frontlines

Richard Rossi, Delaware County SCOPE Member

I was going to write about another topic this month; however, in light of the recent mass-shooting in Parkland, Fla. I felt this was more appropriate and timely.  Unfortunately, in these times, "POSITIVE ACTION" must be taken to stop these mass-shootings.  The 'Feel-Good' measures that have been enacted, by our Congress and the many state and local governments will not and do not make anyone safe - they never did.  Time has proven that 'Gun-Free Zones', are an invitation to mass-shootings and terrorist attacks.  Just look back at Newtown, Columbine, Aurora (theater) etc. and now Parkland, Florida.  The issue goes far beyond 'Gun-Free Zones' in schools - it applies to Gun-Free Zones anywhere.

More Gun Laws, Restrictions and Regulations and the so called - 'Assault Weapon Bans' are just words on 'paper'.  Murder, assault etc. are already crimes.  These remedies have had no impact nor will more of the same make any difference nor have an effect on criminals and the severely mentally ill from acts of violence.  If our elected officials in our government want to truly make a difference, then they need to attack the 'Root Causes' (seriously mentally ill individuals, gang violence, both illegal and legal drug trade, illegal's, domestic and foreign terrorists) for all violence.

Law-abiding gun owners are NOT the problem and never were.  CCW Holders are by far more responsible than the average citizens in America - this also includes LEO's which have a higher crime rate than CCW Citizens.  These so-call common sense gun control measures are NOT addressing the issues.  They are as I said, 'feel good' initiatives, that make it harder for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones.  These measures constantly restrict an object - the gun; rather than the individual.  Our school are 'soft targets'.  Every school administrator, needs to be 'pro-active' and use all means available to keep our children safe.  This includes, 'Lock-Down' procedures to prevent unauthorized access to schools, containment measures should a 'breach' occur, and, YES, armed, concealed carry personal on the premises during school hours.  However, this should be the last defense to protect our children.  I say concealed carry individuals, which are the element of surprise, must be the major tactic in any mass shooting confrontation.

Uniformed LEO's are fine; however, are we going to have one, two, three or more at each school?  Small community schools can't afford the cost associated to enlist this assistance. In New York State, our rural schools are declining in enrollment with higher and higher school taxes; unfortunately, the residents can't absorb this type of security measure.  For the individuals who are afraid of armed response measures, what choice do we have? In a mass murder scenario, seconds count and LEO's are minutes away. Is it not better to have assistance right there NOW?

Some say they are afraid of guns in school, they don't want to have fear instilled in the students.  Schools in NYS are required to have 'lock-down' drills and drills to simulate mass-shooting scenarios - the same could be said for these drills - right?

Just think about this for a minute, when SWAT is summoned in an attack - they are at a disadvantage when they arrive. They are arriving well into the mass shooting and associated hysteria event. Unfortunately, several individuals will have been killed or wounded by this time. They will be searching for the shooter or shooters.  Would it be more advantageous IF the attack was already stopped or the individual contained in a specific location?  The presence of an armed individual(s) might be the difference that all our children will survive.  Why 'wait and pray' that LEO's will arrive in time.  Let’s face it - the first seconds or minutes are critical.  Our local Sheriff offered to have a Deputy Sheriff stationed at every school in our county (Delaware).  I believe it is 11 schools; however, this would be only one individual and it would be up to the community to pay for this.  A Deputy Sheriff or School Resource Officer, and, yes, even some administrators and teachers who are trained in confrontation scenarios involving firearm assaults are appropriate. The time for action is NOW. The past 'FEEL GOOD MEASURES' are not effective and most are just infringing on the rights/freedoms of law-abiding gun owners and doing nothing to stop crimes.  We are in fact making our citizens less and less safe and becoming prey for criminals.  Law-abiding citizens are entitled to self-defense.

