By Richard Rossi, Treasurer Delaware County SCOPE
Let's all be realistic, New York State IS NOT a selfprotection friendly state. We all know that Law-abiding gun owners, especially CCW holders, are by far the most responsible, law-abiding citizens not only in New York State, but in the entire country.
That being said, we need to be 100% alert - ALL of the time. Everything we do or say is being judged and put under a microscope as not only CCW holders, but as gun owners. The anti-Gun agenda folks are just waiting and hoping we cross the line.
I would like to discuss my opinion on a couple of issues: Concealed Carry Vs. Open Carry, those 'cute' bumper stickers and signs that we see on our vehicles and homes, and Training.
The Open Carry Vs. Concealed Carry is NOT an option for New York State CCW holders. I do not want to get into the RIGHT of choice. We are 'unfortunate' or 'fortunate' to be restricted to CONCEALED CARRY ONLY. I say fortunate because, I truly believe, being in NYS, Open Carry would hurt us more. Right off - when you are seen carrying, you would be constantly judged - every act you take will be magnified 110%. And unfortunately, you will be seen as a 'bad guy' in the eyes of many.
If I had a choice, I would never carry ‘open’. My choice is a safety concern - my safety. The use of a weapon, any weapon can and does result in arrest and at times a criminal trial. It could also mean your death. Why subject yourself to added attention?
Why subject yourself to attack, just because you are carrying a pistol. A potential criminal will see you as a 'threat', and you could be killed or injured just for having a weapon. He will see you as ‘problem' of him/her achieving his or her objective. In this day and age of terrorism and mass shooting, you will be the first target. Why address to the world that you have a weapon and put yourself in added danger? I would like to have the advantage IF an altercation arose – Concealed can give you the added advantage and a few seconds additional time to save your life or your loved ones or an innocent bystander in the event of a deadly situation.
Moving on to those 'cute' bumper stickers and tin signs. You all know what I am talking about. "PRAYER IS THE BEST WAY TO MEET THE LORD - TRESPASSING IS FASTER" and WARNING - THERE IS NOTHING HERE WORTH DYING FOR" both with a picture of a revolver. "AMMO IS EXPENSIVE - DON'T EXPECT A WARNING SHOT!" and the list goes on and on.
This may seem like a wonderful idea on the surface showing that you are for your Second Amendment Rights.
In my opinion, this tinny sign could result in the difference of you being 'acquitted or convicted' of having to act in self-defense resulting in you shooting someone - if your case goes to trial or even in the preliminary review stage. It can even mean the difference of being subject to a robbery. Why broadcast to the world that you are a gun owner?? You would not place a sign on your front door that your home is a GUN FREE ZONE - would you?
Unfortunately, in NYS you will 'NEED' to prove you acted in self-defense in fear for your life or life of your love-ones. We, unfortunately, live in a state that does not respect our Right to SelfProtection. You had no other options than to shoot. Why give some anti-gun prosecutor additional 'ammo' (pun intended) to put before a 'grand jury'. They WILL look deeply into your background, family and friends, co-workers for ANYTHING that they can use to say you are a 'trigger happy' gun owner. These cute quotes could come back and bite you. It 'might' raise doubt to your intent??? These social media 'comments' in this day and age can and might make the difference between you staying out of jail or going to prison. Gun owners and especially CCW Holders need to be and demonstrate RESPONSIBILITY in all their actions.
My last comments concern TRAINING - especially for anyone who IS a CCW Holder. I am not only speaking about firearms training but proper safety training and basic firearms shooting skills etc.
In a life and death encounter - these shooting skills are unique and require specific conditioning and training. You need to learn how to control the 'stress factors' of a confrontation. Your 'actions - reactions' need to be second nature. You might only have a second to respond - delay. To think about sight alignment, trigger pull, is my safety off etc. and you could be fatality injured or dead.
These are ALL critical especially to a Concealed Carry individual. But just as important is having knowledge of the law.
Everyone needs to take a course in "Practical Application of the Law - NY State Article 35" - Use of Force CERTIFICATION COURSE.
Make sure that it’s a certified course by a qualified instructor. This certificate can be your 'Get Out Of Jail' card. It demonstrates that you are a responsible CCW holder and you made the effort to be a knowledgeable Law-abiding citizen to the best of your ability to fully understand your rights and responsibilities when it comes to the use of deadly force.
Maybe one day, CCW Holders and ALL gun owners, will be innocent until proven guilty. This will ONLY happen if we all constantly keep our representatives in Albany and Washington aware that we are watching, we vote. And we will not be second-class citizens any longer. United we can make a difference....
