North: “the best armed criminal enterprise in the history of mankind”  by Tom Reynolds

U.S. weapons and military equipment abandoned by the Biden administration in Afghanistan will be reverse-engineered by China and Russia and then used against American interests, retired Lt. Col. Oliver North said on Wednesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow.

The Biden administration left behind “some of the most sophisticated weapons and equipment we’ve ever made for the military,” North stated. He warned, “It’s going to be reverse-engineered in China. It will be reverse-engineered in Russia. It will be used against us in other campaigns.”

North predicted that the Taliban, ISIS, and Haqqani Network would collectively become “the best armed criminal enterprise in the history of mankind” due to the Pentagon’s abandonment of military equipment, vehicles, and weaponry in Afghanistan.

He said, “What’s happening to a lot of [abandoned equipment] is that they’re being dragged across the border in Conex boxes and on trucks. A HET is a heavy equipment transporter. When we offload a tank — an M1 tank, 70 tons — off a ship, and set it down on the pier, it’s loaded onto a HET a transported to where it’s going to fight, because you don’t want to wear out the treads and don’t want to burn up more fuel than you need to need to.”

 Heavy equipment transporters have been used to transport two M1 tanks from Afghanistan into Pakistan, North claimed. He remarked, “They’re going to be heading to the port where they will be loaded aboard a ship and taken to communist China for exploitation. That’s what’s happening to anywhere between five and ten of every piece of equipment. The Taliban, by the way, are getting rich on this. They’re — quote — selling them.”

The Oryx Blog detailed the losses of U.S. military weapons and equipment provided to the Afghan military in a post entitled, “Disaster At Hand: Documenting Afghan Military Equipment Losses Since June 2021 until August 14, 2021.”

 “Now, other people will be using our weapons to shoot at us,” he concluded. “We’re going to see a lot of that weaponry used against us in a lot of places.”

Oliver North will be the main speaker at SCOPE’s banquet in Utica, NY on October 16^th.  Join us to meet him and hear his take on America, Afghanistan and the 2^nd Amendment.

(For more banquet information click here.)

Impeachment and Succession  by Tom Reynolds

There are calls to impeach Joe Biden over the Afghanistan debacle.  But if you read the Constitution, it says that the President “…shall be removed from office On Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”  It says nothing about incompetence, so the Afghanistan debacle may not be a basis for impeachment.  

Am I arguing against impeaching Biden on a constitutional basis?

Anything to stop Kamala Harris from becoming President. 

But since the Democrats didn’t seem to have an issue with impeachment when Trump was president, will the Republicans do turnabout-is-fair-play?  Again, I remind them that Kamala Harris is next in line.

Past Presidents have joked that no one would want to assassinate them because they wouldn’t want the VP to become president.  Did Biden nominate Harris to keep the 25^th Amendment from being used against him?  

Speaking of presidential impeachment and succession, here are the potential successors to Biden, in their order of succession.

Vice President Kamala Harris.  56 Years old Senator (2017-2021) and former Attorney General (2011-2017) from California.  Before that her job was being a girl friend to politically powerful men.  As a presidential candidate in 2020, she was so unpopular that she couldn’t get to the Iowa caucuses before dropping out but Biden named her as VP as a sop to the radical left.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 81 years old Representative from California since 1987.  She urges an 83 years old Supreme Court Justice to retire due to age, but does not see the irony of this. 

President pro tempore of the Senate Patrick Leahy.  81 years old Senator from Vermont since 1974.  (See Pelosi’s previous remark on age.)

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.  59 years old lifetime member of the D.C. Swamp.  He is a major adviser on the Afghanistan debacle.  He was Susan Rice’s deputy when she was Obama’s National Security advisor so he has experience taking orders from Rice.  National Intelligence Director Avril Haines also worked for Rice but Haines is not in the line of succession.  (For those who don’t keep up on D.C. politics, Rice is believed to be the person behind the scenes, pulling the strings on Biden and is the liaison with Barack Obama.  You remember him!) 

Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellin.  75 years old academic and longtime member of the Federal Reserve section of the D.C. Swamp.  Appointed by Obama, President Trump thought so much of her economics that he did NOT reappoint her as Federal Reserve Chairman.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.  68 years old retired Army general who believed “sensitivity training” was such a military priority that he called a 60 days time-out for the military to discuss it.  (The Taliban did not honor his time-out.)  He says Critical race Theory (white people are inherently racist) is not being taught in the Military but the West Point Superintendent says it is being taught there.  A major advisor on the Afghanistan debacle.

Attorney General Merrick Garland.  68 years old lawyer, longtime member of the Justice Department and federal judge since 1997.  Mitch McConnell’s greatest contribution to America was preventing Garland from being appointed to the Supreme Court.  Under Garland, the Department of Justice just created the position of Chief Diversity Officer and does NOT label Black Lives Matter and Antifa as Domestic Terrorists.

For your information, the FBI (a branch of the Garland’s Department of Justice) relies on the following definition of domestic terrorism: “…acts of violence that [violate] the criminal laws of the United States or any state, committed by individuals or groups without any foreign direction, and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.”

Any resemblance to BLM and Antifa there?

Obviously, succession recently became an issue in New York State.  We had previously warned that new Governor Kathy Hochul would probably veer radically left in order to win next year’s gubernatorial primary.  She needed a Lieutenant Governor, so Hochul appointed an anti-police, pro-criminal, radical leftist from New York City as her Lieutenant Governor. State Senator Brian Benjamin, who will be serving as the number two in state government, has called for defunding the police, championed more rights and privileges for criminals and voted for record tax & spending increases.

Thank goodness there is a 2^nd Amendment.  Does anyone in government have any ties to the American Constitution, American values and American traditions?

Yates Conversations  by Tom Reynolds

Last Saturday, Yates County SCOPE had a terrific Pig Roast event with an enthusiastic crowd and numerous political candidates in attendance. Jack Prendergast and all the people who volunteered their time must be congratulated on a successful event where 2^nd Amendment supporters could get together to hob nob with each other.  We also learned a lot in the speeches and during follow up conversations.

Obviously, the wake of Cuomo’s resignation was a major topic.

Two things about Cuomo seem to be often repeated facts and should not be forgotten:  his life is politics and he is an unforgiving bully.  Translation: no one expects him to become a monk or do anything that would pave his road to sainthood.

It appears that he will NOT be impeached so he is free to run for federal or state offices in the future. 

Money gives him leverage.  Cuomo has about $18 million in his campaign treasury and the rules for its use are very loose.  There is no time limit on its use, as long as he is alive.  He can use it for legal fees if he is sued - which seems almost certain.  He can use it in some, but not all, personal political campaigns that he might mount in the future.  (He may never go away.)  He can donate it to other political campaigns to keep up his personal influence.

NY Attorney General Letitia James has been absolutely drooling over the opportunity to run for governor, even before Cuomo was out of the way.    She is also the one trying to break up the NRA to further her far-left credentials.  Since a report that her office prepared was the nail in Cuomo’s coffin, will Cuomo seek revenge and use his money and influence and the time he now has on his hands to deny her?  Does a bear…well, you know the rest. 

New Governor Kathy Hochul has already signaled she is going to run for election in 2022; no surprise there.  She has to win the Democrat primary and those usually attract about a third of the voters that will vote in November’s election.  The far-left Democrats have gained power in the Democrat party because they turn out and vote in primaries.  Letitia James has already staked her claim on the far left so will Hochul move radically left to steal those people?  This could lead to a difficult year for the 2^nd Amendment with Hochul and James trying to out-Cuomo Cuomo in attacking 2A.  It was also mentioned that Hochul is looking for a Lieutenant Governor candidate to replace herself and, although no one was named, it was hinted that we will not be happy with the candidates. 

NY City mayor Bill DiBlasio will certainly be interested.  As we have previously pointed out, he could unite New Yorkers across political parties since no one wants him to be governor.