The NRA back in 2012, developed a program to assist schools in safety protocols.  I ask every school administrator to take advantage of this program .  (WWW.NationalSchoolSHIELD.org) I would like to add two additional points.  We have an untapped resource of highly trained combat individuals who have proven under high stress to react quickly, our veterans.  These individuals have been 'field tested' and can fill these needed security measure.  Let’s REALLY keep our children safe.  As we learn more and more about Parkland Fla., it proves that our system has failed all of our citizens and our children. This individual SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO LEGALLY PURCHASE A FIREARM - PERIOD.  His criminal past should have put him in the NICS System to be blocked from any gun purchase - HE WAS NOT.  On top of this - the actions of the school deputy that was assigned to protect these children - failed them miserably.  I don't know his past experience with these kinds of issues; however, clearly it was not his finest hour. Hopefully all the 'true' facts will come to light, so we can learn from this what NOT to do - next time.

In my opinion, these two issues clearly make a case for multiple armed individuals on school premises.   Hopefully, our elected officials will 'see the light', and truly resolve this issue with not the same 'feel good measures' of our past.  However , our rights/freedoms as citizens must never be compromised in the process.  Our Constitution/Bill of Rights must always be the true test of any approach.  Abandon these guiding principles and we have nothing - 'We the People' will become slaves of our government.  Freedom is in the balance.

In closing, I would just like to add one additional personal view point; which is, unfortunately, very unsettling to me as a law-abiding American citizen/gun owner.  Can our elected government officials be that 'ignorant' concerning these, 'so-called' common sense gun control measures and actually believe they will stop violence? I believe it is far more complicated, and this maybe the true objective, which has nothing to do with violence, but has everything to do with our basic Rights/Freedoms of our Democracy.  Our Second Amendment Right protects 'We the People' from our own government. It is the 'citizens 'Checks and Balances' to prevent the government from becoming the rulers.  It is not about hunting etc.  We, today’s gun owners are the militia our Founding Fathers were speaking about and stated in the 2nd Amendment.  It is about the elite few becoming the ultimate power and the citizens becoming the subjects.  Destroy the 2nd Amendment and the rest will surely follow.  Some food for thought - hope I am paranoid and they (politicians) are just 'mentally challenged'.  Time will tell.  God Bless our children and grandchildren, may they live in a country that is Free.

By Stephen L. Blakeslee, Hornell, NY

The recent shooting at the Parkland, Florida school shocked and saddened our nation.  No parent should have to bury their child, especially under such circumstances.  We all suffer from such a tragedy.  The FBI failed on at least two occasions to follow up on leads about the shooter.  Social Services, mental health workers and law enforcement were at the shooter’s home multiple times and did nothing.  An armed Sheriff’s Deputy was on site while the shooting was occurring but did not even attempt to engage the shooter or save lives.

Now we are being asked by smug politicians to trust this broken system even further by giving up more of our Constitutional Rights, all the while they strut about with armed security by their sides.  Enough!  In a 2005 Supreme Court decision, it was ruled that local police departments have NO DUTY OR OBLIGATION to protect ordinary citizens during the commission of a crime.  Do not count on the police, or anyone in government to come and save you in your home, or your children at school.  You are the only one that can protect yourself and your family in the immediate situation.  Do not let the politicians tell you that you cannot defend yourself.  Call your Senators and Congressmen and women to demand passage of Concealed Carry Reciprocity for all 50 States. DEMAND that honest citizens be allowed to have the same type of semi-automatic rifles and large capacity magazines as the shooters.  Make schools safer by providing on site armed security personnel.

Train and arm teachers and school personnel that are willing and able to take on the task of protecting students.  Go to the polls and VOTE this November.  Take back your GOD GIVEN RIGHT to self defense and your Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

By Douglas Mitchell, Chairman, Steuben County SCOPE

Once again we grieve the loss of young, innocent lives because of an evil, unstable young man who was allegedly upset over losing his mother. These were young people who could have been laborers, technicians, accountants, doctors, attorneys, a spouse, a parent. Such a horrible and grievous waste.  Fifty years ago, school shootings were not the chosen outlet for such earth shattering relationship breakups. Pain and Frustration were directed at the individual(s) causing same, a verbal barrage or maybe a fist fight.

