John Katko (R-NY) talks about his experiences growing up with firearms. AmmoLand.com  Editor’s Note: We are pleased to post the latest of our occasional Q&A features with an elected official who supports hunting and the shooting sports. NSSF thanks Congressman John Katko (R), New York’s 24th District, for agreeing to talk with us.

Who introduced you to hunting/shooting sports and at what age?

My father introduced me to hunting and the shooting sports at a very young age. He started by stressing gun safety. My brother and I learned to shoot at first with a 1924 German-made bolt action single shot .22 caliber rifle. I have since taught my three boys to shoot with the same gun. After taking my first hunter safety course as a teenager, I began to use a shotgun and shot a lot of clay pigeons with it. Ever since, each year I have almost exclusively hunted deer. 

Describe your most recent hunting/shooting sports activity? With whom?

Opening Day for deer season in Upstate New York is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. My oldest son Sean and I hunted this year on opening day, as we always do, on my in-law’s farm. We both got deer that morning. It is always a special time to go hunting with my son and to hang out at the family farmhouse. We met up with some locals whom we have hunted with for years in the afternoon and did a few drives and got another deer. It was a great time. 

Describe your favorite shooting sport/hunting activity.

As you may have gathered, I love deer hunting! I have been doing it for 40 years. The best thing about it is the beautiful sounds of the woods. I always start and end my hunting day in my cherished tree stand sitting halfway up a ridge with a beautiful view of the woods and surrounding area. To hear the tranquil sounds of the breeze on the trees and the various animals running around, chipmunks, minks, fox and even some coyotes are awesome. Of course, the excitement of seeing a deer and deciding whether to take it is the ultimate hunting rush.

Which piece of pending legislation related to the firearm industry is particularly important to you and why?

Since coming to Congress, I have consistently heard from sports enthusiasts and firearm owners in Central New York about the patchwork of laws they have to navigate when traveling across state lines. With this in mind, I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to advance the bipartisan Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38). Congress must continue working to provide certainty to law-abiding firearm owners and ensure the fair recognition of concealed carry permits across the country.

What do you see as the challenges and opportunities for hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts in the upcoming congressional session?

In addition to advocating for sensible legislation to protect the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen, I believe Congress has a responsibility to encourage conservation and preserve the American outdoors for future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen. I was proud to support the introduction and enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act, which will significantly increase the availability of federal resources for conservation projects in my district and across the country. For sports enthusiasts, it is critical that lawmakers work with federal agencies to fully implement the Great American Outdoors Act and continue to prioritize other federal conservation programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Below is the link to a Pdf file listing the candidates for the 2020 general election.  Download a copy at the following link:    2020WayneCountyCandidates.pdf

WA Appeals Court Ruling Revives SAF-NRA Challenge to Seattle Gun Law

Ammoland Inc. Posted on October 21, 2020 by Dave Workman

A Washington Appeals Court has ruled unanimously that a SAF-NRA challenge to a Seattle gun storage ordinance may go to trial, reversing an earlier dismissal of the case by a trial judge. (Dave Workman photo)

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Washington State’s 35-year-old firearms preemption law got a boost Monday with a unanimous state Appeals Court ruling that reversed and remanded a legal challenge against a so-called “safe storage” regulation adopted by the City of Seattle more than two years ago, essentially in defiance of the statute.

Buried in an early report from KIRO was the confirmation that the city has been receiving pro bono legal help while plaintiffs—the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association—have had no such assistance.

Seattle adopted the storage ordinance in July 2018 and was quickly challenged by SAF and NRA and two Seattle residents, Omar Abdul Alim and Michael Thyng. That October, King County Superior Court Judge Barbara Linde tossed the case on the grounds that plaintiffs lacked standing. She did not rule on whether the storage requirement violated the preemption statute.

At the time, as reported by KIRO7 Eyewitness News, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes declared, “It seems the NRA jumped the gun in filing their lawsuit against this eminently reasonable legislation meant to protect children and the vulnerable.”

But is the legislation reasonable, and is it even legal under the preemption statute? Now the courts will have a chance to make that determination.

Under the ordinance, which took effect in January 2019, gun owners could be fined up to $500 if they didn’t lock up their guns, and up to $1,000 if that gun fell into the hands of a juvenile or some other “unauthorized” person, including someone “at risk,” as reported by KING News at the time. The fine could go to $10,000 if the gun was used to injure or kill another person, or be used in a crime. SAF and NRA said this mandate clearly violates the preemption law,which was originally passed in 1983 and amended and strengthened in 1985. It has not been amended since 1994.

