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Chairman's Corner

  • 07/10/2022 11:56 PM | Anonymous


    Albany Responds to SCOTUS Loss with More Control Measures

    NY State’s Governor and her majority party have again attacked the Second Amendment and their own law-abiding citizens. One-party tyrannical rule continues to fail us.

    All New Yorkers should reject this action regardless of party affiliation and the level of disagreement. Our American mechanism for settling differences is via free speech and open debate in the public square. The continued use of government power to sidestep that debate only increases the divide between the two sides.

    The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) recently ruled in the NRA’s case (“NYSRPA v. Bruen”)https://scopeny2a.org/Briefings/12103217 that a state’s licensing of firearms is not an infringement on that right as long as states stay within the much more common "shall-issue" systems. This requires pistol licenses be granted upon satisfying objective criteria, such as passing a background check, rather than "may- issue" systems where arbitrary evaluations of need such as “proper cause” may be required by local authorities in an autocratic manner.

    Democrats responded with a series of provisions modifying existing sections of law covering concealed-carry of firearms. It was the majority party’s knee-jerk reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision. Legislators had no drafted legislation by 11:30pm despite arriving early on June 30. Then they were forced to study bills in the middle of the night prior to votes on July 1. Phony “Messages of Necessity” were used. Amendments were not accepted nor was input allowed from stakeholders and law enforcement. Albany tactics like these must end.

    The Democrat majority did pass a permit law that removes a “special need” requirement for concealed carry (as per the SCOTUS ruling), BUT now requires:

    • three-year renewal (recertification) of licenses; (previously five years)
    • a police investigation, fingerprints, and four character references; (previously three references) (State Police are now in charge of all investigations for pistol permits.) disclosure of an applicant’s social media accounts going back three years. (Plus, the government can request any other information that is "reasonably necessary and related" to the process, which means any information, including, perhaps, ideological viewpoints);
    • sixteen hours of classroom instruction, including two hours of live-fire training and qualification; (required of all permit holders before their permit is RE-certified).
    • an in-person interview with the licensing officer;
    • a monthly State Police audit of every license-holder to see if a reason exists to revoke a license. (What reasons will be used to revoke a license?)

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    Legislation was also passed making it illegal as of September 1, 2022 - and a Class E Felony - to possess a rifle, shotgun or firearm in the following locations:
    > Any form of public transportation, including but not limited to:

    • railroads;
    • ride sharing services; paratransit services; subways;
    • buses;
    • air travel;
    • taxis;
    • any other public transportation service.

    >Food and drink establishments.

    >Large gatherings (a gathering of fifteen or more persons for amusement, athletic, civic, dining, educational, entertainment, patriotic, political, recreational, religious, social, or similar purposes. (gun club & SCOPE meetings?)

    The new laws create new hurdles to purchasing both guns and ammunition. In lieu of (or in addition to), the current federal instant NICS check, the New York State Police will be tasked with conducting the checks for every firearm and ammunition purchase made in NY State.

    Also, “there shall be a statewide license and record database specific for ammunition sales” and the legislation requires that firearms dealers record all ammunition sales in the database. (Does a 9 mm ammo purchase designate you as the owner of a 9 mm pistol?)

    How will the prohibition on large gatherings be enforced? By whom? Some members of those public “large gatherings” may be carrying (concealed) in attempt to provide security for themselves and others.

    Yet they will now be guilty of a felony and law enforcement officers will be obliged to arrest violators. Note that nothing is written in stone at this point but the laws have been passed.


    Don Smith

    Chairman

    Wayne County Chapter SCOPE of New York

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  • 06/27/2022 12:12 AM | Anonymous

    Dear Wayne SCOPE members:

    • This Tuesday, June 28, is Republican Primary Day.  Please vote in both this primary and also the August 23 Primary.  Polls are open from 6am to 9pm for both.

      The June 28 primary will contain primary races for NY State Governor, Lt. Governor and Assembly members.

      The June 28 primary will contain races for various other positions including those for local judges.  Our ratings presented below are for Wayne County Judge.

      The Tuesday, August 23 primary will contain races for NY State Senate and NY Congressional Districts.  

      The General Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.  Polls are open from 6am to 9pm. Early voting period is October 29 to November 6, 2022.

      Your WCS Political Action Contact Team (PACT) – is responsible for communicating and interacting with our local, state, and federal elected officials.

