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SCOPE NY

Chairman's Corner

  • 10/05/2023 9:35 PM | Anonymous


  • 09/29/2023 12:57 AM | Anonymous

    As you know, background checks for ammunition and firearms in New York State are now conducted by the New York State Police. This change took effect on September 13, 2023, and was instituted as a requirement of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, legislation I strongly opposed and voted against.  

    The Concealed Carry Improvement Act requires background checks for both firearm and ammunition purchases. The background checks are conducted by a new centralized bureau established within the State Police. As I mentioned, I oppose the State taking control of the background check process and implementing further steps and fees. I wanted you to know that I have introduced legislation removing background check requirements for ammunition purchases and preventing new fees from being passed on to retailers and consumers. 

    My legislation, Senate Bill S.7650-A, would: 

    • Require that all costs associated with the creation and maintenance of the background check system be borne by the State and prohibited from being passed on to either retailers or consumers, eliminating any possibility of new fees; 
    • Eliminate new requirements that those purchasing ammunition submit to a background check; 
    • Eliminate the creation of an ammunition purchase database, removing concerns about the State unnecessarily collecting data. 

    I have heard from many of my constituents about the burdensome process and unreliability of the new background check system. Please know that I will continue to fight this State overreach and other legislation – like Bail Reform, the HALT Act, and the Concealed Carry Improvement Act – that undermine lawful gun owners and sportspeople while prioritizing criminals. 

  • 09/26/2023 11:25 PM | Anonymous

    The F-35 stealth jet isn’t the only example of expensive technology that crashed recently. The implementation of New York’s ammunition background check law – the rollout of which was, to be generous, extremely low visibility – was a disaster of its own, judging from initial reports.   

    The new law was actually passed as part of broader gun control legislation a decade ago. The so-called SAFE Act (2013) authorized a statewide ammunition background check database and required that the superintendent of the state police make a formal “certification” that the database was “operational” before the law could take effect.  

    Confusion over whether this has occurred and what the new changes involve is understandable.  Readers of the government’s official “Gun Safety in NYS” website were still being given the following outdated information as of September 21:

    Is there any background check now required for purchasers of ammunition?

    Not yet. The law provides that background check requirements imposed on all retail sellers of ammunition are scheduled to take effect on September 13, 2023.

    To complicate things, the implementation of the ammunition background check law coincides with another gun control development in the Empire State, pursuant to which the New York State Police (rather than the FBI) is responsible for conducting all firearm and ammunition-related checks using both NICS and a “statewide license and record database.”

    The database requires detailed personal information about the purchaser: name, “up to five additional names/aliases,” residential address, date of birth, height, weight, race, ethnicity, “prior military status,” country and place of birth, citizenship, whether and what driver’s license or government-issued identification the person has, social security number, contact information, and (for ammunition buys) the manufacturer, the “Ammunition Identification Number,” the caliber and amount of ammunition being purchased. (The State Police guide for dealers has, out of a total of 21 pages, devoted eight to the initial personal information needed.)   

    All background check transactions currently “need to be processed online,” as an “Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephone solution is in the process of being implemented but will not be available until October.”

    Shortly before September 13, a gun store owner indicated that there was no outreach: “No dealer in New York has been contacted by the state about how it will work.” Other ammunition retailers complain that the new system isn’t actually working – apart from the time it takes just to enter the required customer information online, there are significant delays in getting the system up and running and in response times. “It took eight hours between a computer tech and me to play with their website to get their website working,” reported one gun store owner. Only a few days after the system went live, another retailer expressed frustration with delays before a sale could proceed, describing his longest wait time for a response (at that point) as 22 hours.

    Even worse, an improper denial means the person has to appeal to the State Police and wait out the appeal period of up to 30 days before being able to purchase ammunition. Tom King, the executive director of the New York Rifle & Pistol Association and the holder of a state pistol permit for over 40 years, was denied when he tried to buy shotgun shells, and has since appealed. “They’re denying everybody I’ve talked to,” he said.      

    Gun owners are dinged with additional fees to pay for this, being $2.50 for ammunition purchase background checks and $9.00 for firearms, and the law will have other, less obvious financial repercussions. “We lose money on every box of ammo we sell because of the time involved,” one retailer says, adding that, “It’s not going to get easier. We’re going to have to raise our prices.”

