gas stations.

Response to Biden’s State of the Union Address  by Tim Andrews

Biden said, “And we’ll do everything in my power to crack down on gun trafficking, of ghost guns that you can buy online, assemble at home — no serial numbers, can’t be traced.”

Response: What’s he waiting for?  There are plenty of laws already on the books prohibiting illegal gun trafficking.  Guns must have enough metal to be detected by airport metal detectors.  With the exception of some antique guns, it’s illegal to sell a gun without serial numbers. 

The problem is that Federal gun laws are rarely enforced and are often plea-bargained away.

Biden said, “I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence. Pass universal background checks. Why should anyone on the terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon? Why? Why?”

Response: Why? Because everyone on the terrorist watch list is not a terrorist or a criminal. The most famous example was Senator Ted Kennedy who was on the terrorist list. Gun purchasers are required to pass an FBI background check and the terrorist watch list is not part of the criteria and, given its inaccuracies, it shouldn’t be.

Biden said, “And folks, ban assault weapons with high-capacity magazines that hold up to a hundred rounds. You think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests?”

Response: Ban assault weapons? If the current tragedy in Ukraine teaches us anything it’s the importance of the Second Amendment. The government of Ukraine is arming their population; news reports have said, “they’re handing out Kalashnikovs like candy.” A firearm is ultimately the last line of defense of freedom and liberties against foreign or domestic enemies, just ask a Ukrainian citizen. We don’t need a law banning so-called assault weapons.  If anything, we need a law mandating every citizen own one.

Biden’s reference to deer hunting exposes either his ignorance or he’s simply a liar. There is no documentation that would suggest the founders intended the Second Amendment to guarantee a right to a firearm for hunting game. James Madison proposed the amendment because he clearly feared a tyrannical government. It’s criminal that the president who took an oath to protect and defend the constitution could be so dishonest and misrepresent it so.

The founders had not just returned from hunting, they had just freed a nation

Biden said, “Look; repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can’t be sued. The only one.”

Response: Another Biden lie. Gun manufacturers are subject to the same product liability laws as any other product manufacturer.  If a person is injured or killed as a result of a gun having a manufactured defect, they do have the right to sue the gun manufacturer.

Biden is misrepresenting what he really wants to do. The purpose is to drive manufacturers out of the retail gun business. His plan is to pass a law where crime victims could sue manufacturers of firearms whose guns were used in a crime. Apply this law to the auto industry and a victim of a drunk driver could sue Ford if the perpetrator drove one of their vehicles.

Biden said, “Imagine had we done that with the tobacco manufacturers.”

Response: Another misrepresentation and deception.  Because the tobacco industry lied and hid data regarding the dangers of smoking, they were successfully sued. Just as any product manufacturer, gun and auto manufacturers can be sued if they lie and deceive regarding the sale of a defective product or one that causes diseases.

Biden said, “These laws don’t infringe on the Second Amendment. They save lives.”

Response: Mr. President, you dishonor your office, because you have long been a habitual liar, which continues with your proposals that violate the Constitution that you swore to protect and defend.

There is no question that crime is out of control but it has more to do with Democrat D.A.’s who refuse to prosecute dangerous criminals, bail reform, illegal immigration (about which you refuse to do anything) and other Democrat policies. History has proven passing gun laws restricting law-abiding citizens and leaving criminals free to roam our streets will give us exactly what we have today, more and more crime.

And don’t forget, Biden’s party has spent two years chanting, “Defund the police”.

While You Were Watching The Ukraine  by Tom Reynolds

The NY State Supreme Court dismissed NY Attorney General Letitia James’ attempt to dissolve the NRA.  Judge Joel Cohen wrote: “…the Complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the ‘corporate death penalty’…moreover, dissolving the NRA could impinge, at least indirectly, on the free speech and assembly rights of its millions of members.”

The suit against the NRA and several NRA officers will continue without the corporate death penalty.  Cohen wrote, “The Attorney General’s allegations in this case, if proven, tell a grim story of greed, self-dealing, and lax financial oversight at the highest levels of the National Rifle Association…They describe in detail a pattern of exorbitant spending and expense reimbursement for the personal benefit of senior management, along with conflicts of interest, related party transactions, cover-ups, negligence, and retaliation against dissidents and whistleblowers who dared to investigate or complain, which siphoned millions of dollars away from the NRA’s legitimate operations.”

The NRA is the thousand-pound gorilla in defense of the 2nd Amendment and James and her fellow gun grabbers will do anything to weaken or destroy the NRA, for political purposes.