Now here’s an interesting kicker.  Will NY Senator Kristin Gillibrand be interested in running for governor?  That raises the possibility of a Senate seat being open and, as pointed out, an unimpeached Andrew Cuomo is eligible and has money to pave the way by investing in Gillibrand’s campaign.  Loyalty to his former Lieutenant Governor will probably not be an issue for Cuomo.  Unlikely political alliances have been formed on less.

State Senator George Borrello made an important point that we are constantly on the defensive as the left doesn’t hesitate to introduce hordes of new anti-gun bills that have to be fought.  (About 100 gun related bills were introduced this year at the state and federal level.)  Borrello is right, we need to stop playing defense and start playing offense.  Of course, for this strategy to be successful, pro-gun politicians have to walk-the-walk and the voters need to hold them responsible.

It’s no secret that Democrats are generally anti-2^nd Amendment (especially the leadership and far left radicals) and Republicans are generally pro-2^nd Amendment.  There is a reasonably good chance that Republicans could regain both the House and the Senate in the 2022 elections and could begin to safeguard 2A as well as all our Constitutional rights.  But the last two House Speakers, John Boehner and Paul Ryan, have been disappointments to everyone but the Democrats.  Right now, Kevin McCarthy is in line to be the Speaker if the Republicans gain control.  We need to send a clear message to our representatives that they better vote for a Speaker who will stand up for Constitutional principles.  If that’s Kevin McCarthy…great.  But if they think he will be another Boehner / Ryan, they can’t let D.C. politics direct their vote. 

By the way, the Speaker does not have to be a sitting Representative.  I understand Donald Trump isn’t doing anything.  Can you imagine the left media’s reaction to that!   

Michael Henry, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General in 2022 also spoke and spent a lot of time talking to people.  It’s good to know that we have already surfaced a candidate for that position, fifteen months before the election.  MICHAELHENRYFORAG.com

Given that the Democrats have a veto proof majority in both New York houses, it’s doubtful if we will make any inroads concerning the 2^nd Amendment, until that changes.  Which is exactly why SCOPE keeps pushing voting, voting, voting!

Cuomo and North  by Tom Reynolds

If you are a gun owner in New York State, at times you feel like you are alone.  Your government at the state and federal level is against you and the media treats you like poison.

Once in awhile there is a cause to celebrate and the downfall of 2^nd Amendment enemy #1, Andrew Cuomo, certainly qualifies – if for whatever reason.  We don’t know what the future holds but we shouldn’t miss the chance to enjoy the moment.  Join us at the SCOPE banquet on October 16^th in Utica and join with your fellow gun defenders in celebration of Cuomo’s exit.

At the SCOPE banquet, Lt. Colonel Oliver North will be the main speaker and will be available before the banquet for personal interaction.  You may have noticed that he is popping up on many TV news programs for interviews and commentary on the situation in Afghanistan.  He certainly qualifies from his experience with major international incidents while in Ronald Reagan’s White House.

October 16^th will be the chance to hear from North at a most opportune time.  Join us. 

Serving the People  by Tom Reynolds

Afghan Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar appeared in a Twitter video alongside other Taliban leaders, in which he pronounced victory in Afghanistan.  “We have achieved an unexpected victory. Now is the time to test, to show how we serve our people and ensure their future in the best possible way.” Within hours of Barader’s announcement, Reuters quoted another Taliban official as saying, “We understand people kept weapons for personal safety. They can now feel safe. We are not here to harm innocent civilians.”

Isn’t it interesting that the first things that repressive regimes do, once they are in power, is to disarm the citizens while also saying that the government is there to serve the people.

Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone TV program once had an episode about aliens landing on earth.  The earthlings found a book written in the alien language and translated the title: How to Serve Man.  Because of the title, earthlings are entering the alien’s ship to go back to the alien’s world.  In the final scene, someone screams, “Don’t go.  I’ve translated the rest of the book. How to Serve Man is a cookbook”!

As the saying goes, “Why would the government want to disarm its citizens unless the government was going to do something for which the citizens would shoot them?

Pray for the people of Afghanistan and pray for our own nation.

Oliver North  by Tom Reynolds

10,000 Americans in danger behind enemy lines as well as thousands more of our friends.

