SCOPE Banquet:  Attorney General candidate to be at SCOPE banquet New York Attorney General Letitia James has ridden rough shod over the judicial system in New York, using it to punish those of which she does not approve, using what is now called ‘lawfare.’ A Grand Jury is investigating her for using her office to deprive Donald Trump of his rights as she ran for NY State Attorney General on the platform of ‘getting’ Donald Trump and the NRA.  She also accused Donald Trump of real estate fraud but she is now being investigated for real estate fraud, herself.  James has actively defended NY’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act as well as proposing a law to make it illegal to purchase ammo in another state without going through NY’s background check. Without question, she is an enemy of 2A. At the SCOPE annual banquet on September 27th,* a 2026 election challenger to James will be there.  Mike Henry is running for the Republican nomination for NY Attorney General.  Henry leaves no doubt about where he stands on Letitia James.  “The time for politicized justice is over. The NY Attorney General's office under Letitia James, has turned into a partisan weapon and has to be defeated.” We are familiar with Letitia James and her stance on 2A but the banquet will give you a chance to learn more about Mike Henry in face-to-face meetings and discussions. The 2026 Attorney General election is vitally important to the future of 2A in NY State and this gives you an opportunity to ‘scope out’ a candidate. The banquet Emcee will be Canisteo native Bob Lonsberry.  Lonsberry is a conservative American radio talk show host, columnist, and author. Also, an Army veteran and marathon runner.  His frank opinions are often controversial and always interesting. Lonsberry has been a newspaper reporter, columnist, photojournalist and editor, as well as a magazine writer and commentator on radio (Radio talk-show host at WHAM, WSYR, WGY and WAIO) and television.  He has also been a TV reporter and manager. Lonsberry has spoken at SCOPE chapter meetings and he will make the evening interesting. The SCOPE banquet is on September 27th at the Palmyra VFW, 4312 NY Rte-31, Palmyra, NY.  It starts at 5:00 PM. Tickets can be found either online at scopeny2a.org, in the newest Firing Lines, or you can download an order form. Deadline to RSVP is September 12th.

The July/August edition of the SCOPE newsletter, The Firing Lines, is now available.

DO GUN FREE ZONES SERVE A PURPOSE?  by Bohdan Rabarsky 

On Saturday afternoon, July 26th, at a Traverse City Michigan Walmart, a knife wielding attacker stabbed 11 shoppers before he was stopped by a good guy with a gun. Former Marine Derrick Perry, a veteran and well trained in the use of firearms and having a State of Michigan conceal carry permit, used his personal firearm to stop the attacker from committing further carnage. According to County Sheriff Michael Shea, from the time the 911 call came in until the attacker was stopped by the Marine Veteran, it took all of one minute.

Once again, a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy from harming more citizens.

The attacker will be charged with 1 count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder.

On Monday, July 28th, a shooter with preplanned motives, who had driven from Nevada to New York City, double parked his car 20 to 30 yards away from the targeted building that he planned on entering. He walked through a busy area of New York City for 15 to 20 seconds, openly carrying an AR-15 style rifle, without any resistance, into the Manhattan office building where he planned his mass murders.

With New York City being a perpetual “Gun Free Zone”, who was going to stop the shooter who was defiantly openly carrying his rifle? Definitely not a good guy with a gun, as it’s virtually impossible to get a conceal carry permit in New York City. The City is an investigative journalistic newsroom covering New York City.  According to it, in 2023*, 5,000 people applied for concealed carry permits and 503 were approved. In a city of 8.5 million citizens, the chances of someone being there to stop the shooter were slim.

Once again, a Gun Free Zone is nothing more than a feel-good measure that serves no purpose but it does embolden those that don’t follow the laws and leaves the rest of us helpless.

*The latest numbers available

$4,706

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ lowered the tax stamp fee from $200 to $0 for suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs) and short-barreled shotguns (SBSs). It takes effect in January 2026.