Here’s what the law says:

“The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state, including the registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, acquisition, transfer, discharge, and transportation of firearms, or any other element relating to firearms or parts thereof, including ammunition and reloader components. Cities, towns, and counties or other municipalities may enact only those laws and ordinances relating to firearms that are specifically authorized by state law, as in RCW 9.41.300, and are consistent with this chapter. Such local ordinances shall have the same penalty as provided for by state law. Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with, more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not be enacted and are preempted and repealed, regardless of the nature of the code, charter, or home rule status of such city, town, county, or municipality.”

But SAF and NRA attorneys Eric Lindberg and Steve Fogg with Corr, Cronin in Seattle appealed. Two years later, a three-judge State Court of Appeals panel led by Acting Chief Judge Beth Andrus ruled unanimously that the plaintiffs did have standing, and that the trial court erred.

An elated Alan Gottlieb, SAF founder and executive vice president, said in a prepared statement, “Now we will have a trial on the merits of the case, which I believe we will win eventually.”

But Gottlieb noted the length of time it took for this decision to come down.

“A lot of our cases in Washington state have been stalled and have taken a long time to actually get resolved,” he said, “and it’s because they really don’t want to rule in our favor but they know eventually they’re going to have to.”

SAF and NRA also sued the City of Edmonds, located north of Seattle, for essentially the same thing and won that case in the trial court. This Appeals Court victory could discourage any further action in the Edmonds case.

It’s no secret Washington State has become a petri dish for gun control experimentation. Everytown for Gun Safety, the billionaire-backed gun prohibition group based in New York, has been involved in the Seattle case. It’s been theorized that this was a test to see how strong state preemption laws might be, since Washington’s statute has served as a model for similar laws in other states.

“Rogue city governments, especially ones that let rioters seize neighborhoods and destroy public and private property, cannot be allowed to skate around state firearms laws,” Gottlieb said, taking a swipe at Seattle’s recent history. “Seattle is not a special fiefdom inside Washington State, where officials can make up their own rules, especially when they directly affect the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”

He called the city’s effort to erode the preemption law “cavalier.”

Joining Judge Andrus in the unanimous ruling were Judges Stephen Dwyer and Marlin Appelwick. In the ruling, Judge Andrus observed, “The challengers here make an adequate showing that their rights will be or have been adversely affected by the City ordinance. They allege they follow a certain firearm storage practice, the ordinance requires them to alter this practice or risk being in violation of the law, and Alim would have to purchase a gun locker to come into compliance. The facts alleged show an adversarial relationship sufficient to eliminate the risk that a ruling on the merits of their preemption challenge would be an advisory opinion only. We see no basis under the UDJA to require a person to confess to a violation of an ordinance and risk exposure to significant civil infractions before being able to challenge the validity of that ordinance under state law.”

Dan Nolte, with the Seattle City Attorney’s office, told KIRO his office is “reviewing the decision and will confer with our pro bono legal counsel on our potential next steps.”

SAF and NRA will wait to see what those “next steps” might be. The city could appeal this ruling to the state Supreme Court, or opt to take the case to trial on remand.

In the meantime, this amounts to a victory for Washington’s beleaguered gun owners and more fuel for what has been an ongoing effort for decades by anti-gun city officials who want to repeal the preemption statute so they may return to an era of patchwork local laws that confused gun owners and often conflicted with one another.

That’s why the state legislature exercised its authority and took such power away from local governments in the first place. The idea was so good, preemption is now on the books in at least 40 other states in various forms.

More 2A Reading

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

Wayne County SCOPE will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, September 9 @ 7 PM at the Marion American Legion.  Members are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. The Legion will be open and also the bar.  This meeting will be devoted to a vetting of potential federal and state candidates for office. Candidates have been invited to attend this meeting.  Questions will be posed and members will have an opportunity to ask their own questions and respond to candidates' answers.  This opportunity only occurs every two years.  I hope many of you can attend and participate in the election process.   Senator Pam Helming has also been invited to speak.  She is chairman of the senate committee seeking candidates to replace a number of retiring state Republican senators.  Please plan to wear a mask while moving around the room or building.  The bar will be open and hopefully members will partake since the Legion does not charge us for use of the facility.  No mask is needed while seated at your table.  A maximum of 4 per table is allowed in order to properly social distance. Your cooperation is appreciated by the Legion's leadership.  Please continue to visit the state and chapter websites for updated information both in Wayne County and around the state. Here are the links.  Note that you can access our Wayne County page directly from the state site under “Chapters" on the navigation bar. SCOPENY2A.ORG  OR  WWW.WAYNECOUNTYSCOPE.ORG

David HarsanyiJuly 27, 2020 4:12 PM

Politicians blame out-of-state sellers, but the real problem lies at home.