In the ‘50’s, Hollywood produced TV entertainment such as Father Knows Best, Leave It To Beaver, The Brady Bunch, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, Sky King, and Roy Rogers.  The sophisticated, enlightened critics of today openly mock this “simple, provincial” viewing favoring increased violence/sexuality.  Freedom of speech and broader community standards, they say.  The average teenager today has viewed, condoned and stored 20,000 “murders” by age 18.  Not enough action for you; let’s spend hours playing violent video games. If you can’t shoot, blowup or eliminate an adversary in some violent and spectacular way, you’re just not cool.  How has this effected today’s society compared to the “simple, provincial, puritanical and backward” folks of 50 years ago who apparently were too unimaginative to maim and kill innocent fellow students because of the anger and pain in their life? It’s time to expose Hollywood for its hypocrisy calling for oppressive gun control while “feeding the beast.”

Mental illness and mental instability need to prohibited the access to firearms but, with equal protection and due process as granted by the Bill of Rights ratified almost 227 years ago. And I trust the Bill of Rights far more than the knee jerk reaction of so many of our well meaning, hoplophobic and naïve politicians.

By Tim Andrews, SCOPE President

“What came first, the chicken or the egg?” 

An age-old philosophical question with no easy answer.  Here’s another philosophical question that has a much more obvious answer. What came first, violence or the gun?  Obvious right? Violence has been around since Cain and Abel.  Cain may have used a rock or perhaps a club to kill Abel. Through the millennium man has conceived a multitude of ways to perpetrate violence upon their fellow man.  Rocks, clubs, swords, bombs, motor vehicles, lethal chemicals, bare hands and yes, firearms to name a few.  Regardless of the implement used there is a common thread among all violence against innocent people, and that is evil.  Guns are not the cause of violence any more than a motor vehicle that ruthlessly crashes into a crowd of people.  It is very simplistic to believe that passing more gun control laws will result in less violence. In fact, gun control, because it only impacts law abiding citizens, usually results in more violence against the innocent because it tips the balance in favor of the criminal.  There’s plenty of examples.  The most obvious are “gun free zones.”  If gun free zones worked we should never have a school shooting.  The facts are that since the invention of gun free zones, school shootings have increased and why wouldn’t they?  The progressive left, the gun grabbers, have created safe areas for depraved killers.  The late Senator Fred Thompson use to say, “why do they call it common sense when there is so little of it?” At the risk of being accused of cynicism by anti-gunners, it’s fair to wonder why someone would push for something as ridiculous and obviously as dangerous as a gun free zone.  Some, and I am one of them, have wondered if the advocates of more gun control welcome these mass shootings?  After all, note how quickly they mobilize their very orchestrated agenda when one of these shootings take place, usually within hours.

You need another example?  Remember the Obama administration’s Operation Fast and Furious that allowed criminals to buy an estimated 2000 firearms, some that were linked to homicides including the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.  We may soon learn more about this because Agent Terry’s family has finally convinced President Trump to release the records on this program. Why would our government sell 2000 firearms to known criminals?  It’s a fair question and one that deserves answers.

Will we ever get them?  Given what we know, these questions are not cynical and they are not out of line.  The American people are owed answers to these questions, especially when the results of such inexplicable policies have resulted in the injury and deaths of many innocent Americans, including the victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.  One final point pertaining to the Parkland Florida shooting.  If ever there was an example of how your safety first and foremost was in your hands this was it.  It’s incredible the number of government failures that occurred that led to this tragedy.  From the school district, the local sheriff’s department and the FBI, all these agencies failed the victims of Parkland, Florida.  And what’s the solution from gun grabbers and most in the media?  Yep, you got it.  More gun control.  The laws and the tools were in place that could have prevented this tragedy.  Any tools or laws are only as good as those put in charge of carrying them out and enforcing them.  That is where the focus needs to be, not on passing more restrictive gun control like gun free zones that only make the innocent more vulnerable.  Here in New York, we have a crucial gubernatorial election coming up this November.  Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of discouraged gun owners on pro-gun social media.  I’ve read comments like, why vote we can’t win, we can’t overcome the vote out of New York City, we can’t trust the Republican candidates and so on and so forth.  Some espouse we support a third-party candidate.  How many of you have ever competed in a competitive sport or other activity? Facing a tough opponent, can you imagine your coach in his pre-game speech telling you, “look this opponent is just too good, there’s no way we can win, rather than play and maybe suffer an injury we should probably just forfeit the game.” I recall the locker room speech of Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 U. S. Olympic hockey team.