During negotiations over the bill, Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, proposed a $1 tax stamp fee instead of a $0 charge (It was defeated.)  Why would an anti-2A Senator propose a $1 tax?   Because he wanted to be sure the path to increasing the tax stamp charge was kept open.  A tax must have a revenue-raising purpose to be constitutional. Since a $0 tax stamp generates no revenue, the government will struggle to defend the tax stamp in court; the entire tax stamp idea could be thrown out.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

That same Senator Murphy has proposed an amendment to H.R. 3944, (the 2026 appropriations bill for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs,) that would raise the tax to $4,709! It would also impose a $55 tax on actions currently exempt under the code.

"If we want to save lives in this country, we have to find a way, come hell or high water, to stop mass legalization of silencers in this country," said Murphy in a press conference last month.  But Senator Murphy failed to quote any statistics as to how many people are killed in any year by a suppressed firearm. 

Suppressors are now legal in 42 states, (New York not being one of them.)  A study of Criminal Use of Firearm Silencers by Paul A Clark states: “The data indicates that use of silenced firearms in crime is a rare occurrence, and is a minor problem.”  That’s why Senator Murphy isn’t quoting any statistics!

Socialism says it creates equality but every socialist society in history has created a two-tiered system; the elites (government and the rich) and everyone else.  This proposal is right in line with those principles.  Murphy would establish a two-tiered system for the Second Amendment, where the rich will be able to exercise rights that the middle class and those in poverty cannot financially afford.

There is a reasonable chance that this amendment may be rejected on technical grounds.  But Murphy’s amendment is a warning to all gun owners as to what will happen if he and his anti-2A cohorts ever get back in the Senate majority.  They can’t repeal 2A but they can price it out of the reach of ordinary law-abiding Americans.

H R 4676 On July 23rd, proposed bill HR4676 (the Modern Firearms Safety Act) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and referred to its Judiciary Committee. The bill’s official summary of purpose reads: “To prohibit the imposition of requirements that handguns have certain features generally absent from firearms in common use, and to restore the civil and natural rights of Americans in States hostile to liberty, and for other purposes.“ “States hostile to liberty” sounds like it is describing New York State!  (And California, Massachusetts, Illinois, etc.) HR4676 would preempt any requirements that exceed those imposed by Federal statute.  It would make it illegal for any state or political subdivision to pass a law or regulation which mandates: “any design feature, functionality, safety mechanism, or performance standard that is not required by Federal statute.”  (Emphasis added.)  It won’t stop NY State from passing these laws but they would be immediately voided by any reasonable court since the wording is very clear. In particular this law would ban state laws requiring microstamping, among other things.  (Microstamping is not required by federal law.) Why is this law necessary?  The bill explains: “State and local governmental requirements for handgun design that mandate features not ordinarily present on the affected models: limit the selection of handguns available to law-abiding citizens in these jurisdictions; artificially inflate the price of constitutionally protected arms; present safety concerns by altering the intended design and function of the affected models; violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; pose an unacceptable restraint on interstate commerce.“ That last comment is necessary since Congress – not the states - regulates interstate commerce.  This should prevent any challenges based on the 10th Amendment.   As usual, any proposed bill that is good for 2A has Claudia Tenney as a cosponsor and this one is especially good for New York gun owners. We are done playing defense and this bill definitely puts us on the offense and is well worth your time in contacting your Representative and encouraging their support of it.

US Representatives

Microstamping

Microstamping is a technology in which the gun’s firing pin imprints each fired cartridge with a unique microscopic identifying code.  This is touted as a tough on crime measure.

Maybe not.

In 2023, California passed a law requiring microstamping of firearms, once it becomes feasible. California’s Department of Justice (DOJ) studied its feasibility and, this year, issued a report saying that it’s viable.

One of the many problems with microstamping is that the firing pin coding wears down after multiple uses.  But California’s DOJ’s report says it won’t wear down, even after thousands of rounds are fired.  Of course, most of the studies the DOJ relied on came from companies that stand to profit from selling microstamping components. 

By January 2026, companies can start applying for licenses to produce the microstamping parts and by mid-2026, California will begin signing contracts with them. On January 1, 2028, only pistols equipped with these components will be allowed to be sold in California.