The tragically incompetent mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union this weekend to deflect attention from the horror show unfolding in her city by blaming interlopers for its spiking murder rate: “We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons — that is hurting cities like Chicago.”

Although these accusations have leveled by Chicago politicians for decades now, they are a myth.

For one thing, there is no state in the nation with “virtually no gun control” or “no background checks.” Every time anyone in the United States purchases a gun from a federal firearms licensee (FFL) — a gun store, a gun show, it doesn’t matter — the seller runs a background check on the buyer through the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) database. In some cases, the FFL checks to see if the buyer has passed a background check via a state-issued concealed-carry permit. In states that allow individual private sales, it is illegal to knowingly sell to anyone who you believe is obtaining a firearm for criminal purposes.

Those who cross state lines to buy guns undergo the same background check, and the sale is processed by an FFL in the buyer’s home state. The exact same laws apply to all online sales.

The vast majority of Americans obtain their guns in this manner, and they rarely commit crimes. Around 7 percent of criminals in prison bought weapons using their real names. Fewer than 1 percent obtained them at gun shows. As the Heritage Foundation’s Amy Swearer points out, there have been around 18 million concealed-carry permit holders over the past 15 years, and they have committed 801 firearm-related homicides over that span, or somewhere around 0.7 percent of all firearm-related murders. Concealed-carry holders not only are more law-abiding than the general population as a group; they are more law-abiding than law enforcement.

Studies of those imprisoned on firearms charges show that most often they obtain their weapons by stealing them or buying them in black markets. A smaller percentage get them from family members or friends.

On top of all this, federal law requires every FFL license holder to report the purchase of two or more handguns by the same person with a week to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This is one of the reasons straw purchasers — people with a clean record who buy for criminals — spread their operations to other states. This is not unique to Illinois or Chicago. It has nothing to do with strict or lenient laws. It has mostly to do with cities and states failing to prosecute straw purchases.

Lightfoot claims that 60 percent of the guns used in Chicago murders are bought from out of state. I assume she is relying on 2017’s suspect “gun trace report,” which looked at guns confiscated in criminal acts from 2013 and 2016. Even if we trusted the city’s data, most guns used in Illinois crimes are bought in-state. If gun laws in Illinois — which earns a grade of “A-“ from the pro-gun-control Gifford Law Center, tied for second highest in the country after New Jersey — are more effective than gun laws in Missouri, Wisconsin, or Indiana, why is it that FFL dealers in suburban Cook County are the origin point for a third of the crime guns recovered in Chicago, and home to “seven of the top ten source dealers”? According to the trace study, 11.2 percent of all crime guns recovered in Chicago could be tracked to just two gun shops.

The only reason, it seems, criminals take the drive to Indiana is because local gun shops are tapped out. There is a tremendous demand for weapons in Chicago. That’s not Mississippi’s fault. And Lightfoot’s contention only proves that criminals in her city can get their hands on guns rather easily, while most law-abiding citizens have no way to defend themselves.

Lightfoot may also be surprised to learn that California borders on states with liberal gun laws, such as Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. Yet no big city in California has quite the murder and criminality of Chicago. New York borders on states with liberal gun laws, such as Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Yet NYC’s murder rate is only fraction of Chicago’s. Texas gets an “F” from Gifford Law Center, yet Houston and Dallas have murder rates that are half of that in Chicago. The rates in Austin and El Paso are tiny when compared to Chicago.

Then, of course, the “assault-weapons bans” that Lightfoot brings up have absolutely no bearing on Chicago’s murder rate, even if such prohibitions actually worked. There were 864 murders in the state of Illinois in 2018 (the last year for which the FBI has full stats). Of homicides where the type of weapon is reported by law enforcement, 592 were perpetrated using handguns, 14 with rifles, and four with shotguns. Over 100 murders were committed using knives, other cutting instruments, hands, feet, and other types of weapons. And of the 14 “rifles” used, it’s almost surely the case that not all of them were “assault weapons.” Among the illegal guns recovered by Chicago law enforcement in 2018, 12,220 were handguns of some kind and 1,769 were rifles and shotguns.

In the states in Illinois’s neighborhood with no bans on “assault weapons,” the number of murders committed with a “rifle” is correspondingly small — ten in Indiana, eight in Tennessee, six in Kentucky, four in Wisconsin, and three in Mississippi.

It’s also worth pointing out that gun homicides dropped sharply in most cities after the national “assault weapons” expired in 2004, even though the AR-15 would correspondingly become one of the most popular weapons in the country. The AR-15 is an excellent home-defense weapon, but long guns aren’t conducive to criminality, despite what we see in movies. Tragically, AR-15s are often favored by psychotic mass shooters, but rarely by the murderers who plague Lightfoot’s city.