The featured speaker at our banquet on October 16^th had a lot to say about the situation in Afghanistan.

Come to our banquet and hear more from a man who has been in the White House during crises.

Lt. Col. Oliver North joined Sean Hannity tonight to discuss the Biden catastrophe in Afghanistan.

2A Lessons from Afghanistan  by Tom Reynolds

Joe Biden wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan in the worst possible way and that is exactly how he did it – in the worst possible way!!!

Biden wants to disarm American citizens but he left thousands of weapons, many military vehicles and even drones behind for a radical Muslim terrorist movement to use against us.  Which begs the question: how well thought out are Biden’s and the left’s priority for taking guns away from American citizens?  Is the left’s promise that the government will protect us as credible as Biden’s words that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is “not inevitable”?

There are reports of Taliban fighters rounding up weapons from Afghans.  A Taliban official told Reuters “We understand people kept weapons for personal safety. They can now feel safe. We are not here to harm innocent civilians.”  Doesn’t that sound similar to the rhetoric President Biden and the Democrat leadership has been telling the American public?  The Taliban isn’t engaging in gun confiscation; it’s like gun buy backs only without money.

Joe Biden and the left want to eliminate most bail and empty our jails, since they believe it’s racism and not crime that put the convicts in prison.  Apparently, they have the same feeling about 5,000 of Afghanistan’s most dangerous terrorism captives, that were set free after the Taliban seized control of the former American base at Bagram.  It contained the “highest value” Taliban, al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters captured on the battlefield. Those freed terrorists, like American criminals that are being released without bail or to protect the criminals from Covid, would never dream of returning to their previous evil ways.  Right? 

Not long ago, Biden implied that the government could use “F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons” against those who would “take on the government”.  How many F15’s and nuclear weapons did the Taliban have? 

Biden’s last statement implying the use of F-15s, nuclear weapons and advanced weaponry against American citizens deserves further exploration.

Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Phelps (USMC Retired) has written a terrific book called “On Killing Remotely”.  It tells everything one might hope to know about drones (Remotely Piloted Aircraft or RPA’s) and especially “The Psychology of Killing with Drones”. 

In the section entitled, The Decision Not to Kill: A Moral Victory, Phelps describes, “On rare occasions those who are commanded to kill human beings have the remarkable moral fiber necessary to stare directly into the face of the obedience-demanding authority and refuse to kill”.  As an example, Anwar al-Awlaki was an American citizen, born in New Mexico, whose loyalty was to Al Qaeda – which, as we know, is dedicated to killing Americans.  The American government had designated al-Awlaki as a Tier 1 target for killing by RPA for, as Phelps puts it, … a laundry list of justifiable reasons.”  Legally, al-Awlaki was a domestic terrorist living abroad and it was a law enforcement issue not a military issue.  But because he was in the hinterlands of Yemen, beyond the reach of law enforcement, the killing task was given to the military.  Obama would personally be calling to authorize taking the shot.

The RPA pilot is quoted as saying, “Since this guy was an American citizen, people had a problem within the (RPA) squadron.  We thought it was illegal and refused to do it.  When the leadership told them to shut up and color (follow orders) that commander was dismissed and that line was taken away from us and given to the CIA…They (the CIA) had different rules to fight under”.

Al-Alwaki was killed by RPA strike in Yemen in 2011.

American soldiers refused to kill an American citizen, simply because he was an American and in spite there being no doubt about him being involved in murders of Americans.  The American Civil Liberties Union should be proud!  Perhaps Biden, and more importantly the entire leftist movement, should realize that the American military’s human beings are not the same as the drones they operate.  They have minds and consciences and took an oath to defend the Constitution. (Something many on the left did – including Biden - but maybe aren’t exactly rabid about following).  

Phelp’s book also explores the dangers of removing human beings from the decision-making process about killing human beings; just create an algorithm and let the robots take over.  Weren’t there Arnold Schwarzenegger movies about that subject?  

