Bayonets and Mush by Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

The founders of Black Lives Matter admit to being Marxists / Communists.  There is a communist saying, attributed to Lenin: “Probe with bayonets.  If you hit mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw.”  When the Black Lives Matter protests bypassed peaceful and went directly to violence, they were being true to their roots by, in essence, probing with bayonets. 

Black Lives Matter, Antifa and looters cannot be bought off with concessions.  Concessions are treated as weaknesses (mush) and only encourage the aggressors to become more violent in search of greater concessions.

Missouri Attorney General complained online that on one weekend, “…every single one of the St. Louis looters and rioters arrested (36 were arrested) were released back onto the streets by local prosecutor Kim Gardner”.  (The same Kim Gardner who charged the armed St. Louis couple with crimes for defending their property.)  The rioters hit mush and violence escalated.

Fox News reported that Louis Turco, head of the NY City Lieutenants Benevolent Assocaition, said the violence seen during the demonstrations in New York is the byproduct of the new law (bail reform) that requires defendants to be released without cash bail on a long list of misdemeanors and some felonies including arson and burglary.  More mush encouraged more violence.

We’ve all seen the videos of rioters burning buildings and cars, taunting police by screaming in their face, hurling rocks and bottles and breaking into buildings while the police stood idly by because of the orders of their bosses.  Mush again.

Governors shut down churches, schools and anything they deemed non-essential.  But Black Lives Matter riots were apparently essential as they were approved.  Mayors and politicians, all the way up to the House of Representatives, took a knee to Black Lives Matter.  The rioters recognized mush and violence continued.   

Amid calls to defund the police, NY City abolished its plainclothes Anti-Crime unit.   Murders and crime have soared.  Black leaders are now calling for the anti- crime unit be reinstated. 

People arrested in Portland since late May on nonviolent misdemeanor charges during the riots that have lasted over two months won’t be prosecuted.  Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt claimed the new policy recognizes the outrage and frustration over a history of perceived racial injustice that has led to the city’s often violent protests.  (Does he prosecute people over perceived crimes or real crimes?)  BLM recognized real, not perceived, mush.

Chicago has seen increased violence until this weekend when the Mayor FINALLY announced, in advance, that 1,000 police would be deployed to stop violence.  A   shut down of an expressway didn’t happen and only about 200 “protesters” showed up.  The police were aggressive in preventing violence from escalating and it didn’t.  The communists finally hit steel!

The United States has a long-standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists.  Black Lives Matter and Antifa have behaved like terrorists but mayors, governors and politicians didn’t even negotiate; they just gave in without a whimper.  Mush!  

Why do these officials have no backbone and tolerate crime?  Do they not understand that the people they are enabling will eventually turn on the officials and pull them down.  Extortion such as this doesn’t go away.  It didn’t with Hitler and it didn’t with the Mafia; they just came back for more.  It signals that you are an easy mark, not that you are racially sensitive. 

Confusion Will Reign by Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate.  Has anyone noticed that the left-wing media was portraying her as an extreme leftist when running for President.  But now, when running for Vice President, she is being portrayed by the same left-wing media as a moderate?  The NY Times now describes her as a “Pragmatic moderate”.  (If she’s a moderate then Joe Stalin was simply an agrarian reformer.)

Voters may be very confused this year.

If you are a Democrat and you believe that Joe Biden will serve out his term: do you vote for a guy who won the nomination because he was viewed as the most moderate candidate on the Democrat debate stage but who now says he will be the most progressive president in history?

If you are a Democrat and believe Joe Biden will not serve out four years: do you, in essence, vote for a radical left California progressive who lost the Democrat presidential nomination with about 2% of the vote because she was too radical, but is now being portrayed as moderate?

Of course, Evangelicals face a problem with Donald Trump. His tweeting drives them crazy.  But are his policies (pro-life, pro 1^st Amendment) more important to them than his behavior?

No one should be more confused than Jews, an historically solidly Democratic group.  Do they continue their Democrat history and vote for Biden, who was the VP under Barack Obama, a notoriously anti-Israel President?  Or do they vote for a Republican President that has been unapologetically pro-Israel and even moved our embassy to Jerusalem? 