      Emails, phone calls and visits are used to educate them as to our positions on pertinent issues such as pending legislative bills.  The committee meets with candidates and/or other officials as the need arises.  It recently met with the Republican and Conservative candidates for Wayne County Judge on June 28 since it will be necessary to replace the retiring Judge Nesbitt, effective at the end of this calendar year.  

      The role of PACT was to meet separately with each candidate and attempt to establish a rating for each on a scale of A to F.  SCOPE has a 501[c] [4] designation which is granted to not-for-profit organizations that are operated for “social welfare”.  All non-profits engage in advocacy, which involves explaining our mission, discussing issues, and fundraising for our cause.   SCOPE’s designation as a non-profit organization exempts it from taxation yet prevents it from endorsing candidates.   

      But according to the IRS, “Seeking legislation relevant to the organization’s programs is a permissible means of attaining social welfare purposes.  Thus, a section 501[c][4] social welfare organization may further its exempt purpose through lobbying as its primary activity without jeopardizing its exempt status.”

      Lobbying for legislative change is treated liberally while advocating for a particular political candidate [i.e., endorsement] is more restricted.  We are allowed to rate candidates however and provide our members with the ratings.  Below is the PACT Committee’s rating of each candidate for Wayne County Judge along with the criteria considered by the committee:

      Consideration of the following has contributed to our confidence in the rating of this candidate:

                  Strong evidence for protecting the Constitutional /civil rights of law-abiding citizens:

    • Strongly supports the Second Amendment. 
    •  Strongly supports the right to due process. 
    • Strongly supports the right to legally use firearms for self defense. 
    • Strongly objects to elected/bureaucratic entities having the right to infringe on possession of firearms.
    •  Strongly supports the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. 
    •             Strong evidence of opposition to gun control efforts such as:

    • The NY SAFE Act
    • Extreme Risk Protection Orders (“Red Flag” laws). 
    •  Need for gun owners to purchase gun-owner or liability insurance.
    •  Banning of semi-automatic firearms, including handguns.
    •  Micro-stamping capability of semi-automatic firearms.
    •  Background checks to purchase ammunition.
    •  Registration of long guns. 
    •  Mandatory storage of firearms within one’s home. 

    The committee understands that a candidate for a judicial office may agree with the evidence listed above but is not committed to future conduct or decision making that compromises the faithful and impartial performance of judicial duties.

    Candidate Michelle Villani was rated A+.  

    Candidate Art Williams was rated A.  

    The slight difference in rating is explained by the committee as due to a practical knowledge of the judiciary’s role and Second Amendment rights.

    Please vote for the candidate of your choice on June 28. 

  • 05/26/2022 9:31 PM | Anonymous

    Adherents to gun control typically respond with emotional arguments. However, on those occasions when they attempt to respond with "logic" regarding the Second Amendment itself, those arguments typically take the same tired forms. Here are three of the most popular, and how to dismantle them instantly.

    Myth #1: You have to have a license to operate a car. Why shouldn't you have to have one to own a gun?

    Reality Check: Owning a car is not a right; it's a privilege. Owning a gun is a right. There is no enumerated right to own or drive a car. A license generally isn't required to own a car, or to operate it on private land. Also, gun-control advocates who make the "treat guns like cars" argument would probably be strongly opposed to a reciprocity system for those licensed to carry firearms that was as good as the reciprocity system for driver's licenses. (And if they say guns are more dangerous, point out how many people are killed by cars every year.)

    Myth #2: The Second Amendment specifies that owning a gun is only for serving in "a Well-regulated militia"-what we now call the National Guard. That means gun ownership is a collective right of the people (not individuals), and that guns must be controlled by the government.

    Reality Check: First off, the opening to the Second Amendment is a dependent clause. It helps explain and justify the independent clause that follows, but is not essential to making that clause true. Moreover, back in the day when the Constitution was written, "well regulated" didn't mean "controlled." It meant "well practiced" or "well drilled." And the militia wasn't anything like today's National Guard: All able-bodied males were deemed to be in the militia in time or threat of war.

    Further, in order for "the people" to indicate  the citizenry as a whole rather than the individual, the Founding Fathers would have had to use it to mean an individual in the First Amendment, then the collective in the Second Amendment, and back to an individual in the Fourth, Ninth and Tenth amendments. In the landmark 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision, the Supreme Court agreed, stating: "Nowhere else in the Constitution does a ‘right' attributed to ‘the people' refer to anything other than an individual right."  D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 580 (2008). This led them to the conclusion: "There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms."  D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 595 (2008).

    Myth #3: The Founding Fathers couldn't have foreseen the technological developments that have led to such things as "black guns." The Second Amendment right was intended only for muzzleloading flintlocks.