Of course, the “top brass” in the military are political appointments and may be willing to buy position with loyalty to a politician rather than the Constitution.  Have they become a part of the D.C. Swamp?  (Could I be referring to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley?)  Would Milley “have the remarkable moral fiber necessary to stare directly into the face of the obedience-demanding authority (Biden or Susan Rice) and refuse to kill.”         

On the other hand, events indicate that the CIA seems to have its feet firmly planted in the muddy bottom of the D.C. Swamp. 

The military take an oath that they only have to obey the “lawful” orders of their superiors.  Do the D.C. Swamp denizens take a similar oath or does politics make all things lawful?

What was it that the forefathers were concerned about:  Big government?  Politicians dedicated to careers rather than country?  Americans’ rights?    

The topic of using the military against American citizens should be explored in much more depth.  But the point is that there are those (many?) in the American Military who would resist using military force against Americans.  But probably not so many D.C. Swamp denizens would share that same ethical and moral values.  And the latter are the same people that want to take away your guns.

Wild Pigs and Other Things  by Tom Reynolds

How to catch wild pigs:

Find a suitable place where wild pigs frequent and place an adequate amount of corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn.
When they are used to coming every day, put a fence down one side of the area where they are used to coming.  When they get used to the section of fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that small change in environment and start to eat again. You continue this process until you have all four sides of the fence up, with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used to eating the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat.
When you see that they all are peacefully eating the free corn, you slam the gate shut on them and catch the whole herd.  Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. They eventually accept their situation and soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are now owned.

Nobody provides something of value without getting something in return.  Ask the mouse why the cheese in the trap is free.

If the government controls any entitlement, they can take it away as they see fit.

Once the government provides you food, the government can control what you eat and if you eat. 

Once the government controls healthcare and medicine, the government can control if you are valuable enough to live. 

Once a government provides you with basic utilities, the government can decide when to turn them off or on. 

Once the government pays for your education, the government can control what is in your education and what career you pursue.

Once the government pays for your housing, the government can control where you live. 

Reread the above but, if you are a Democrat, replace “government” in the above with “Trump” and if you are a Republican, replace “government” in the above with either “Pelosi” or “Biden” or “Cuomo” or “Schumer”.  That’s the reality of what giving control to the government really means.

Once the government gets you to agree to gun control, you have no way to prevent the government from doing all of the above.  (Other than, of course, voting and preventing any of the above from happening.)

There is no such thing as a Free Lunch!  Someone is going to pay for it now and eventually everyone is going to end up paying for it later. And when you rely on someone else to take care of it, it will be very expensive and will probably not be done as well as it could have been, because you had no choice and will have to do what the government says and take what the government decides to give you.

No Mo’ Cuomo!  by Tom Reynolds

Let’s all take a moment and enjoy the moment.  No matter what the future holds, it will not include Mario’s kid.  Aaahhh, that feels good.

Let’s turn to the “Governor to be” Kathleen Hochul.  What do we know about her?

She was born in Buffalo area and lived there most of her life.  An upstater!  What a change in Albany!  Will Upstate’s culture impact her policies? Or, after a lifetime in politics, has she completely sold out to the “Dark Side”?

Other than a period after graduating from law school when she worked for a D.C. law firm, her entire career has been spent in Democrat politics.  She worked as a legal counsel and legislative assistant to U.S. Representative John LaFalce and U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan and for the New York State Assembly.  She was elected to the Hamburg Town Board in November 1994 and served until 2007. In 2003 she was appointed Deputy Erie County Clerk and served from 2007 through 2011 as the Erie County Clerk.  She was elected to Congress in a 2011 special election, primarily because a Tea Party candidate split the Republican vote.  (The election was necessary because her predecessor resigned over a sex scandal.  History does repeat itself!)    She lost her attempt at reelection in 2012. 

In Congress, Hochul was one of 17 Democrats to join Republicans in supporting a resolution finding Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for the “Fast and Furious” gunwalking scandal.  The National Rifle Association supported the contempt resolution and announced it would be scoring lawmakers. This got her an endorsement by the NRA.  (Don’t get too excited about that, there is more to come.)