There is no word if James will appeal the judge’s decision.

New York Judge Rules Out Dissolving the NRA | The Reload

Joe Biden is rewriting the “public charge” regulations on immigration to let very poor illegal aliens get both welfare and citizenship. The replacement rule will help provide green cards and citizenship to poor illegal and legal aliens, including many who are unable or unwilling to support themselves. 

If you think your vote doesn’t count now, wait until an illegal alien turned U.S. citizen can vote.  If the Democrats can’t win elections with current voters, they want to create a whole new group of voters, who have no connection to the USA, other than receiving welfare.  Guess how they will vote to use your tax dollars?

DHS Mayorkas OK's Citizenship for Migrants Who Rely on Welfare (breitbart.com)

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would use the Emergency Act declaration to target the financial support systems of the people supporting the “Trucker Protest”, he undermined the Canadian banking system, which led to massive withdrawals of cash from banks.  He also derailed, at least temporarily, the plans of the World Economic Forum to create a “Digital ID” in Canada.

Trudeau showed how easy it is for government to seize bank accounts, credit cards, etc. and cut you off from money (without due process). He also led people to realize that the government could financially destroy you -more efficiently - with a Digital ID in place.

Proponents of digital ID justify it by saying it can assist governments to better plan for your needs. (Big Brother will take care of you.)  Governments could analyze your “needs” – as it defines those needs – in order to meet those needs. (From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs.)  Governments could build profiles on the social, political, and economic behaviors of people.

Of course, the same information could also be used for political manipulation, stifling of expression, exclusion of dissenters, and other similar motives.  Digital ID programs would create databases that could easily destroy the right to privacy. (You must have heard about the illegal misuse of NSA data in the Russian hoax.  Misuse that is not being prosecuted.  Digital ID puts that on steroids.) 

Remember Canada when the Digital ID is proposed in America.

BOOM, Trudeau Reversal Motive Surfaces - Canadian Banking Association Was Approved by World Economic Forum To Lead the Digital ID Creation - The Last Refuge (theconservativetreehouse.com)

Digital identities: Issues and cases - Diplo (diplomacy.edu)

Some good news…sorta.

Under the gun ownership prohibitions in the National Firearms Act, an AOW is a catch-all definition for “any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person and from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive.”

Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced a bill called the “No Backdoor Gun Control Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove the “any other weapons” (AOW) definition of a firearm.

Rep. Roy said, “Bearing arms in self-defense is a human right. It is evident from the ATF’s behavior that, under Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the agency is hellbent on attacking the Second Amendment through every means at its disposal”.  (‘Say it aint so, Joe.  Say it aint so’!)  “The NFA’s ‘Any Other Weapon’ provision would still allow an anti-gun administration to use the ATF to unilaterally regulate these firearms, and, more importantly, target their owners. The No Backdoor Gun Control Act would close this notable loophole and help protect law-abiding gun owners.”

In the current gun grabbing dominated Washington, there is almost no chance of this passing but it is nice to see the Republicans go on the offensive for a change.

Bill To Remove AOWs From The NFA Introduced In Congress - AmmoLand.com

The Biden Administration and an animal-rights group (the Center for Biological Diversity) have announced settlement discussions over a lawsuit that could revoke hunting opportunities on nearly 100 National Wildlife Refuges, nationwide. The lawsuit alleges that hunting on refuges threatens endangered species due to: hunters trampling critical habitat; lead poisoning as a result of spent ammunition; and because grizzly bears are mistakenly shot by hunters believing them to be black bears or in self-defense.

Since an antigun group is negotiating with the antigun Biden Administration, this is like two wolves and a sheep holding a majority-rules vote on what to have for dinner.

Biden Admin Negotiating with Animal Activists Over Public Land Hunting - Sportsmen's Alliance (sportsmensalliance.org)

State Of The Union?  by Tom Reynolds

Biden said, during his State of the Union Address, “I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence...Pass universal background checks. Why should anyone on a terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon?  Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines."

Proven measures?

Apparently, Biden thinks (I use the word loosely) that terrorists will try to go through a NICS check to buy weapons.  Of course, Biden’s administration believes that parents at school board meetings are terrorists.  Will protesting at a school board meeting bar you from buying a gun under Biden’s proposals?  (You can bet on it!)

He also omitted any reference to his and his party’s soft-on-crime stances as being responsible for the increase in all crime and violence.  But he did reverse the Democrats’ years’ long position on defunding the police.  (Did the “science” change on defunding the police or did the polls change?)