It keeps getting worse. Nearly 400 people have already been murdered in Chicago this year, around 100 more than in the entire year of 2019. On the night of May 29, 25 people were murdered and another 85 wounded by gunfire, more than any day in 60 years. And yet the mayor is appearing on TV to blame Mississippi and Texas. It is far more likely that black-market guns find their way to Chicago because the place has been a poorly run criminal mecca for decades.

By: José Niño

In 2020, gun owners have many enemies.

It’s no secret that government entities pose threats to those of us who exercise our Second Amendment rights. Just taking a look at the bills filed in your state legislature can give you an idea of the lengths anti-gunners will go to strip us of our civil liberties.

In the Trump era, there have seen some interesting changes in the way the gun control crowd has changed their strategy. Having been largely shut out of power in D.C., gun control organizations have logically shifted their energy to lower levels of government, such as state legislatures and city councils.

Seasoned political operatives understand the importance of building political power bases at all levels of governments. This kind of work is what leads to major victories further down the line. But the forces of gun control have not just limited their efforts to traditional political activism. They are now operating outside of the conventional realm of politics by using corporate America to advance anti-gun causes.

Big Tech has been at the vanguard of this privatized form of persecution levied at Second Amendment supporters. Just look at Karl Kasarda, who ran the YouTube channel InRange TV. Fox News reported his channel “was wiped without warning in early 2018.” Kasarda pulled no punches when he talked about Big Tech’s suffocating control over political discourse:

"The issue of oligarchical control over the Internet and all the impact over the ability to use it for free speech is going to only get worse.”

Kasarda referred to the "big five" — Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube — as the main actors behind the recent wave of digital censorship directed towards the Second Amendment community and similar right-wing groups.

"It is unclear what the rules are," Kasarda said. "Specifically, with YouTube, they pretty much enforce whatever they feel based on their bias of the day. Regardless of your personal belief, firearms and their accessories are legal in the United States. So why are we seeing continuing restrictions and challenges towards content about something demonstrably legal yet not against that which is clearly illegal?"

Starting in 2018, after the Parkland mass shooting, YouTube began to ban videos that "promote or link to websites selling firearms and accessories.” In addition, it prohibited instructional on how to build firearms.

"Content intended to sell firearms, instruct viewers on how to make firearms, ammunition, and certain accessories, or instruct viewers on how to install those accessories is not allowed on YouTube," the company’s policy stated. "YouTube shouldn't be used as a platform to sell firearms or accessories noted below. YouTube also doesn't allow live streams that show someone holding, handling, or transporting a firearm."

Google classifies firearms content as "non-family safe," and Twitter has boasted about its prohibition of "the promotion of weapons and weapon accessories globally."

Facebook, which is the parent company of Instagram, also bans the "sale or trade of firearms, ammunition, and explosives between private individuals."

Due to the arbitrary nature of Facebook policies, there has been a noticeable chilling effect that has affected firearms companies big and small.

Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of commercial sales for SIG Sauer, believes the social media censorship of firearms companies is getting way out of hand.

"Instagram and Facebook, Google and YouTube, Twitter, Yahoo – or virtually any mainstream search engine – is not allowing firearm manufacturers to advertise or promote via paid activities,” Taylor said. “No sponsored or paid posts are allowed. These platforms are built to be optimized by paid advertising so, the firearm industry is almost completely dependent on organic reach and grassroots efforts.”

Taylor revealed that the situation is only getting worse as these companies find more avenues to manipulate social media algorithms to censor gun-related content.

"Many companies attempt to use hashtags that are unrelated to restricted categories/topics or work with non-firearm specific partners," Taylor explained. "Even then, if it is used at a high enough rate, a company may be warned, flagged, and/or blocked, that is shadowbanned."

The threats gun owners face in 2020 are unconventional. With Big Tech jumping on the anti-gun craze, gun grabbers have plenty of ways to attack our freedoms.

Although private enterprise has America great, it can be used to advance political causes that are detrimental to our liberties. But not all hope is lost. Gun owners can flex their economic muscles by boycotting businesses that participate in the anti-gun-frenzy. Similarly, firearms organizations and business will have to adapt and turn to snail mail, email marketing, and other forms of promotion that are not as reliant on traditional social media platforms.

It’s tough, but that’s the way things are in 2020 gun politics.

José Niño is a Venezuelan American freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at joseinpolitics@gmail.com. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.

ORGC PATRIOT 3-GUN MATCH !