They faced a seemingly impossible task. No one gave them a chance to beat the Russians.  Brooks told his team, “this is your time, not theirs.” They went out and seized the moment and won in probably the greatest upset in the history of sports.  Cuomo is in trouble, one of his closest aides Joseph Percoco, an individual he described as a brother, has been convicted of three felonies, involving fraud and bribery.  Cuomo could be next who knows where this will go.  In any case, this is not helpful to his reelection. I urge you to shake off the negativity. We’re not quitters, we can win this.  This is your time.  We need everyone on board. There are a couple of good Republican candidates, such as Senator John DeFranciso and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.  Once the GOP picks their candidate let’s get behind him/her and defeat Cuomo in November.  In the January/February Firing Lines, I erroneously referred to Rick Lazio as the 2014 Republican candidate for governor.  Of course, he was not, Rob Astorino was the 2014 Republican candidate for governor.  I apologize for the error.

By Tim Andrews - SCOPE President

The New York State Assembly may soon consider legislation to ban bump-stocks, or referred to in the bill (A.8717) as bump-fire device or other firing accelerators.

We oppose this legislation because of the broad nature of the proposal and how easily it could include other firearm accessories down the road. Also, state law is not an appropriate place to regulate such devices because visitors from other states where these devices are legal could unknowingly violate such a law while passing through or visiting New York State.

Until the tragic shooting in Las Vegas, most people had no idea what a bump-stock was, and they were never used in crime. Furthermore, with practice one could pretty much duplicate what a bump-stock does with just your finger. Banning bump-stocks in New York will do one thing, it will prevent law-abiding New Yorkers from owning them. However, since bump stocks are available in most other states, this law will create a black market for New York’s criminal population. Laws like this make no sense and will never accomplish their stated purpose.

To address the tragedy in Las Vegas, the focus should be on the individual who committed this horrendous crime. Why did he do it, how was he able to spend days setting up such an advantages tactical position and go unnoticed? The primary asset of the Vegas shooter was his tactical position, given that, he could have accomplished the same results with just about any firearm without a bump-stock.

Another unanswered question is why did it take so long to locate the shooter, could strategically positioned police snipers have ended this tragedy sooner? None of this is meant to be criticism of law-enforcement but these are questions that need answers. Addressing these issues will go much further in saving innocent lives than passing a state ban on hardware.

 Call your Assembly and Senate representatives and ask them to oppose A.8717 and S.6918.

By Tim Andrews - SCOPE President

Yes, we can defeat Andy Cuomo this November. That’s not just wishful thinking, it is a fact. We hear time and again that we cannot overcome the anti-gun vote coming out of the densely populated New York City area, is that true? If it is it’s only because we have not worked hard enough in the past, we must change that in 2018.

Let’s look at the numbers, the total adult population in New York State is approximately 15 million people, a little over 57% of New York State’s adult population lives outside the New York City area. There were approximately 10 million adult New Yorker's who did not vote in the 2014 gubernatorial election, many of them were gun owners, that’s fertile ground and it’s where we need to cultivate this year.

Most gun owners, unfortunately, are not members of SCOPE or other pro-Second Amendment groups in New York. Many of these folks are your friends, co-workers, union members and fellow gun club members, we need you to reach out to them. You are the key to our success in 2018.

The board of elections in your community has all the resources you need to get gun owners registered to vote and then make sure those gun owners vote on November 6, 2018. This includes information on absentee balloting, including voting for members of the military.

We need your help in defeating Andrew Cuomo and other anti-gun politicians in New York State. Cuomo is beatable with your help. Please help us recruit an army of gun owners to defeat Cuomo in 2018.

Visit the New York State Board of the Elections web site for more details:

• New York State Board of the Elections
• Register to Vote

By Tim Andrews - SCOPE President

The 2017 elections are over, and hopefully you helped elect pro-gun candidates to office in your local communities. The end of the 2017 elections brings the beginning of the 2018 election season. Yes, you heard me right, the 2018 election season is here, and our work begins.