    A newsletter from New York’s Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs confirms there are “very legitimate concerns about the burden this new system will place” on the business community, the State Police, and gun owners. “Costs will go up and it is unclear what benefits this new law will generate…This law targets law-abiding gun owners and puts yet another financial burden on already overtaxed businesses and individuals. It is hard not to look at this as anything more than a punitive fee for access to the Second Amendment.”

    Empire State residents who are not gun owners won’t escape the reach of this folly, either – a reported $20 million in the 2023-24 budget has been allocated for the State Police for implementation, including the hiring of 100 additional personnel.

    The most ridiculous thing about all this wasted time, money, ink and effort is that New York’s dangerous criminals will continue to flout the law. The executive director of one New York gun control group was quoted as saying that, although “lawful gun owners may have to wait a bit longer right now in the immediate, they themselves understand what could potentially happen if an individual who does not have a license or does not pass a background check is able to obtain that gun.” Contrary to her claims, lawful gun owners understand all too well that criminals don’t waste time jumping through government hoops to buy guns or ammunition. “The only people that this is affecting,” says Tom King, “is the lawful legal citizen in New York state.”

  • 08/25/2023 11:40 AM | Anonymous

    SCOPE Needs You in County Chapters!  By Don Smith

    Grassroots groups such as SCOPE are important with county chapters increasing the possibility of a greater voice in the selection of our local and state elected officials. Many candidates appreciate the opportunity to speak to SCOPE members and look forward to high ratings by the county chapters. Local and state level candidates are eager to meet with and hear from SCOPE chapters while establishing connections with them and their staff.

    Each county needs candidates supportive of protecting against: unreasonable searches and seizures; a right to a speedy trial with representation (consider many “January 6” defendants); the ability to confront witnesses against you and obtain witnesses in your favor; and of course, due process and “equal protection of the laws” as well as other constitutional liberties.

    Examples include the village, town, county and even state positions of: Mayor; Supervisor/ Legislator; Sheriff; Judge; State Assemblyman and State Senator. Are any of these positions on the ballot in your county this November? Your chapter’s rating of them may help their cause.

    Note that SCOPE, as a nonprofit cannot endorse a candidate but can rate them.

    The key to a strong chapter is its leadership. Your first step is to show support for a county chapter by being willing to attend an organizational meeting in the near future. Location and date TBD. You may then volunteer for a leadership position of Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer. Will you join?

    Taking a leadership position does require a limited time commitment but is not an overwhelming responsibility. Other positions at the chapter level such as Vice Chairperson are important but even less demanding. Volunteers from other chapters are willing to help you.

    Americans have always been willing to make commitments to righteous causes and preserving our liberties should be at the top of the list. Knowing you are contributing to the defense of our Constitution is personally satisfying. Others may jump aboard based upon your enthusiasm.

    A year from now, we will be in the midst of a presidential election that will determine if our country continues veering to the left or regains the path on which our Founding Fathers intended America to follow.  We need volunteers locally and at the state levels to begin preparing us for this crucial battle. All county chairs sit on SCOPE’s State Board of Directors.

    Please contact me so we may discuss your involvement with others or to create a SCOPE Chapter in your area.

    Don Smith
    Membership Chair
    Don6027@gmail.com

  • 08/24/2023 11:13 PM | Anonymous

    Governor Hochul applauded passage of the 2022 NYS Concealed Carry Improvement Act and stated: "I refuse to surrender my right as governor to protect New Yorkers from gun violence or any other form of harm. In New York State, we will continue leading the way forward and implementing common sense gun safety legislation."     

    Governor Kathy Hochul has repeatedly said she was trying to protect the citizens of New York State when she signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) in July 2023. Factually she did so in animosity of the decision by the Supreme Court in NYSRPA v. Bruen. 

    Does the government have a basis for restricting our Second Amendment right in order to protect the citizenry? They would have us believe that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right to keep and bear arms. Instead, they claim it protects a militia right or a military right. But an individual right to own a gun for personal protection is an idea that is deeply rooted in American culture. Moreover, the Supreme Court’s decision in Heller in 2008 said: “The Second Amendment protects a right that is “exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.” 

    Yet elected officials and their allies continue to insist on appealing to emotion when people are innocently injured or killed because of domestic violence and emphasizing the unconstitutional removal of guns by utilizing “red flag” laws. 

    Second Amendment Foundation’s (SAF) Executive Director Adam Kraut said: “Red flag laws are based on the inherently Orwellian belief that you can take actions against someone for an alleged crime that hasn’t occurred. Such laws authorize seizure and punishment for a crime nobody committed but which could occur at some place and time in the future. This may work in a science fiction movie but should not be allowed in real life.”