Stage set-up help is needed on Friday, July 3 be- ginning at 9 a.m. to be ready for the match. Addi- tional help prior to the actual match is needed on Saturday, July 4 at 9 a.m. Anyone can help with set up!

THE MATCH—One day only - Saturday July 4, 2020

Match starts: July 4, 2020 @ 10:00 AM ·

Match ends: July 4, 2020 @ 5:00 PM

Location: Ontario Rod & Gun Club, 2523 Trimble Road, Ontario NY

Price: $40

3-Gun Match, with the following divisions:

Unlimited /4, Practical 308, Practical, Factory, Heavy, Practical PCC

Patriot 3 Gun Match will consist of 5 stages and will be governed by 3 Gun Nation (3GN) rules. The round count for the match will be around 200 rounds in total. Stages will be designed with a maximum round count of 55 rounds. The match will feature: a Texas star, an MGM spinner, swingers, drop turners and plate rack.

• Squads will be kept to 10.
• Lost brass match.
• Max distance for rifle 100yds.
• No steel core ammo (tip must not attract magnet). No fixed magazine rifles.
• Long guns must have safety flags at all times. Match is rain or shine

Match Director : Keith Bourgeois

REGISTRATION: https://clubs.practiscore.com/orgc- 2020-patriot-3-gun-match/register

Questions? Email Keith Bourgeois

keith@teamrangelog.com

Browse the rules and membership information about 3- Gun Nation at: http://3gunnation.com

Submit photos of the match for The Scatter Sheet to frankielamarca@gmail.com

Dear Friend,

I hope this email finds you and your family well. I am contacting you about an important issue facing our local counties. With elections approaching on June 23rd, there is an urgent need for Election Inspectors. Election Inspectors help make our elections run safely and smoothly and it is important that our election locations are properly staffed. To be an Election inspector, you must be a registered Democrat or Republican voter in the county. You will be paid $200 to work the day of the Primary (June 23rd) and the General (November 3rd) in addition to $25 to attend a training. I have included links to each of our counties Board Of Election websites if you are interested in signing up.

Wayne County residents:

https://web.co.wayne.ny.us/index.php/wayne-county-board-of-elections/election-inspectors/

Phone:315-946-7400

In a state dominated by one party from a small geographic area of the state, a divided legislature is important to rein the extreme notions of the dominant party.  Last year, both houses of the state legislature were dominated by one party for the first time in many years. We saw the results of a Senate controlled by those who were focused on ‘gun control’.

Previously, most gun control legislation –( but not all, remember the “Safe” Act )- “died” in the Senate which was controlled by Republicans. However, under one party control last year, we saw seven ‘gun control’ bills passed and, of course, signed by Cuomo.

The most egregious was the so-called “Red Flag” law or ERPO (Extreme Risk Protection Ordinance). This bill affects more than just the Second Amendment. Other Constitutional and civil rights such as Due Process were impacted as ERPO ignored the 4th, 5th, 6th and 14th Amendments.

The 2020 legislative session in Albany has seen many more gun control bills introduced.  There are eight bills of particular concern that have been introduced into both legislative houses.  (Find these on SCOPE’s web site www.scopeny2A.org under NYS Legislation.)   

Besides the above bills, there are other issues of concern. In particular, a bill passed which gave the governor expanded “emergency powers” in a time of public ‘distress’. Though New York law already allows Cuomo to suspend provisions of any state or local statute that would delay coping with a declared disaster, the new measure goes further, broadening the definition of disaster to something that is “impending.” Guess who determines if Cuomo’s emergency power is necessary?  The temporary powers last for a year and are renewable.

Assembly member Richard Gottfried, the longtime chair of his chamber’s health committee, had this to say: “I’m scared or concerned because I don’t know what the governor has in mind.” State Senator Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat, voted against the bill and made this statement: “It’s a reckless expansion of executive power.”  Salazar and one other Democratic Senator voted against the bill. Only two Republican State Senators voted against the bill: Senator Pam Helming (54th District) and Senator George Borrello (57th District). Several Republican Senators are retiring this year. Why did they not vote against the bill?  Especially those from Upstate NY!  This is bi-partisanship at its worst.

Cuomo did not offer a detailed explanation of his push to expand his emergency powers, telling reporters that “these are uncharted territories” and that “government has to respond.” This should be as troubling to you as it is to me. 

The Senate Republican retirements will require a massive effort by the State GOP party and party Chairman Nick Langworthy to find Republican replacements.   Without a divided legislature after the November election, the anti-gunners will have the opportunity in 2021 to control state redistricting. We may not see a divided legislature for at least a decade.