It is not overstated, to say that New York gun owners are facing the most important election of their lifetime. Let me say it again, 2018 will be the most important election of your lifetime. You will be voting to elect members of the New York State Legislature as well as the governor of New York State. Additionally, you will be electing, members of congress and a U.S. Senator. It’s a very big year to say the least.

You have heard estimates on the number of gun owners in New York. Estimates range from four to six million New York gun owners. If we voted in a block, we would be the most pro-gun state in the union. Unfortunately, we don’t vote as a block, even worse, many gun owners don’t vote. Our fate ultimately hinges on how successful we are at getting gun owners out to vote and to vote pro-gun. Many people who consider themselves pro-gun, are not necessarily one issue voters. They consider other issues as well. When they vote they may consider a candidate’s stance on issues like taxes, economics or other social issues. We need to educate voters that the right to defend yourself and your family is the ultimate right to life.

Remember that caricature of Uncle Sam, pointing at you and stating, “Uncle Sam needs you”, well Uncle Sam needs all of us to preserve freedom in New York State. All hands-on deck, if there are barriers between us we must bury them now. We need gun shop owners, gun show operators, gun clubs and any organization that considers itself pro -gun to join in the fight.

First and foremost, we must get gun owners registered to vote. If you are not registered you can’t vote. We need voter registration forms in every gun shop, we must have voter registration tables at every gun show. We need to educate gun owners on how to vote including absentee balloting. We also need to identify the pro-gun vote and make sure it gets to the polls on election day.

One final point on registering to vote. Gun owners tend to be independent and many of us are inclined to register as independents and not a member of a political party. When you register, I would encourage you to register to a political party because not doing so gives up part of your voice. When you register to a party you have the right to vote in that party’s primary, you have a say in who that party’s candidate is in the November election. Don’t forfeit that power, register to a political party. As a party member, you can obtain signatures and run your own pro-gun candidate against an anti gunner in a party primary. The other important thing to consider about primaries, is that fewer people vote in them, making primary votes more impactful. This means that an organized get out the vote campaign in a primary, can sometimes rid us of an anti-gun candidate who might be more difficult to defeat in the general election. Good news on the Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA – H.R. 3576). Representative Chris Collin’s legislation now has 14 co-sponsors. They include representatives from California, North Carolina, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Here in New York SAGA co-sponsors include Representatives, Tom Reed, Claudia Tenney, Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin. Call these reps and thank them for their support. If you live in the Syracuse district Representative of John Katko call his office and ask why he has not joined on as a co-sponsor of SAGA.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of the recent mass shootings. Not surprisingly, it has not taken long for the enemies of freedom to attempt to gain some political advantage from these terrible tragedies that have their roots in pure evil.

The Texas church shooting highlighted a point we have been making for a long time. The best defense against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. The media has done a good job of playing that down. As you all know law-abiding gun owning citizen Stephen Willeford, put an end to the shooter’s rampage, with his AR-15 rifle. The only thing that would have made this better is if someone in that church had a firearm, even more lives may have been saved. This was in Texas, I can’t help but wonder why no one in that church was armed. Have anti-gunners with their lying rhetoric attached a stigma to concealed carry, making folks reluctant to carry? If they have they should be held accountable for their rhetoric because it’s costing lives.

Consider this, 70% of mass shootings end within 5 minutes, average police response time to such tragedies is 11 minutes. You can run, hide under a table or pew and hope for the best or you can fight back. Texas hero, Stephen Willeford proved there is no substitute for a good guy with an AR-15. Furthermore, we know the shooter had a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force and had a record of domestic violence, by law he should not have been able to purchase a firearm. That’s more evidence of government ineptitude and more evidence of how you cannot count on, or expect the government to protect you from a violent attack.

Like New York’s SAFE Act, restrictive gun laws only restrict law abiding citizens, making us more vulnerable to evil people like the shooters in Texas and Las Vegas. The battle is against evil, perhaps too theological for anti-gunners to understand.