Then, in response to his proposed ban on what he describes as high-capacity magazines, Biden said, "You think the deer are wearing a kevlar vest?"  Did Biden forget that he opened his speech talking about Ukraine?  Are Ukrainians asking for more weapons so they can go deer hunting?  Did Biden forget the Ukrainian President’s response to Biden’s offer for escape: ”I need ammunition, not a ride”.  If Biden sends ammunition, will it be limited to 10 round magazines?     

Biden repeated an often-repeated Democrat lie when he said "repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can’t be sued."  Republican Rep. Thomas Massie tweeted the truth:  "Big Biden Lie…Truth: If guns malfunction, the manufacturers can be sued. Not so with vaccines!"  So, as Massie pointed out, Biden told a double lie: first, about gun manufacturers and second about vaccine manufacturers. 

Former CIA analyst Buck Sexton explained it further when he tweeted. "No other industry is made liable for criminal misuse of their product. But his base is full of hysterics who hate gun owners, so facts don’t matter."

If Biden can boldly lie about one thing, how much else in the speech was a lie?  Let’s make that list shorter: how much was the truth?

• Ukrainian Guns  by Tom Reynolds

  There is a popular cartoon / meme (often seen on SCOPE’s Facebook page) that goes something like:  The founders didn’t pass the 2^nd Amendment because they liked hunting.  They had just freed a nation.  That took on more meaning with the recent events in the Ukraine.

  Here are some interesting facts about gun ownership in Ukraine.

  According to the Geneva Switzerland based “Small Arms Survey” of 2017, the USA is number 1 in the world with 120.5 guns per 100 people.  Ukraine is ranked number 88 with 9.9 per 100 people.  This includes both legal and illegal guns.

  In 2017, the U.S. population was 326 million and Ukraine’s was 44 million.  That equates to about 4 million firearms in Ukrainian civilian hands.  (If Ukraine had the same percentage guns per person as America, they would have about 50 million guns in civilian hands.  Would that have caused Putin to think a bit more before invading?)   

  According to the National Police of Ukraine, less than one-quarter of the 4 million are legally owned.*

  Handguns are not allowed but there are a few exceptions.**  (Let me guess, politicians and their friends are those exceptions.)  Some exceptions get handguns that fire rubber bullets.

  GunPolicy.org which is a research branch of the University of Sidney, Australia, (and not a fan of civilian gun ownership) estimated that the Ukrainian military had 7 million small arms.*** 

  And in an example of liberal statements that seem silly, today, GunPolicy.org also stated that guns in the Ukraine were: “Inherited as an ‘unsought burden’ by a former Soviet state with no current need for it”****

  Various sources report that, prior to the current emergency, civilians could legally own a semi-automatic firearm as well as a rifle or a shotgun, if you had the permit.  Magazine capacity was 10 rounds.  As with restricted pistol permits in the New York, Ukrainian permits had to state a purpose such as: hunting, target practice, etc.

  Ukraine is what, in the USA, we call “may issue”.  A SCOPE member with a friend in Western Ukraine was told by that friend “he could easily get a hunting rifle as long as you bribed the local police chief”.  (Sounds like NY City!)  Ukraine’s laws are described as somewhere between most of Europe’s (highly restrictive) and the USA’s (too restrictive - or too lenient if you are on the Left).

  In the current Russian invasion crisis, it’s been widely reported that civilians in Kiev were given 10,000 automatic rifles.  The reports have not stated how many rounds of ammunition they were given. 

  Handing out rifles raises a question about training to use the rifle and effectiveness if resistance is unorganized.  But it is also reported that many Ukrainians are military veterans due to the Ukraine’s proximity to Russia.  Wouldn’t it have been better to have wide spread legal gun use prior to the invasion, so civilians would be familiar with their firearm?  In the USA, that’s covered by the 2^nd Amendment.

• ·       "Ukrainians are Getting Armed". WarsawInstitute. August 21, 2018

**    "Guns in Ukraine: Firearms, armed violence and gun law". Gunpolicy.org. 2001-05-07. Retrieved 2014-04-1

***   Polyakov, Leonid.2005.‘Aging Stocks of Ammunition and SALW in Ukraine: Risks and challenges.’ BICC Paper 41.Bonn:Bonn International Conversion Center,1 January. (Q84)

**** Jane's Defence News. 2004. ‘Ukraine Arms Cuba and Venezuela.’ 19 September. (N6)