In Case you Missed These from Steve Getman/Tom Reynolds

Schuyler County’s SCOPE Chairman Steven Getman publishes a monthly Legal Update on our Facebook page.  Some issues that he covers are also covered in our emails or in Firing Lines but we want to be sure the others don’t get lost.  Below are some of the items that Steve covers and also the links, if you want to further explore the issues. 

Gillibrand pushes for new legislation amid recent violence in Rochester

In response to Rochester’s state of emergency, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she's working to address recent violence with new legislation. That includes banning assault weapons, enforcing a federal anti-gun trafficking law, ensuring reliable background checks and creating a data protection agency that has oversight over social media.

"There's also enormous amounts of anger and division in our communities that is fueling violence,” Gillibrand said. “A lot of that is caused by disinformation, lies and by social media platforms that are unregulated."

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/politics/2021/11/21/gillibrand-pushes-fornew-legislation-amid-recent-violence-in-rochester

Note from SCOPE: In one of her last acts as Rochester’s Mayor, Lovely Warren announced that Rochester was pairing with the anti-gun Brady Center to help prevent gun violence.  To validate this, she says “They did this in Chicago…”  The anti-gunners often say stupid things but using Chicago as an example of a successful gun program may be at the top of that list of stupid comments.  

New York cracks down on ghost guns, but will new laws be effective in curbing violence?

The trio of bills ban the sale and possession of ghost guns and requires gunsmiths to register and serialize firearms along with unfinished frames or receivers.

Tom King, Executive Director of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, believes the legislation won’t be effective in curbing gun violence. “Firearms laws are only obeyed by the lawful citizens of the state. Criminals do not pay any attention to any laws that are passed,” said King. “They get ahold of guns all the time. There is a criminal network in the United States. Guns move along in this network,” added King.

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/new-york-cracks-down-on-ghost-guns-but-will-newlaws-be-effective-in-curbing-violence

Note from SCOPE: King’s point needs repeating over and over.  The laws only affect law abiding people and do nothing to stop criminals who do not obey laws.

The Amendment That Remade America

The First? The Second? No, the 14th—the basis for every claim against a state government for violating individual rights. That amendment, among its other provisions, bars states from abridging “the privileges or immunities” of citizens or depriving any person of life, liberty or property “without due process of law.” It’s best known for guaranteeing to all persons “the equal protection of the laws.”

The historical evidence is overwhelming that Second Amendment rights belong to individuals. But if there’s any doubt about that, raised by the existence of the Militia Clause of the Second Amendment, there’s no doubt whatsoever that the 14th Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause was aimed at the protection of the individual right—in this case the individual rights of the freed blacks to keep and carry their own weapons.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fourteenth-amendment-states-civil-rights-federalismoriginalism-abortion-dobbs-jackson-11635535364?reflink=share_mobilewebshare

Without False Claims About The Risk of Concealed Handgun Permit Holders, The Left Has Nothing

Since 1976, 18 states eliminated “proper cause” requirements, and gun control advocates have consistently predicted disaster. But in state after state, concealed handgun permit holders have proved to be extremely law-abiding, and Right-to-Carry states have never even held a legislative hearing to consider moving back to “proper cause.”

In Florida and Texas, permit holders are convicted of firearms-related violations at one-twelfth of the rate at which police officers. In the 19 states with comprehensive permit revocation data, the average revocation rate is one-tenth of one percent. Usually, permit revocations occur because someone moved or died or forgot to bring their permit while carrying.

Academics have published fifty-two peer-reviewed, empirical studies on concealed carry. Of these, 25 found that allowing people to carry reduces violent crime, and 15 found no significant effect. A minority (12) observed increases in violent crime. These 12, however, suffer from a systematic error to varying degrees: they tend to focus on the last 20 years and compare states that recently passed concealed carry laws with more lenient states that had sustained growth in permits over the past two decades. The finding that crime rose relatively in such states is consistent with permit holders reducing crime.

https://townhall.com/columnists//johnrlottjr/2021/11/11/without-false-claims-about-therisk-of-concealed-handgun-permit-holders-the-left-n2598

Note from SCOPE:  Some good sources of information on gun laws are:

John Lott Jr.  https://crimeresearch.org/  

David Kopel  https://davekopel.org/

Allen Korwin  https://www.gunlaws.com/