    Despite the existence of tragic events, we do not believe that we should measure or define our rights on the basis of how others may misuse these rights or their misbehavior. A psychopath’s misbehavior should not be a basis for us losing our right to own a particular firearm of our choice. Cars, like guns, can be misused but this is not a good reason for banning cars. 

    Many lower courts following the Heller decision attempted to justify gun control by balancing the good versus the bad of guns. But we should not be losing our gun rights because of an expressed government interest. In fact, our rights are there to thwart the government.

  • 08/15/2023 2:11 AM | Anonymous

    A new date has been set for implementation of a background check when purchasing ammunition in NY State. The check was part of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act passed on July 1, 2022 following the Supreme Court’s decision favoring gun owners in the New York State Rifle Association v. Bruen case decided in June. 

    This ‘start date’ has been bumped up multiple times since it original implementation date of September 1, 2022. It remains to be seen if it materializes this September.

    A requirement for “sellers of ammunition” to maintain a record of all Ammo sales actually went into effect September 1, 2022.  A database to allow State Police to perform background checks on all gun and ammo sales was promised by NY when the so-called “safe” act was passed in January 2013. The state expected the FBI to permit usage of its NICS system but this was rejected by the FBI. Subsequently NY has not been able to develop its own database for such purposes. Nor has it had the manpower to operate the system. 

    Realize that there are two facets to the new regulations. First is the involvement of the State Police as a “middleman” for the purchase of a gun. FFL’s will no longer contact the FBI directly through it’s NICS check system. A gun dealer must go through the State Police. A new fee of $9.00 will be paid by the gun purchaser. There is no indication as to whether the process will be prolonged as a result of involving the State Police. 

    The second aspect of the new law requires a background check for the sale of all ammunition. Each transaction carries a new fee of $2.50 to the state. There is not expected to be a limit on the number of rounds of ammo a person can buy with each transaction. 

    It has been reported that a purchaser must provide, not just the customer's name, address, date of birth, and type and quantity of ammunition, but also their occupation.

    This leads one to believe that the intent is to allow for the purchase of ammunition that exactly matches the guns owned by the customer. But this would require the state to force us to disclose the caliber of each gun we own. Presently this could only apply to guns requiring a permit, handguns or so-called “assault weapons”. 

    Such an ammo background database was never funded and was even suspended in 2015 by a “Memorandum of Understanding”. But it was never signed by Democratic leadership and remains in limbo. The funding remains a critical roadblock. 

  • 07/29/2023 10:16 PM | Anonymous

    BELLEVUE, WA – The Biden administration has sunk to a new low in its anti-gun crusade, reportedly withholding funds from schools that have hunting or archery programs as part of their curriculum, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

    Fox News is reporting the administration “is blocking key federal funding earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 for schools with hunting and archery programs. This is allegedly happening because the administration may be “misinterpreting” provisions in the ESEA and last year’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), as suggested by Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both Republicans.

    “While we appreciate the diplomacy exhibited by Senators Cornyn and Tillis,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “we’re not convinced the Biden administration is making an innocent mistake here. Quite the opposite, in fact. This appears to be just another manifestation of Joe Biden’s crusade against anything promoting a positive approach to firearms, especially if it is taught in elementary and secondary schools, where young people can learn about genuine firearms safety, and perhaps prevent a tragedy.

    “We’re joining our friends at the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Safari Club International in raising alarms because this appears to be just one more attack on the Second Amendment by the Biden administration,” he added. “But instead of confining his hostility to the grown men and women of the outdoors and the larger shooting community, now the strategy includes depriving youngsters of opportunities to learn valuable life skills.

    “Maybe if Biden’s own son had enjoyed such an opportunity as a youngster,” Gottlieb said, “he might have known better than to do something which has now landed him in court.

    “Having watched Joe Biden throughout his political career, embracing every gun control measure to come along,” he observed, “this was almost predictable. History has demonstrated that if there’s a way to impair any positive firearms program, he will find it.”

  • 07/21/2023 8:50 PM | Anonymous

    How likely are you to die in a mass shooting? It should be one of the least of your worries. You are a thousand times more likely to die from Parkinson’s Disease. 

    Yet the Center for Disease Control (CDC) claims “547 dead, 476 hurt in mass shootings since 1983” as reported by Yahoo News. 

    Perhaps the doctors at the CDC should be more concerned about members of their own profession. A recent study by Harvard and the John Hopkins Institute records the numbers of deaths due to medical errors to be 371,000 in one year alone. 