And prepare yourself for sexual jokes, cartoons and innuendo.

All the accusations against Trump will be reborn and every sexual statement he ever made will be played again and again on CNN.  He will even be, again, accused of violating election laws in 2016 even though that never had any substance.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was known for his “flamboyant” lifestyle and his support of “People’s Temple” leader Jim Jones (of drinking the Kool Aid fame).  Brown dated Harris when he was 60 and she was 25.  He has admitted that he may have "influenced" her early career by appointing her to boards. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.  If Joe Biden were an employer, he would have violated the law by insisting the VP be a black woman.  But then again, does Harris qualify as black?  Her mother is from India and her father from Jamaica.  (But on the positive side, she can claim more “Indian” blood than Elizabeth Warren!) 

Harris has a white husband who is a successful lawyer.  Does that make him a white supremacist and will Black Lives Matter then disavow her?    

Does Harris owe or will she receive reparations since her father has confessed that their ancestor was a slave holder in Jamaica?

Stay tuned.  It’s going to be a ride.

NYS lawsuit against the NRA by Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

The left wants to discredit everything America stands for in order to remove any reason to defend it with our “lives, fortunes or sacred honor”.  For example: Barack Obama’s “apology tour” and the current mob destruction of anything that says America is good.  Now, they’re going after the NRA.

Like it or not, the NRA is the 2^nd Amendment’s most powerful advocate.  Obliterating the 2^nd Amendment is the ultimate goal of NY’s Attorney General, Letitia James, when she filed a lawsuit to damage and (she hopes) dissolve the NRA.  Even when her lawsuit fails, it will be a success if she discredits the NRA and reduces its political voice during a time when it is most needed.

Yesterday, we wrote about the dirty politics behind this.  Today, let’s look at whether there is any legitimate basis for dissolving the NRA. 

If the NRA did something illegal, shouldn’t someone be charged with breaking a law?  There have been no criminal charges filed against anyone.

Wayne LaPierre’s total compensation, including benefits, was about $2.2 million in 2018.  He also spent a lot of the NRA’s money on travel and security.  You may not like that, but it is not illegal; it is an issue for the NRA’s board.  We may dislike large compensation packages and extravagant perks but they are not unusual for non-profit CEO’s and, except in extreme cases, are not a basis for dissolving an organization. 

There are complicated accusations concerning the relationship between the NRA’s and its former ad agency, Ackerman-McQueen, with expenses being passed through that agency.  It will take detailed investigation to learn the truth. But rest assured, the leftwing media will announce every unfounded rumor in order to sow the seeds of discord within the 2^nd Amendment community.  If there is a fraud or tax case to be made against LaPierre (or other NRA members), then NY State and the feds should indict them and present their case in court.  At this time, it hasn’t happened. 

If NRA officers spent money they should not have spent and did something unlawful they should answer for it.  But in that case, the NRA would be the victim of theft, not the perpetrator.  Corruption or bad judgement by officers or employees doesn’t give James a cause of action against the NRA.

We cannot let left wingers, who abhor American values, divide us during this election season.  If the forces that are attacking the NRA are allowed to succeed, they will come for other organizations next.  Gutting the NRA will not only gut the 2^nd Amendment but free speech as well.  We must push back, and most importantly, in November we must vote!

Playing With The House’s Money by Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

On Thursday, New York’s left-wing Attorney General, Letitia James, filed suit to dissolve the NRA.  (Your tax dollars at work!)

This obviously political action of using the courts for political gain brought an immediate response.  Law & The Courts described this as “The latest bananas news from the banana republic that is the State of New York… a plainly partisan political attack. The point here is not to fight nonprofit fraud but a Democratic effort to embarrass and hobble a political opponent, to burden it with expensive and cumbrous litigation, and to weaponize the power of the attorney general’s office for partisan ends.  (New York State a banana republic? Say it aint so!  This response well summarized the situation.)

James alleged that the NRA "has operated as a breeding ground for greed, abuse and brazen illegality."  (While searching for a breeding ground for greed, abuse and illegality, how did she miss that manure pile called the Clinton Foundation?)

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry released the following statement. “The New York Attorney General is shamefully abusing her power to target a political adversary…This action is…an attempt to use the levers of government to go after political opponents.