First, what if the studies that California’s DOJ has relied upon turn out to be wrong, as we suspect?

Second, lawful gun owners have no reason to file-down or otherwise destroy the imprint but criminals would certainly do that.  So, if this will only impact law-abiding owners, is it really a crime prevention issue? But the lie of microstamping being tough on crime will still be trumpeted by the left-wing media. 

Attorney William Kirk recently made some interesting observations about this.

If only California was to require this, the cost and complexity of retooling every pistol model with unique microstamping components might make it unprofitable for most manufacturers. “You are not going to go through the expense of producing unique firing pins just for one state,” Kirk said. Would most manufacturers stop selling pistols in California, leaving very few models available?  Is that, in fact, the real purpose of this law?

Adding a unique firing pin to every single handgun line, just for California, does not make business sense. But what happens when the same requirement pops up in other states?  If other states follow suit, how many states must require it in order to make the retooling worthwhile?

California will have full control over which brands and models get approved.  An anti-gun state government will be picking winners and losers in the retail gun market.  What could go wrong? 

It will be a bureaucratic mess: reports, standards, deadlines, and licensing rules, mostly invisible to the non-gun buying public as only gun owners will feel the pain. 

The microstamping approach avoids passing handgun bans and running afoul of our 2nd Amendment freedoms, while producing the same result. Kirk described it as: “They have absolutely thwarted any reasonable opportunity you have to arm yourself with a handgun.”

New York State has had laws proposed regarding microstamping of firearms for several years.  The current versions are S02158 and A03021 and they rest in committees, but could be activated once the Democrat controlled legislature comes back in session in January.

It’s important that New Yorkers stand firm against S02158 and A03021 to protect our 2nd Amendment rights.

Presidential Message on National Shooting Sports Month The White House August 4, 2025

From the earliest days of our great national story, hunters, fishers, sportsmen, and gun owners have carried forth a storied legacy of recreation and competition, proudly embodying our timeless principles of liberty, responsibility, and self-reliance.  This National Shooting Sports Month, my Administration honors these cherished American traditions—and we pledge to keep them alive and flourishing for generations to come. Since the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791, shooting sports have instilled the values of focus, discipline, and confidence in our citizens—connecting generations, binding together communities, and reminding us of the freedoms that define our Republic.  Sports like hunting and fishing also provide a glimpse into the beauties of God’s creation and allow countless Americans to experience the splendors of the great outdoors.  For as long as I am President, the Federal Government will abide by the premise that the God-given right to bear arms shall not be infringed. This National Shooting Sports Month, we honor the generations of sportsmen who have carried forward our traditions of marksmanship, responsibility, outdoorsmanship, and freedom.  We encourage every citizen to promote a culture of firearm safety.  And above all, we recommit to the eternal truth that our constitutional rights do not come from the hands of government, but from the hands of Almighty God.

More Ridiculous Comments

Last week, SCOPE emailed comments about the 345 Park Avenue shooting and some of the expected comments by the gun grabbing left, especially Kathy Hochul.  There’s more and they get even more ridiculous.

Governor Kathy Hochul noted the alleged Manhattan shooter had a concealed carry permit and she claimed the permit allowed the shooter to have an AR-15. 

The shooter did have a concealed carry permit from Nevada but it applies only to handguns and not AR-15’s.  One Pinocchio for Hochul.

And besides, NY State does not recognize the concealed carry permit from any of the other 49 states and in NY State there is a prohibition against so-called ‘assault weapons.’  So, NY’s draconian gun laws meant nothing to criminals; they only impact law abiding gun owners.  Another Pinocchio for Hochul.

Although New York’s “assault weapons” ban failed to prevent the Manhattan attack, Hochul made it clear that she believes such a ban on a national level would amount to being “tough on crime.” 

Tough on legal gun owners, yes, but definitely not tough on crime.  Another Pinocchio.