    That’s right, while the anti-gun CDC maligngun owners by vilifying guns, it continues to ignore problems in its own sphere of influence. Consider this chart for a recent year

        Leading Causes of Death (2021)

      Heart disease                    695,547

      Cancer                                 605,213

      COVID-19                            416,893

    * (Medical errors                  371,000) (unpublished)

      Accidents (unintentional) 224,935

    Suddenly the number of deaths by guns (~48,000) seems minuscule by comparison. Keep in mind, approximately 38,000 of the estimated 48,000 deaths involving a gun was listed as a suicide. Yet, the CDC wants to talk about “gun violence” rather than focus upon their own medical field and the huge number of errors resulting in the death of Americans. 

    This major study by Harvard and Johns Hopkins actually found that over 800,000 Americans are killed/seriously injured due to medical errors and misdiagnoses. 

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12320341/Doctors-diagnostic-blunders-killed-permanently-disabled-800-000-Americans-year-shocking-data-suggests.html 

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

  • 07/11/2023 12:42 AM | Anonymous

    Do you recall someone telling us: “‘WeThe People’ means the Government”? You may have missed it but a statement like that should not be spoken by a leader of this great nation. We should not take pleasure in hearing it nor look forward to his interpretation as to how it may affect our freedom. 

    Does it imply that we should expect to be subservient to our governments? Should we assume we are only a means to an end with that end to be determined by those we elect to serve us? Perhaps he was simply referring to the joining of individuals to form a union such that they will share the same ideals. Yet recent events lead me to believe otherwise. It appears he is advocating for political authority over the actions, affairs etc of the American people. 

    We celebrated the 247th anniversary of our independence on July Fourth. Obviously, this is a celebration of America’s independence from England. Does it not also refer to the capacity of each of us to manage our own affairs, make our own judgements and provide for oneself. Certainly, a statement by Evelyn Beatrice Hill in 1906 is still valid in this free country: “I may disapprove of what you say, but I would defend to the death your right to say it.”

    Yet on that same day, 07/04/23, Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U. S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana, Missouri ruled in favor of a request for an injunction against the Biden administration which is accused of violating the Free Speech Clause in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This carries the strong odor of an attempt to control our personal liberties. 

    It is alleged that the federal government suppressed speech on social media regarding the efficiency of masking and COVID-19 lockdowns. The integrity of the 2020 presidential election was also brought into question. Would you ever believe that your federal government might ‘strong arm’ social media giants in an effort to regulate free speech?

    If the allegations are true, this case may “arguably involve the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history”. The federal government may likely have deliberately ignored the First Amendment’s right to free speech. 

    The following quotes reveal the Founding Fathers’ thoughts on freedom of speech:

           “For if men are to be precluded from offering their           sentiments on a matter which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter.”

            “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the Free acts of speech.”

    Consolidating absolute power from a free people is never easy. Thankfully we live in a Constitutional Republic where we were created to be free. This may not be contained in the playbook of an autocrat in Washington, D.C. but it definitely was the belief of our Founding Fathers. 

    They provided with us with a Constitution containing our “natural” rights which William Blackstone, the Oxford attorney, referred to as “absolute”. They came to us from God through nature. Not the least of which is the Second Amendment that protects our right to self-preservation and our right to live freely. Thus, it is a means to protect our life and a means to keep our government in check. 

  • 06/17/2023 1:56 AM | Anonymous

    The Wayne County Chapter of Shooters Committee On Political Education (SCOPE) herein provides our ratings of candidates for Wayne County voters. These should not be construed as endorsements. 

    We are offering our unbiased ratings of the two candidates for Wayne County Judge in the Republican Primary scheduled for Tuesday, June 27 from 6 am to 9 pm following an interview with the candidates by our Public Relations Contact Team (PACT). 

    Our PACT committee met for an hour with each candidate in an effort to better understand their interpretations of Constitutional and civil liberties inclusive of the Second Amendment as well as other natural rights susceptible to Government infringement. 

    The candidates expressed their own personal views on these matters, but it should be made clear that the successful candidate will decide all cases fairly and impartially in accordance with Constitutional governing laws. 

    For the office of Wayne County Judge:

    Candidate Dan Majchrzak: A

    Candidate John Grow: A—

                                         

A 2nd Amendment Defense Organization, defending the rights of New York State gun owners to keep and bear arms!

PO Box 165
East Aurora, NY 14052

SCOPE is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization.

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