“From their endorsement of the “defund the police” movement to canceling our Founding Fathers, and now canceling our founding principles, there has been a troubling pattern from the Democrat attorneys general in recent months. We must stop the madness. Fortunately, the American people can read the tea leaves of this lawsuit – it is a partisan hit...”  (A perfect summary of the situation.)

The timing is also revealing.  The NRA has announced that is has been adding 1,000 members a day since June and will spend tens of millions on the election in battleground states.  As an intended consequence of the lawsuit, some of that money will now have to be spent on this lawsuit. 

This is part of an ongoing effort by the Democrat Party.  San Francisco declared the NRA a “terrorist organization”.  (But not Black Lives Matter and Antifa.)  Los Angeles demanded that any NRA member doing business with LA must identify themselves.  (That pesky 1^st Amendment ended that.)  Cuomo is using regulations to deprive the NRA of banking and insurance services.  (Fredo’s big brother strikes again.)  Joe Biden has said “We can beat the NRA”.  (Of course, there is that obstacle called Trump in his way.)

The NRA struck back by suing James and claiming James purpose was, “to deliver on her campaign promises to retaliate against the NRA for constitutionally protected speech on issues that James opposes.”  (Trump promised to “Make America Great Again” and James promised to stick it to the NRA.  Both fulfilled a campaign promise.) 

In a tweet, the NRA predicted, “…the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle”.  (I wonder what Vegas’ odds are on that?  99%?)  When the NRA wins, initially, NY State will appeal and drag this out, which will cost the NRA more but Letitia James is playing with “House Money” – your tax dollars – so cash is not an obstacle for her.

One of our founding fathers’ principal concerns was the power of government and government’s ability to use its power against the people.  Doing away with the NRA isn’t really the ultimate goal of these lawless attempts.  The ultimate goal is to do away with the Second Amendment (in truth, it’s to do away with the whole Constitution) and organizations like the NRA, S.C.O.P.E. and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association are in their way.  We must stand united to prevent this.

End this unconstitutionality with your vote on November 3^rd.

By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

The Bullpen matters, not just in Baseball

The selection of a Vice President will be unusually important this year.  Presidential candidates run as a team but the vice-presidential nominee is not usually a big factor in deciding the vote.  This year may be different.

In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt ran for a 4^th term as President.  Those closest to him had seen his physical and mental deterioration during the past year but it was skillfully kept from the American public.  Many close to Roosevelt were convinced that he would not live through another term and whoever was Vice President was sure to be President.  With that in mind, the political wrangling for the Vice Presidency was intense, but behind the scenes; whoever won the prize was almost certain to become President.  Even a former Supreme Court Justice and a sitting Supreme Court Justice were hidden candidates.  Roosevelt died in April 1945 and Harry Truman became President after only three months in that position.

The American people were effectively excluded from selecting their President in 1944 by political machinations.  We can only guess how the 1944 election would have ended if the American voters had known, what political insiders knew, that the people were probably voting for Harry Truman for President?

On inauguration day 2021, Donald Trump will be 74 and Joe Biden will be 78.  Although debilitating physical illness can strike at any age, both their ages should cause us to look closer than usual at Vice Presidential candidates.  Although the media can be highly partisan and political “handlers” are adept at hiding things, in today’s world it will be difficult to completely hide physical or mental problems from the public, as Roosevelt did.

Donald Trump has been a high energy President who works long hours; will that take a toll?  There have been considerable questions about Joe Biden’s mental deterioration.  Luckily, we have the presidential debates in which it is difficult to hide.  The President should not necessarily be the best debater but their performance will be important in evaluating the overall health and mental capabilities of both candidates. 

One other test of a presidential candidate is the wisdom shown in selecting a Vice President.

We will need to look closely at the vice-presidential candidates.  We know that Mike Pence is the Republican candidate and Joe Biden is supposed to pick his running mate soon.  There is usually one vice presidential debate which will also help us decide on the candidate’s readiness to fill in for the President, if necessary. 