    Reality Check: When I hear this, I always ask people if they know what a phaser is. "Oh," they'll say, "that ray gun from Star Trek." Then I'll point out that they don't exist, even though we "know" what they are. Imagination didn't begin in the 20th or 21st centuries. To say that men like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin-who were among the leading inventors of their day-couldn't have foreseen technological advancements is patently absurd. Moreover, some technological concepts that we think of as modern are quite old. For example, there is a 12-shot flintlock in the NRA National Firearms Museum. Manufacturing techniques and the absence of industrialization were more limiting factors than imagination back then.

    Perhaps most compellingly, if the Second Amendment referred only to technology existing at the time it was drafted, then the First Amendment doesn't apply to radio, movies, television or the Internet. Once again, the Supreme Court agrees, stating: "Some have made the argument, bordering on the frivolous, that only those arms in existence in the 18th century are protected by the Second Amendment. We do not interpret constitutional rights that way. Just as the First Amendment protects modern forms of communications and the Fourth Amendment applies to modern forms of search, the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding."  D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 582 (2008)

    Calmly and politely explaining these facts can go a long way to change someone's mind about the Second Amendment and what it means. Spread the word!


  • 05/19/2022 12:34 PM | Anonymous

    Wayne County SCOPE Members’ Meeting Minutes

    May 10, 2022

    Opening w/15 attendees 7:02 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. 

    Minutes from April 13, 2022 Read, seconded and approved with revisions.

    Treasurers Report Read, seconded and approved with an April ending balance = $3,080.28.

    Treasurer Mark Coleman is requesting an annual audit of finances.  Ken Miller is looking into finding an outsider to perform the audit.

    A motion was made, seconded, and approved to reimburse the chairman for the cost of the mounting bracket used to mount the new TV to the north wall of the Legion Post with  permission granted by the Legion Commander, Cliff Walters. 

    A motion was made, seconded, and approved to purchase a video camera for Zooming meetings at a price not to exceed $100. 

    Raffles and State Banquet: The recent gun raffle netted Wayne County Scope about $500. A Henry .243 was donated by State SCOPE when its winner in the state’s 2021 5-gun raffle declined it in lieu of cash.

    Discussion took place as to the number of tickets to order for State SCOPE’s 2022 5-Gun Raffle with prices to be $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $25.  It was decided to order 100 tickets to start. The chairman will visit each county gun club in an effort to sell raffle tickets. The drawing will be held on September 10 at the SCOPE Banquet to be hosted this year by Genesee County SCOPE and held at Batavia Downs. Ads for the banquet program will be sold, for which the prices have been reduced to make it easier to sell.  We ask that members help in selling these ads. 

    Pistol Permit Recertification Information can be found on the NYS SCOPE Webpage – Home Page – Chapter – Wayne County – Chairman’s Corner – Recertification Status.

    Donation: The Williamson Conservation & Sporting Club is changing their monthly donation of $125 per month to Wayne County SCOPE to an annual donation of $1,500. This is greatly appreciated.

    Committee Volunteerism: A discussion of the committees, time to meet and structure took place.  The committees and chairs are:  Communication (Dave Colburn), Demographics (Bob Brannan), Events (Gary Tucker), Finance (Mark Coleman), Fundraising ( vacant ), Marketing ( vacant) Membership (Penny Gugino),  PACT(Don Smith). Members are asked to join a committee of choice and consider chairing the vacancies. We are considering utilizing a portion of each monthly meeting for these committees to meet. 

    Upcoming SCOPE Events:

    Williamson Apple Blossom Festival:  May 21, 2022.  Gary Tucker & Peter DeRidder.   Lyons Peppermint Days: July 16, 2022.  Two Volunteers needed.  

    Brantling Festival:  July 30, 2022.  Don Smith & (a Volunteer needed).

    Wayne County Fair:  August 8 – 13, 2022.  Two Volunteers needed PER DAY. 

    Walworth LumberJack Festival: September 10, 2022- Mark Coleman & (a Volunteer needed).

    Marion Harvest Days: September 10, 2022 - Ken Miller and (a Volunteer needed).

    (Please call Don or Gary if you can volunteer for any of these events)

    Legislative Update Discussion of possible development of a state database of residents who have not taken COVID vaccines.