Cuomo named her as his Lieutenant Governor running mate in 2014.  In response, Ammoland called for the NRA to repudiate its prior support of Hochul.  It said that, because of the Safe Act, “Cuomo is scared! That’s why he picked Kathy Hochul as his running mate . . . he knows the anti-gun SAFE act could kill his campaign so he tried to deceive you by picking a lieutenant governor with an NRA endorsement and A rating from a congressional campaign in 2012.”

“Of course, Cuomo would never pick someone who actually would stand up for your rights.”

“Asked if she supported the SAFE Act, Hochul said: ‘Yes, I do.’”

It should be noted that there was very low voter turnout in 2014’s election:  less that 4 million voted and Cuomo won with 2.2 million votes.  Did Hochul’s presence on the ticket help keep Cuomo in office?  There are probably 5 million gun owners in NY State so many of them did not bother to vote.

In 2018, the NY Daily News reported that Hochul said that the NY State Senate was too afraid of the NRA to pass a “Red Flag” law.

Basically, she is a lifetime politician, which should worry us…a lot.  As Lieutenant Governor, she was mostly a non-factor but she did toe the Cuomo line, which should also worry us.  (Principles generally mean little to lifetime politicians in their pursuit of political power.) 

And just for fun, what about her husband, William Hochul?  He worked for the Department of Justice for nearly 30 years. According to his LinkedIn account, he joined the department in 1987 and he started as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1991. In 2009, former President Obama nominated Hochul as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York. Hochul remained in that role for more than six years before deciding to retire from the DOJ.  In 2016, Hochul became Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to Delaware North Companies, Incorporated, a Hospitality and Gambling company.

So, William Hochul spent his career in government, working for the DOJ, (which we have seen has proven to be more interested in politics than justice when it came to political issues).  And he was an Obama appointment!  It’s likely his current job in the gaming industry has more to do with influencing politics than managing a company.  There will likely be no sobering influence on her from her husband.

Presumably, Kathy Hochul will want to run for Governor in 2022 and will have to start preparing, almost immediately.  The Democrat Party is loaded with people who will be stepping up for the nomination for governor:  Letitia James, NY’s Attorney General, (She produced the report which brought Cuomo down.  Any conflict of political interest there?); Thomas DiNapoli, NY’s Comptroller; NY City’s Mayor Bill DiBlasio, (Seriously?  DiBlasio?  He could unite NY since no one wants him to be governor).  And let‘s not forget those perennial power seekers: Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Octasio-Cortez (the former has time on her hands but the latter may be too busy ordering Nancy Pelosi around.)

Hochul has a year to make a name for herself before the Democrat Primary in 2022.  But the NY Legislature has adjourned for 2021 and her duty would only include signing – or vetoing – any leftover bills that Cuomo missed.  Her only real shot at legislation will be next January to June when the legislature meets again.  Will she sell out to the extreme left?  She’s called a moderate but Joe Biden was also called a moderate before being elected.  There is, of course, the China Virus; she can’t afford for it to be perceived as going away and not needing her leadership.  

By-the-way, why is Cuomo taking 14 days to resign?  Be afraid – be very afraid.  The last time he said 14 days until something he didn’t mean it.  What havoc can he wreak in this period?  We can hope he will only be writing another book, hoping for another big payday.

One has to wonder what the future holds for Mario’s other kid, “Fredo” who isn’t exactly burning up the TV ratings?  Is there a future where there will be “no mo’ Cuomo”?  He has a personal scandal going because he advised his brother on this scandal while still maintaining his position as an “independent journalist”.  Of course, at CNN that’s not a scandal, that’s business as usual.

Clenched Fist  by Tom Reynolds

SCOPE is strong because we have both chapters and a statewide organization.  Both are necessary.  One without the other would seriously weaken our efforts to defend the Constitution and the 2^nd Amendment.

We’ve heard the adage about individual fingers being weak but when clenched into a fist they are a powerful weapon.  It also applies to defense of the 2^nd Amendment.