It’s not just a question of would the Vice President continue the policies of the President, if a succession happens, but does the Vice President have the knowledge, ability and wisdom to implement those policies.  Is the Vice President likely to veer off into his / her personal preferences, which may be significantly different than the President’s?  Of course, SCOPE members are particularly concerned about each candidate’s history on the Constitution in general and the 2^nd Amendment in particular.

Once Joe Biden selects a Vice President candidate, SCOPE will evaluate them for its members.  Stay tuned.

To Vote Or Not —There Really Isn’t Any Question (Part 2) By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

Some of the reasons why folks don’t turn out to vote in November and what the rest of us can do about it.

Voting requires some planning ahead, if you have not registered. 

IN PERSON REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Sections 5-210, 5-211, 5-212)  You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the General Election, your application must be received no later than October 9, 2020.

MAIL IN REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-210(3))
Applications must be postmarked no later than October 9, 2020 and received by a board of elections no later than October 14, 2020 to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

If you’ve changed your address, you need to re-register to vote.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-208(3))
Notices of change of address from registered voters (must be) received by a county board of elections by October 14,

Tired of voting for the lesser of two evils? 

Vote in next year’s party primary, when your vote selects the candidates and where your vote is more meaningful because fewer people vote.  To vote in next year’s primary, you must be registered in that party before this November’s election. 

With governmental offices being closed much more than usual, you can go to https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html to download the registration form.  For those who have access to a printer, it would be a kindness to your unregistered friends and neighbors who might not have internet access if you printed a few of the forms and had them handy for them to fill out.

Absentee Ballots

As of this writing (late July), county boards of elections were awaiting state guidance regarding covid-19 and absentee voting for the November 3rd general election. At this time, voters are not able to use covid-19 as a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. However, legitimate illness, disability, absence and so forth are valid reasons to request an absentee ballot. Again, people with internet access and a printer can help out people who don’t have those things.

• Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at your county board of elections.  You may also download a PDF version of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form
• Download English Form ( pdf 485KB)
• Applications must be mailed to your county board no later than October 27^th or delivered in person no later than the day before the election. 
• You may request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to your county board of elections. The letter must be received by your county board no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election.

Ignorance is no excuse.

Close to Election Day, county boards of elections generally publish sample ballots online that represent exactly the ballots that voters will be handed at their polling places. This is yet another way that people with internet access can help those without. There is no reason, anymore, why people shouldn’t already know whose name will appear on various lines before they enter their polling place. While voting might have seemed to be mysterious in the past and used as an excuse for not voting (or voting ignorantly), that is no longer the case.

November 3rd — please vote, and encourage your friends, neighbors, and family members to vote. Pick them up and buy them a coffee or a soda if that helps grease the wheels a little. We can change things but we have to use the weapon at our disposal and not leave it holstered — voting.

By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President and Tracy Marisa, Chemung County

To Vote Or Not —There Really Isn’t Any Question

Asking SCOPE members to turn out and vote is like preaching to the choir. That’s true; or at least we hope it is.

A famous writer said that we humans tend to “…remove the organ and demand the function”.  We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings to be fruitful. In other words, given how little emphasis there has been on civic engagement in these past few decades, why are we surprised that our voting muscles have atrophied? 

Whether you need some encouragement yourself to get out and vote or whether you would never miss an opportunity to vote but you know people who would have to be dragged to a polling place kicking and screaming, it may be worth a few minutes looking at some of the reasons why folks don’t turn out to vote in November and what the rest of us can do about it.

A excuse reason heard why gun owners are not registering to vote is that they don’t want to be called for jury duty.

The following are the ways NYS puts together its list of potential jurors (from the state website): “Potential jurors are randomly selected from lists of registered voters, holders of drivers’ licenses or ID’s issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles, New York State income tax filers, recipients of unemployment insurance or family assistance, and from volunteers.” Not registering to vote is not going to save someone from their civic duty of sitting on a jury. Register to vote and then perform another one of the relatively few civic duties we actually have to do—turn out and vote.

Also, we need people on juries who believe that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights should not be tossed out the window. There are more than enough of the other sort as potential jurors out there and we don’t need to cede more territory to the other side, in court or elsewhere, by simply not being there.  Picture yourself on trial for a Safe Act violation and all 2A supporters avoided jury duty.  75% of life is just showing up.