By Budd Schroeder Chairman Emeritus

As we would expect, when a mass shooting is committed by an evil person, the media and liberal left cries for more gun control. What is interesting about this case is that the killer bought his guns after passing background checks.

This should not have happened because of the past history of the murderer, who had numerous interactions with the military and the law. This should have made him ineligible to purchase firearms. Unfortunately, the government fouled up both in the military and civilian arena.

The killer received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the Air Force, and his penchant for domestic violence got him in trouble while in the military and with local law enforcement. He served time in prison, yet with all of these violations, was not reported to the FBI and placed in the NICS data base.

Compare this with New York and the SAFE Act where people who are falsely reported are automatically placed on the NICS data base and they are unable to legally buy or possess guns. Go figure.

Predictably, the liberal leftist politicians are calling for more gun control laws. Some want a law that would call for an ex parte confiscation of firearms like the Lautenberg Law that requires people who may have had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence to lose their Second Amendment rights.

This is a federal law, yet a bill in the NY Assembly has been submitted that would do the same thing with a mandate attached to require law enforcement to confiscate the guns even if the officers decide that there is no danger to the people involved.

A person may have had the conviction before the law was passed and may have purchased a gun legally at the time. However if it was recently discovered that if by some quirk in the law requiring a background check, like for employment, and it showed the misdemeanor conviction, all of a sudden, he is required to turn in all his guns because he is not eligible to possess a gun.

He might have gotten the misdemeanor conviction by bad advice from his lawyer. Let’s say that he had an argument and he asked for a divorce. His wife wanted to hurt him so she accused him of a violent act and the police were called. They took the report and he is charged with domestic abuse.

Now, he is faced with an expensive court case, so the lawyer suggested that he save several thousand dollars by pleading to a misdemeanor which could end up in an affordable fine and a reasonable legal fee. So, that is what he did.

He was a fine, outstanding citizen after the divorce, forgot about the incident and went on with his life until the misdemeanor showed up in his record. Now, his property has been confiscated and he has little chance of getting it back. An honest citizen is turned into a person who has lost a constitutional right because of this law.

It is thought by many that the liberal left is looking for every opportunity to make gun ownership difficult for all citizens. We know that only about one quarter of one per cent of American gun owners misuse their guns. The proper way to deal with the problem is to deal with the cause. It is not guns that cause the mass murders. They may be a tool used by evil or deranged people.

We think of Timothy McVeigh who killed three times as many people as Pollock in Las Vegas by using a truck with a bomb made of fertilizer and fuel oil. We have to be convinced that the only real common factor in any mass murder is the person doing it.

If all guns could be confiscated we would still have mass murders. This was shown recently by the terrorist in New York City using a rented truck and mowing down people in a bike path.

It is easy to obtain a vehicle. No background checks outside of credit checks. A driver’s license is necessary and once the finances are approved the guy drives a vehicle. If he doesn’t have money, how hard is it to steal a car?

The liberal news media is also for confiscating guns and looking for any reason to do so. They don’t care that the person may not know they are in violation of any laws until the police come knocking on the door with an order to take all firearms from the person. In a family home, they may remove the guns owned by other family members.

Then there is a huge problem getting them back. The “due process” can take years, require legal assistance and reduce the family bank account. The SAFE Act is a good example of that, too.

People have had their constitutional and civil rights violated by false reports by hospitals who can report a person as involuntarily admitted when the person came in totally voluntarily. If the report was made as an involuntary admission, it goes to the Office Of Mental Health. From there it goes through a series of bureaucracies and ends up at the County Clerk’s Office in Upstate New York if the person has a pistol permit.

The accused person must surrender his pistol permit and all his guns, including rifles and shotguns. There is no hearing or due process connected with this law. When this happens, the state gives the FBI a reason to add that name to their NICS base.

Then, the accused person is considered guilty and he or she has to hire an attorney to start a process to investigate the false report to prove innocence. If successful and the aggrieved person wins, they get an order for the return of their suspended pistol permit and the handguns. The long guns are not returned.

In order to get the rifles and shotguns returned, the person must file an Article 78 to a Supreme Court Judge and needs the assistance of an attorney. The costs involved can be more than the value of the guns, so the person has the loss of property without compensation.