Communist NY City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani addressed the mass shooting at the Park Avenue office building while at his family’s private compound in Uganda.  He also called for such a ban to be enacted nationwide and has said that, if elected, he will “lead calls” to pass such a nationwide ban.  And in true communist fashion, Mamdani had previously called for a ban on all firearms: “We need to ban all guns.” (May 24, 2022, tweet.)

No Pinocchio here as he was telling the truth.  In the best traditions of Joe Stalin and Mao Tse Tung, he will ignore the 2nd Amendment and do everything he can to disarm law-abiding American citizens.

In a 2016 speech, Barack Obama said: “…it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.”

Not to be outdone by Obama, New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed, “Automatic weapons are as easy to get as a cell phone.”

First, you have to find an automatic weapon (machine gun) manufactured before 1984 since it is illegal to purchase one manufactured after that date.  That’s no easy task.  Conversely, there is no cutoff date on purchasing cell phones.

One big Pinocchio for Adams!

To buy that automatic weapon, you must be fingerprinted and photographed and pass a background check and pay a federal tax of $200 and register the firearm with the ATF. The process for doing this can take months.

I know the lines in the cell phone store can get long but come on…

Another big Pinocchio for Adams

And by the way, the Manhattan attacker did not use an automatic weapon. He used a semiautomatic rifle.  As a former NY Police Department Captain, one would expect Adams to know the difference between an automatic and semi-automatic firearm.

One would also expect gun-grabbers to know the difference between laws that impact criminals and laws that impact law-abiding citizens.  But they don’t and we still labor under these ill-conceived laws.

345 Park Avenue Shooting  by Tom Reynolds

By now, you have probably read about the shooting that occurred at 345 Park Avenue in New York City at about 6:30 PM on Monday.  The media covers it in their own, usual way but here are some added thoughts.

President Trump said. "I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence."  Seems sensible.  It was a senseless act of violence and the police need time to get the facts behind it.

On the other hand, after identifying the gun used as an AR-15-style “assault” rifle, Governor Hochul wasted no time in calling on Congress to pass a national assault weapons ban. 

What piece of logic did she miss?

Estimates are that there are 20-30 million AR15 style rifles in the U S A.  Does Hochul believe they will all be turned in?  Does she believe criminals will turn in their illegal guns?  All she wants to do, which is standard for the gun grabbing left, is to disarm law abiding citizens and put them at a disadvantage to armed criminals.

No surprise there.  Hochul relies on emotion and misinformation to sell her agenda.  Never miss the chance to use a crisis to further a political agenda.

It’s reported that the rifle used was a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 rifle and early reports claimed it was equipped with a suppressor.  (It was not.  The sling was mistaken for a suppressor.)  Palmetto does sell PA 15 rifles that are semi-automatic and most chamber in .556 or .223 ammo.  None of the PA15’s fire automatically, which is necessary to be a military ‘assault’ weapon, a fact ignored by gun grabbers in order to make the semi-automatic rifle sound worse.   

Some reported that the shooter bought a ‘lower’ and built his own weapon which is meant to start the ‘ghost gun’ stampede.  But the gunman’s supervisor at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas has admitted that he purchased a fully assembled AR-style rifle in Las Vegas and sold that rifle, the one used in the New York City office shooting, to Tamura for $1,400.

Some report it had a 30 round magazine.  Enter the large capacity magazine banners.

CNN claimed the active shooter in New York City is a “possibly white” male.  They are probably the only people in the world who could see his picture and say he might be white.

A couple decades ago, I attended a dozen meetings in that same building.  In front of the patio is an automobile waiting area, where limos usually wait, and it is reported that the shooter double parked there.  The entrance patio is about 20 yards long so it took the shooter 15-25 seconds to exit his car and walk to the front door.  It’s a busy area and you can tell from a picture that people are standing in front of the cars.  And yet, no one noticed a man with a rifle!  No one called 911!  No one yelled, ”Hey, he's got a gun!” 

Could it be that everyone was too busy staring at their cell phone?

One of the main preventive measures taught in defense classes is ‘situational awareness.’  Had anyone been aware, that tragedy might have been avoided.  The would-be witnesses missed one of the most tragic events they will ever experience.    