2020 is, as we know, a presidential election year and while that generates a lot of interest, in NYS it may also lead to the next reason that people don’t vote: the feeling that their vote doesn’t count. But that may only apply to the presidential election in this coming November. All other lines on the ballot are totally up for grabs and the winner will be the candidate who can get the greatest number of people to turn out and vote for him or her. Many local elections are won by very few votes, usually a half-dozen or fewer, and in some cases by only one vote. It happens more often than you think.

For those elections that are literally closest to where you live—town, village, city, county—people’s individual votes absolutely do matter. Some of those candidates running for local office are on the same page with us (re: the Second Amendment) and some are definitely not. You should know which are which.

Some of the reasons why folks don’t turn out to vote in November and what the rest of us can do about it.

Voting requires some planning ahead, if you have not registered. 

IN PERSON REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Sections 5-210, 5-211, 5-212)  You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the General Election, your application must be received no later than October 9, 2020.

MAIL IN REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-210(3))
Applications must be postmarked no later than October 9, 2020 and received by a board of elections no later than October 14, 2020 to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

If you’ve changed your address, you need to re-register to vote.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-208(3))
Notices of change of address from registered voters (must be) received by a county board of elections by October 14,

Tired of voting for the lesser of two evils? 

Vote in next year’s party primary, when your vote selects the candidates and where your vote is more meaningful because fewer people vote.  To vote in next year’s primary, you must be registered in that party before this November’s election. 

With governmental offices being closed much more than usual, you can go to https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html to download the registration form.  For those who have access to a printer, it would be a kindness to your unregistered friends and neighbors who might not have internet access if you printed a few of the forms and had them handy for them to fill out.

Absentee Ballots

As of this writing (late July), county boards of elections were awaiting state guidance regarding covid-19 and absentee voting for the November 3rd general election. At this time, voters are not able to use covid-19 as a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. However, legitimate illness, disability, absence and so forth are valid reasons to request an absentee ballot. Again, people with internet access and a printer can help out people who don’t have those things.

Ignorance is no excuse.
Close to Election Day, county boards of elections generally publish sample ballots online that represent exactly the ballots that voters will be handed at their polling places. This is yet another way that people with internet access can help those without. There is no reason, anymore, why people shouldn’t already know whose name will appear on various lines before they enter their polling place. While voting might have seemed to be mysterious in the past and used as an excuse for not voting (or voting ignorantly), that is no longer the case.

November 3rd — please vote, and encourage your friends, neighbors, and family members to vote. Pick them up and buy them a coffee or a soda if that helps grease the wheels a little. We can change things but we have to use the weapon at our disposal and not leave it holstered — voting.

Who / What is Black Lives Matter,  By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

S.C.O.P.E. was formed as an educational organization to defend the Constitution and especially the 2^nd Amendment.  Towards that end, we would like our members to know some facts about what is behind the social upheaval that is attempting to destroy the benefits - such as the 2^nd Amendment - that we all have enjoyed under the Constitution. 

Black Lives Matter might be viewed as a grassroots movement of concerned people gathering together.  It is much more.

Black Lives Matter is a corporation whose real name is Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). (Yep…it’s one of those capitalistic corporations they profess to hate.) 

The following information is on their web site.  It’s a nationwide corporation!  BLMGNF has chapters in: Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Lansing, Long Beach, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, South Bend and in Canada in Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo. (If you were impressed by how all those recent riots erupted simultaneously from a grassroots movement…well…maybe not so grassroots.)

BLMGNF is a not-for-profit corporation but not tax exempt, so donations are not tax deductible.  Except...if you go to its website and want to donate, you are transferred to ActBlue Charities which will take your donation, give you a tax deduction, and then distribute your donation to BLMGNF.  Sort of…    

Who is ActBlue?

Taken directly from ActBlue’s web page, “Our (ActBlue) platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and nonprofits that share our values for no cost besides a 3.95% processing fee on donations. And we operate as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations”.

ActBlue consists of three parts: ActBlue Charities facilitates donations to left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofits; Act Blue Civics is its 501(c)(4) affiliate; ActBlue is a 527 Political Action Committee.  These three have raised over $5 billion dollars in the sixteen years since it started.  If its 3.95% transaction fee has been applied to all donations, that equates to over $197 million.