The anti-gun politicians are happy to see this happen and look for more ways to confiscate guns from honest people. Since criminals don’t obey laws, they passed one that will be obeyed. They like this idea. The politicians will submit such laws and the liberal left will write editorials supporting these infringements on the right to keep and bear arms.

In New York, assemblymen, senators and governor will be running for office next year. For those who believe in constitutional law, the right to keep and bear arms, property rights, due process and fairness in law will have the opportunity to vote for the politicians who agree with them. We get the government we deserve. What do you deserve?

By Harold Moskowitz

Until about 1925, few Americans questioned a person’s right to own a firearm for protection of life and property. In the eighteenth century, armed farmers helped win our independence. Firearms were essential for homestead defense against Native American attacks and wild animals in the nineteenth century. As the nation expanded westward, the Colt revolver became the “Great Equalizer” in mining camps and “cow towns.” Ranchers and farmers would not have agreed upon much except the usefulness of Henry and Winchester rifles.

However, America was changing. Power farm equipment replaced horses. There was much less need for ‘hired hands’ for harvesting. Millions of these now unemployed men and their families migrated to the cities where they joined the throngs of immigrant families. The dramatic increase in urban population gave cities increasing political power over rural areas. By 1910, census data indicated that a majority of the population lived in cities.

Rural people felt comfortable with firearms and knew how to handle them safely. In the densely populated ethnic neighborhoods of cities like New York, firearms were viewed as a dangerous menace. In the southern part of Manhattan, criminal street gangs used handguns to eliminate rival gang members and for extorting money from shopkeepers. In 1903, two rival gangs, the Eastmans and the Five Points Gang had a five-hour shootout. When police arrived, both gangs began firing at responding officers.

The firearms used by the criminal gangs were not illegal to possess but there was a ten dollar fine for carrying a concealed firearm in the city. State Senator Timothy Sullivan represented this part of the city and instinctively saw an advantage in proposing a gun control law in Albany. His “Sullivan Law” took effect in 1911. It made buying or selling a handgun a felony in the state unless the person had a license for the handgun. Licenses were required for state residents if a firearm was small enough to be concealed. Possession of an unlicensed firearm would be a misdemeanor but carrying the weapon became a felony. The law was a “may issue” statute. Police were given authority to decide whether or not a person would receive a concealed carry license. The jury is still out on whether or not Sullivan actually believed in gun control.

At the time, he was also the head of the New York City Democrat political machine “Tamany Hall.” For getting out the vote on Election Day, prepaid drinks were available at local saloons for those who voted “the right way.” Intimidation at the polls was also a useful method of guaranteeing votes. “Big Tim” Sullivan had a working relationship with the leaders of both the Eastmans and the Five Points criminal gangs. He is said to have also had his own “soldiers” for use on Election Day. Passage of his law would make it possible for his own men to be among the few who could legally carry firearms in the city. New York City historian George Lankevich has claimed that the law’s motivation was for Sullivan’s friends on the police force to plant handguns on his political rivals’ thugs and have them arrested.

The Sullivan Law was the start of gun control. In 1927, Congress ended mail order handgun sales. Due to a rash of bank robberies and Prohibition Era use of Thompson submachine guns by gangsters, Congress passed the Firearms Act of 1934. It regulated machine guns plus rifles and shotguns with shortened barrels. The Firearms Act of 1938 helped the states to enforce their own recently enacted gun control laws by requiring individuals and manufacturers to have a federal license for making, sending, receiving, or selling firearms.

Elected politicians since Timothy Sullivan have capitalized on gun-related violence for personal gain. They are aided and abetted by the news media. The spotlight needs to be on the real causes of violence in our society: the constant failure of urban elected officials to prosecute under existing laws those individuals who are killing and injuring others with illegally possessed handguns; the insufficient resources for treatment of people with mental health issues; the proliferation of movies, videogames and song lyrics which glorify violence while degrading the value of human life.