Hochul also used this as an opportunity to complain about states that do not have New York’s strict gun laws; “…our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder."

There were probably hundreds of people in the building.  Pictures show rooms inside the building being barricaded.  Due to NY’s strict gun laws, no one was ‘carrying.’  No one (or multiple persons) was armed and could step up and challenge the murderer.  All the hundreds of law-abiding, would-be victims could do was hide and pray.

And finally…

Numerous studies estimate there is a median figure of 1.6 million Defensive Gun Uses occurring in the U S A, every year.  (Very few end up with shots being fired.)  If 1% of those would have ended in a murder, that is 16,000 murders prevented.  Gun Violence Archives estimates there is an average of 14,567 non-suicide, illegal gun homicides over nine years.  (There is an average of 1,882 legal gun homicides.)  It’s quite possible that guns prevent more murders than they are used in.  Another issue Hochul chooses to ignore.

The Ninth  Surprises

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals covers the ‘Left Coast’ and is the most far left federal appeals court.  (Any further left and you will get your feet wet in the Pacific Ocean.)

So, when it gave 2A advocates a huge win, that was a surprise.  In a 2-1 decision, the three-judge panel approved a permanent injunction delivered by a U.S. District Court judge, early last year.  It concluded that the California law on Background check requirement on sales of ammunition (and prohibiting residents from ordering ammunition online or bringing ammunition purchased out-of-state back into California)  is facially unconstitutional, meaning there's no circumstance where it can be lawfully applied.

The Ninth’s opinion stated that the law: "meaningfully constrains the right to keep operable arms."

Some highlights of the decision (which look a lot like Kathy Hochul’s and Letitia James’ efforts in NY State.)

California’s ammunition background check regime regulates all ammunition acquisitions by California residents; the regime applies not only to every transaction in California but also to ammunition purchases by California residents outside the state.

It requires California residents to pay for and complete an in-person background check before each ammunition acquisition.

A California resident may be required to purchase ammunition during a specified period of time—e.g., 18 hours—after passing a background check.

Though not all the rules comprising California’s ammunition background check regime impose delays on their face, they do not require California to approve checks within a certain timeframe.  (Emphasis added.)

The regime applies to all types of ammunition, and California residents cannot avoid the background check requirements by taking advantage of internet or out-of-state sales. Rather, out-of-state purchases are subject to additional delays and fees.

Given the fees and delays associated with California’s ammunition background check regime, and the wide range of transactions to which it applies, we conclude that, in all applications, the regime meaningfully constrains California residents’ right to keep and bear arms. Thus, it is not a “presumptively lawful regulatory measure.”

Appeals court decisions only are binding in the appeals court’s district which is, in this case, the left coast.

New York is trying many of the same things that California was doing in the above law.  Let’s hope that liberal New York courts also surprise us and outlaw many of the same laws.

And at the federal level, in another issue:

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that it has filed a motion for summary judgment in the case of Elite Precision Customs v. ATF. At issue are federal laws that ban licensed firearm dealers from selling handguns to buyers who live in another state. Under current law, it is illegal for federally licensed firearms dealers to sell handguns to individuals who reside in a different state, even if the buyer is fully eligible to possess firearms and passes a background check. Instead, buyers must arrange for the handgun to be shipped to a dealer in their home state, incurring additional fees and delays.

In a similar case, the federal ban was struck down by a district court but that decision was reversed by an appeals court.  However, this happened before the decision in NYS Rifle & Pistol v Bruen, which is the basis for this reconsideration. 

Under the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, courts are required to assess whether modern firearms regulations are consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding.  The plaintiffs wrote: “The Government does not cite a single law that burdened the right of peaceable citizens to acquire arms in another state or colony in any way like the laws at issue here.”

As SCOPE recently wrote, the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) has been refusing to defend some anti-2A cases that the Biden DOJ would pursue to the bitter end.  Will the Trump DOJ decide to not defend this law and let a summary judgement against the law be imposed?  Let’s hope so.