So, ActBlue is a Democratic Party front affiliated with BLMGNF.  If only it was that simple and stopped there. 

Per Business Insider Australia, “ActBlue…distributes the money raised to Thousand Currents, which is then granted to Black Lives Matter”.

What is Thousand Currents (Formerly International Development Exchange)?

Again, per Business insider Australia, “Thousand Currents is a 501(3)(c) non-profit that provides grants to organizations that are...developing alternative economic models…”.  (Is anarchy now an alternative economic model?)

“Thousand Currents essentially acts as a quasi-manager for Black Lives Matter: ‘It provides administrative and back office support, including finance, accounting, grants management, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance,’ (Executive Director Solome) Lemma said”.  (Finance, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance?  It sounds like General Motors!)

What’s the significance of the above?

Black Lives Matter is not some fly-by-night fad that is going to loot and destroy and then disappear into the ash heap of history.  It’s a multi corporation, big business which is heavily associated with and supports the Democratic Party and it is here to stay.   Arguing whether Black Lives or All Lives Matter is meaningless and distracts us from what it is trying to achieve.  It is a left-wing political movement that will have a significant impact on the Democratic Party programs for the foreseeable future. 

Socialism and Communism are intimately linked to these efforts while the US Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights have no place in their plans.  Patrisse Cullors, one of Black Lives Matter’s co-founders is widely reported as saying, “We are trained Marxists”.

The president of Greater New York Black Lives Matter said that if the movement fails to achieve meaningful change during nationwide protests, it will “burn down this system.”  Not the peaceful change we celebrate under our Constitution but violent change.  For those of us who like our Constitution, this is a challenge thrown in our face.

If you have wondered why politicians have danced around criticizing Black Lives Matter, now you know.

Sources of this information:
 *HTTPS://INFLUENCEWATCH.ORG/NON-PROFIT/BLACK-LIVES-MATTER-FOUNDATION/

* HTTPS://BLACKLIVES MATTER.COM  (Chapters; Current Chapters)

* HTTPS://BLACKLIVES MATTER.COM   (Donate)

* HTTPS://SECURE.ACTBLUE.COM/DONATE/MS_BLM_HOMEPAGE_2019

* HTTPS://SUPPORT.ACTBLUE.COM/DONORS/ABOUT-ACTBLUE/WHAT-IS-THE-DIFFERENCE-BETWEEN-   ACTBLUE-ACTBLUE-CIVICS-AB-CHARITIES-AND-ACTBLUE-TECHNICAL-SERVICES/

* HTTPS://WWW.REDSTATE.COM/ELIZABETH-VAUGHN/2020/06/12/854023/

* HTTPS://THOUSANDCURRENTS.ORG

* HTTPS://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM.AU/WHAT-IS-THOUSAND-CURRENTS-BLACK-LIVES-MATTER-CHARITY-2020-6

* HTTPS://NYPOST.COM/2020/06/25/BLM-CO-FOUNDER-DESCRIBES-HERSELF-AS-TRAINED-MARXIST/

* HTTPS://WWW.WASHINGTONTIMES.COM/NEWS/2020/JUNE/25/PATRISSE-CULLORS-BLACK-LIVES-MATTER-CO-FOUNDER-FEA/

* HTTPS://NYPOST.COM/2020/06/25/BLM-LEADER-IF-CHANGE-DOESNT-HAPPEN-WE-WILL-BURN-DOWN-THIS-SYSTEM/

By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

Sinatra: “Chicago, Chicago that toddling town…”

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) appeared on CNN’s State of the Union and asserted “We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons — that is hurting cities like Chicago.”

Oh really!  What are the facts?

Every time anyone in the United States purchases a gun from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), that FFL runs a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check.  And sometimes the FFL checks to see if the buyer has passed a background check via a state-issued concealed-carry permit. Even in states that allow individual private sales, it is illegal to knowingly sell to anyone who you believe is obtaining a firearm for criminal purposes. 

How about somebody who crosses state lines to buy a gun? That person undergoes the same NICS background check.