    Wayne County Federation meets on the 3rd Tuesday monthly at 7 pm. Meetings are held at the Sodus Bay Sportsmens Club. The chairman attends regularly and attempts to coordinate SCOPE and Federation activities as well as activities sponsored by member clubs of the Federation. Wayne County SCOPE strongly supports Federation activities involving the youth of Wayne County. These include annual hunting, fishing and camping activities.  Members are requested to speak to the chairman if they have an interest in attending any of the Federation meetings.                                                                          

    Fund Raising Ideas: Genesee County is unusually active with several of their members accepting leadership roles to facilitate their fundraising activities including: cash raffles; candy bar sales; gun raffle; water glasses and tumblers sales; stein sales; yard sign sales; coin sales; gas card sales.

    Primary Voting Redistricting was discussed by Dan Olson is still in the Court of Appeals:  

    New district maps will be available Friday, May 20.

    State Assembly Primary is June 28, 2022.

    State Senate and Congressional District Primary is August 23, 2022.

    The Video “Deadly Force in Self Defense: What You Need to Know”, narrated by Massad Ayoob, was shown and discussed. 

    SCOPE Board Present Don Smith /Chairman, Mark Coleman /Treasurer; Penny Gugino /Member At Large; Gary Tucker /Member At Large; Cheryl Eberlin /Member at Large (and minutes taker tonight). 

    Meeting Closed 8:27 pm


  • 05/03/2022 1:15 PM | Anonymous

    Pistol Permit Recertification Renewal

    As of March 16th, several SCOPE members are getting emails about their pistol permit recertification and are, legitimately, concerned about a scam.  SCOPE tried to get confirmation from the state police.

    A visit to the state police web site is not helpful in confirming of these Emails are valid.

    The state police web site "contact information" contains a phone number (You will have a better chance of reaching the IRS on April 15th).  We tried.  After a very long message you get to press 1 and end up in oblivion.

    The web site also has an Email address - but it goes to the governor.  Good luck getting a timely response that does not refer you to the state police web site.

    Finally, calling the local troop headquarters got a human being who tried to help.  She investigated and could only say, "We believe Emails are being sent out."  She could not confirm yes or no and she cautioned not to click on any links in the Email.

    Our best advice is to treat the Email as a reminder, only. Do not click on the links.

    (What follows) is the information that SCOPE previously sent out.  It contains a legitimate link to start the recertification process.

    The deadline for pistol permit renewal in New York is five years after your exact date of certification.

    Examples:

    1/1/2017 is due 1/1/2022;

    1/31/2017 is due 1/31/2022

    1/1/2018 is due 1/1/2023

    You can check on the date you certified on this site:

    https://firearms.troopers.ny.gov/pprecert/welcome.faces

    You will need your driver's license number and the last four digits of your SSN.


  • 04/19/2022 12:08 AM | Anonymous

    helming@nysenate.gov

    Wayne County SCOPE Meeting

    April 13, 2022 Minutes


    Meeting Attendance:  20. started at 7pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.

    Minutes from March 9, 2022 were read and approved.

    Treasurers Report April balance = $2,958.12

    Annual SCOPE Members Meeting Reminder:  April 30th, Ramada Inn in Geneva, members’ meeting starts at 10 am, followed by a State Board meeting. Members are welcome to attend the SBOD meeting.  Gun Raffle drawing to take place. Closing time estimated to be 4 pm. 

    Discussion of Bills in House/Assembly: Members are asked to visit the SCOPE website for NY State and Federal Legislation bills. 
    scopeny2a.org

    Gun Manufacturers cannot be sued for frivolous lawsuits but can be sued by individuals despite attempts by some government officials who say otherwise.

    Munitions containing more than 1% lead cannot be used on State land/ NY City Watershed if bills currently in NY State Legislature pass.

    Pam Helming is requesting feedback RE:  Bill requiring “Tax on Ammo”: $0.02/round 22 ammo; $0.05/other.

    Contact her re Senate bill 8415 by email: helming@nysenate.gov 

    Assemblyman Brian Manktelow on possible upcoming bill re:  “Stringent Record Keeping for Gun Sales”. (Will this result in long gun registration?)

    Introduction of Robert Groom, Lyons NY; and John Murtari, Lyons NY as potential candidates in the newly formed 24TH Congressional District. However, neither candidate obtained the required 1250 signatures and thereby are not eligible for the June 28 GOP Primary. 

    The WCS Board and members voted to purchase a 60 inch TV to be used by WC SCOPE and the American Legion at a cost not to exceed $500.