Unfortunately, most 2A organizations don’t “play well” with each other.  SCOPE understands that we need to work with other 2A defenders and have a clenched fist in defending 2A.  It wasn’t that way until 2016 and there were a few within SCOPE who resisted that change.  Unfortunately, some individuals still continue their opposition but state SCOPE doesn’t spend any of its precious time or resources fighting other 2A organizations.  We know who 2A’s enemies are: Cuomo, Biden, Pelosi, Schumer and their followers, as well as those who say they are on our side but are quick to betray 2A when push-comes-to-shove.

The clenched fist not only applies to inter-2A relationships but intra-SCOPE relationships between chapters. 

State SCOPE created chapters and they are powerful sources of information and influence when dealing with local issues but we also need the power of combined chapters as most issues go beyond the local area of influence.  Chapters are knowledgeable about one county or two, but statewide political offices have districts covering multiple counties and, in a few cases, the whole state.  We need both chapters and that intra-state coordination that state SCOPE provides.

SCOPE is also unusual in that none of its officers or board members get paid, either directly or indirectly.  In fact, it’s extremely rare for an officer to ask reimbursement for their expenses.  We’re volunteers in the truest sense.  State SCOPE’s funds get used to defend 2A and not for the benefit of any officers.

Our state officers are a crucial link to politicians at both the state and federal level.  The closed fist analogy is important here as speaking for an entire organization conveys more influence than speaking for only one chapter.  In addition, politicians and the public need to hear a consistent and focused message rather than random messages from various chapters and, in return, they like to be able to use only one contact in an organization when they want to get out their message. 

Sue.scopeny@gmail.com is our only paid employee.  As with SCOPE’s officers, she rarely seeks reimbursement for the expenses she incurs.  Along with a few volunteers, she coordinates the various aspects of SCOPE, especially the electronic aspects: our website, handling payments, dealing with questions, seeing that emails (like today’s) get sent.  There is also the routine administrative work that someone has to do.  Without that coordination, which could not be accomplished by volunteers, there would be no SCOPE presence.  Those that work often with her know her value to SCOPE and, thus, to the 2^nd Amendment. 

The Firing Lines is another state SCOPE effort that relies on volunteers to write and edit the articles.  It is a vital communications link to our members and, because it is printed and mailed, it’s expensive for state SCOPE to produce.

SCOPE’s main purpose is education and that requires gathering information.  A huge amount of time is spent, every day at state SCOPE level, reading various sources of information, interpreting that information, deciding what’s important and timely and then writing the emails and Firing Lines Articles.  Some sources of information are general but members constantly send us information, since they know their work often gets converted into statewide distribution.  Often, SCOPE’s emails and articles are the combined efforts of several people.  You may recall that prior to the election this past November, you were receiving 4 to 5 emails a week on election issues.  Each email requires hours of research and writing.  In addition, preparing the candidate ratings and summaries of bills in the federal and state legislatures are very time consuming.  It would be difficult to get volunteers to do this if the distribution was only limited to the chapter level but because of the combined reach of the state, it is worthwhile and gets done.  Again, all this is done by volunteers.

Our state Facebook page is, again, run by volunteers from all over the state and is an important part of getting 2A information out.  A post on Tuesday got over 250 reactions within 5 hours and 154 shares, which Facebook says reached over 5,000 people.  Three days later it had over 900 shares and reached over 40,000 people.

State SCOPE gets emails with questions or requesting help from all over the state.  We usually answer them immediately and try to resolve all of them in a short period of time.  

Last year, when state SCOPE’s finances were finally recovering, state SCOPE was able to financially help three chapters at fiscal year-end.  This was unusual since SCOPE has been working to balance its budget for several years but when state SCOPE has funds available it does spread them throughout the organization and does not keep them for sole use at the state level.

SCOPE’s officers come from all over the state and not one area has undue influence.  Our Chairman is from Yates County and our past President is from Monroe County.  Our current President is from Chemung County while our Secretary is from Rensselaer County.  Sue.scopeny@gmail.com is in Erie County.  SCOPE strives to be a statewide organization.  The state is responsive to the chapters and the chapters are responsive to the state.