We need to express clearly to the younger generation why Second Amendment rights are important for all law-abiding people. Erosion of the Second Amendment is a civil rights issue and should be constantly portrayed as such whenever an opportunity presents itself. Finally, those whose ultimate goal is to end the individual right to keep and bear arms wait for the public emotion which follows each mass shooting. With perceived public support, they incrementally push forward with their agenda. Without a solid constitutionalist majority on the Supreme Court, we will likely have to deal with ongoing erosion of the Second Amendment.

By Budd Schroeder Chairman Emeritus

Thanksgiving is over and so is Black Friday. People are getting their first rush for the “Holiday Season” and of course, it starts with the big sales and the focus on spending money. There is no more “Merry Christmas.” What used to be a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ has become a season to stimulate the economy and provide profits for merchants and factories.

Check out the local newspapers, fliers and electronic media. It is filled with ads for sales of products. Some merchants and businesses depend on this holiday to end the season in the black because of the surge to buy gifts. Some say the American custom is to spend money you don’t have to buy stuff you don’t need to impress people you don’t even like. The “holiday season” enhances this thought.

The society has changed so much thanks to the liberal leftists that the mention of Jesus is forbidden in some stores. They employees must wish their customers a “Happy Holiday” instead of a “Merry Christmas.” Nativity scenes are forbidden to be placed in government owned places because some atheists or people of faiths other than Christians “might be offended.” Baloney!

This started as a Christian holiday and has denigrated to a time for commerce. While the Christians do celebrate the birth of Christ, they do not infringe on other beliefs or non-beliefs. Who objects to Jews celebrating their holidays like Yom Kippur? Anyone object to Muslims celebrating the Fast of Ramadan? There doesn’t seem to be any outcry to do that. Maybe it has something to do with Christian spirit and practicing the religion as it should be practiced.

Traditionally, Christians used the holiday to come together for the traditional Christmas dinner and exchanged gifts in the tradition of the gifts brought by the Wise Men when Jesus was born. It became a true holiday complete with church services and prayers. That too, unfortunately, has faded.

This column has long expressed the opinion that politics was all about power and money and it seems that the American way of living has been strongly influenced by the same philosophy. A major factor on everyday decisions is, “What is the cost?” That is understandable since this is a capitalistic society. We have been taught that is we worked hard we could be successful and have a good financial future. In so many instances, success is measured in dollars.

That could have a major influence on the shift in the attitude about Christmas. Where family values and traditions were featured during the Christmas season, it seems like the major discussion about the celebration is now, “What did you get for Christmas?” The more the kids got or the more expensive the gift determines how merry their Christmas was.

Still, the message of Christmas does resonate in some aspects of the season. We refer to the concept that it should be a time to help the unfortunate and share some of our bounty. Jesus preached about the value of charity and how those who had the means should take care of those who are less fortunate. We get mailings every day from organizations asking for financial help for the poor, aged, disabled and unfortunate. They hope that there is some compassion that leads to generosity.

Therefore, there is competition for money between compassion and commercialism and generally speaking, commercialism wins. The “what’s in it for me” motivation usually wins. However, it is easy to be generous and there are convenient opportunities to help the unfortunate in an easy manner.

At most stores and malls, shoppers can find people who are standing by the Salvation Army Red Kettle giving shoppers a chance to drop in a couple of bucks that can make a big difference to an unfortunate person or family. For each donation it can be pocket change or a five of ten dollar bill, maybe more, the Salvation Army motto of ‘’Doing the Most Good” comes into play. Of all the recognized charities, this one has the highest ratio of low overhead to the amount given for those who receive the help. Many organizations do wonderful work, but this one has an enviable reputation for efficiency that few can match.

When a disaster strikes, more often than not, the Army Is first on the scene to set up emergency kitchens that feed those affected and to set up shelters. This was recently shown during the storm that devastated Puerto Rico. They beat the government teams by a significant margin.

So, during this Christmas season, when you shop for gifts and you see the Red Kettle, perhaps you can remember the traditional purpose of Christmas and think about others who may be in need of necessities. Maybe you can consider not buying a small unnecessary gift and invest the money in a worthy charity. A couple of bucks you won’t miss can mean a decent Christmas dinner for a hungry poor person. Your money, your choice!