What about those online sales of guns? The exact same laws apply to all online sales.

The vast majority of Americans obtain their guns in one of these ways, and those people rarely commit crimes of any kind, never mind homicides.

On top of all this, every FFL is required by federal law to report to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) the purchase of two or more handguns by the same person within a week. To avoid this requirement, unscrupulous individuals may attempt to use straw purchasers.  Too often, officials, especially in “soft on crime” areas like Chicago, will fail to prosecute these straw purchasers.  It isn’t as though those laws aren’t already on the books; they are. It’s just that criminals ignore laws and get tacit approval from officials who do not prosecute them.

Most importantly, the “assault-weapons bans” that Lightfoot brings up would have no bearing on Chicago’s murder rate, even if those bans actually worked. The vast majority of gun related murders, (both in Chicago and nationwide) are committed with illegally obtained handguns (not rifles or shotguns).  Despite her indefensible vilification of out-of-state gun sellers of handguns and long guns, Chicago has been a poorly run criminal nexus for decades.  (Remember “The Untouchables” from the 1930’s?)  Black-market handguns make their way to Lori Lightfoot’s city, because there is a huge demand for them by criminals!

Don’t think that politicians like Mayor Lightfoot would be satisfied with turning off the flood of illegal handguns. Presidential candidate Joe Biden has said his gun control plan does not include confiscation of legally owned weapons but he also said that his administration would come for “assault weapons”.   America no longer has a federal ban on “assault weapons” so “assault weapons” are legal at the federal level.  Biden’s plan has to include making something illegal that is currently legal!  Does anyone believe that he and his radical left friends will stop with only making “assault weapons” illegal?  As far as leftist politicians are concerned, guns are guns and they should never be in the hands of private citizens, period.

Don’t allow state and local candidates and incumbents—council members, mayors, district attorneys, judges, state senators, assembly members—who think like the Chicago Mayor to take or occupy elected office in New York State. Vote on November 3^rd and take a few like-minded friends and neighbors with you. 

By Tom Reynolds, SCOPE President

On July 23^rd, the New York State Senate’s web site reported that the Senate passed a ghost guns bill (S.7763). 

One of its sponsors, Senator Brad Hoylman (D) said about it “Retailers report sky-high demand for ghost guns, untraceable weapons that can evade even New York’s historically strong gun safety regulations.” 

Another Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D) said that the purpose of the bill was to, “...close the dangerous loopholes that allow untraceable ghost guns to be obtained by people who would otherwise be unable to obtain a legal firearm”.

Stop and read both these statements closely.

“Retailers report sky-high demand for ghost guns, untraceable weapons…” It may shock the Senator to know that retailers, otherwise known as Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL’s), are not allowed to sell untraceable weapons!  But it is a different story for your street corner, illegal arms dealer, (now labelled as “retailers” by Senator Hoylman).  These “retailers” may indeed have “sky-high demand” for ghost guns, but probably not from law abiding citizens.  Of course, all the sales of these street corner, “undocumented retailers” were and are illegal, whether ghost guns or not. 

Senator Kaplan says it will “...close the dangerous loopholes that allow untraceable ghost guns to be obtained by people who would otherwise be unable to obtain a legal firearm”.  What loopholes allowed people who would “be unable to obtain a legal firearm” to legally obtain a firearm from a licensed FFL?  If the law prohibits a person from legally buying a firearm, doesn’t it also prohibit them from illegally buying a firearm? 

Remember, laws only stop law abiding citizens.  Criminals, by definition, know they are doing something illegal and they are unlikely to be stopped by more laws saying that what they already are illegally doing  - is illegal.  FFL’s could not sell ghost guns both before and after this law was passed.

Unfortunately, most people reading the Senators’ statements won’t stop to think about the logic of what is being said and, frankly, that’s the point of their carefully crafted political garbage. 

Whatever your feelings are on ghost guns (and do you really know what a ghost gun is) New York State laws are being enacted based on misinformation promulgated for political purposes by people who don’t really know much about what they are enacting. No one’s freedom should depend on the behavior of the lawless or the ineptitude of government.  Keep this in mind when you evaluate candidates for your vote on November 3^rd.