    We are attempting to set up a zoom meeting of a debate between Chris Jacobs and Mario Fratto for our May 11th meeting. Jacobs will be in Washington while Fratto will be at our meeting in the Marion Legion Post. All members in the newly formed 24th Congressional District will be notified via email with the required link and phone number or are welcome to attend the meeting in person. Our new TV will be used for this purpose  

    Chris Jacobs and Mario Fratto will be the only GOP candidates on the June 28 Primary ballot.

    Republican Primary Day June 28th, 2022

    Sheriff Milby reported that Road Patrol is down by 1/3, moral is good.  He encouraged citizens to encourage and let the officers know how much they are appreciated.

    An average of 50 gun permits are approved each month with a turn around time of about five months.

    SCOPE Board Don Smith/Chairman; Dave Colburn/Vice Chairman; Cory Woodward/Secretary; Mark Coleman/Treasurer;  Penny Gugino /Member At Large; Gary Tucker/Member At Large; Cheryl Eberlin/Member At Large.

  • 04/11/2022 11:07 AM | Anonymous

    Biden’s New ATF Nominee: Worse than David Chipman!  by Don Smith

    Last year, gun owners across America stood up and rejected David Chipman’s nomination to run the scandal-ridden ATF.  Now, we’re going to have to do it again.

    According to several sources, Biden’s handlers are about to nominate Steve Dettelbach as the new director of the ATF. And if you thought that Chipman was the worst nominee possible, I’ve got bad news for you: Steve Dettelbach is even worse!  

    There is no time to waste, as Biden’s team is trying to rally support for Dettelbach behind closed doors as we speak. Please call our NY senators and express your strong opposition against this left-wing activist immediately!
    Chairman Wayne County SCOPE

    1.Contact Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D) 

    DC Phone Number: 202-224-6542 (you will need to leave a message)

    Contact: https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck

    2.Contact Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) 

    DC Phone Number: 202-224-4451 (you may need to leave a message)

    Contact: https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/email-me

    Dettelbach was a former candidate for Ohio Attorney General (and a former United State Attorney during the Obama Administration). Dettelbach has made gun control a core part of his public image and is on the record in support of:

    >>> A total ban on the sale of AR-15s and hundreds of similar firearms, along with the magazines that we need to run them. To be clear, Dettelbach supports bringing felony charges against law abiding Americans who buy these rifles!

    >>> Establishing a national registry of every firearm and every gun owner under the guise of ‘Universal Background Checks.’ The left wants this data to lay the groundwork for eventual gun confiscation!

    >>> Putting gun owners with a variety of misdemeanor convictions on the ‘prohibited persons’ NICS list. Once we go down this road and put non-felons into NICS, millions of gun owners will be disarmed!

    Dettelbach also supports seizing guns from people who are seeking help for mental health difficulties, but who have never been adjudicated as defective. This sounds like the ‘unsafe’ act. 

    Dettelbach’s commitment to the left’s gun control agenda is why Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety backed him when he ran for Attorney General in Ohio in 2018 -- and why he received the personal endorsement of Barack Obama and Joe Biden! 

    Last Last year, gun owners across America stood up and rejected David Chipman’s nomination to run the scandal-ridden ATF.  Now, we’re going to have to do it again.

    According to several sources, Biden’s handlers are about to nominate Steve Dettelbach as the new director of the ATF. And if you thought that Chipman was the worst nominee possible, I’ve got bad news for you: Steve Dettelbach is even worse!  

    There is no time to waste, as Biden’s team is trying to rally support for Dettelbach behind closed doors as we speak. Please call our NY senators and express your strong opposition against this left-wing activist immediately!

    Don Smith,  Chairman Wayne County SCOPE
    don6027@gmail.com

    “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety,
    deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”   — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

  • 03/24/2022 11:50 PM | Anonymous

    S.C.O.P.E. (Shooters Committee On Political Education) needs your continued membership. The past three years have seen continued suppression of our liberties with gun bills which have had no effect on reducing gun violence. Their passage merely restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens like yourself.

    A great deal of preparation is needed if we are to take advantage of the resignation of Governor Cuomo. The 2022 elections are right around the corner and two major goals lie ahead of us:

    1.One is the election of a Republican governor. Excellent candidates are available. 

    2.The other goal is for the Republicans to win back the State Senate. This may require two election cycles.

    One or both goals will bring a halt to further passage of obtrusive legislation designed to encroach upon our civil and Constitutional liberties. We need to work cooperatively to prevent legislation which would:

    >Require the registration of long guns?
    >Require a mental exam before purchasing or transferring a pistol, rifle or shotgun?
    >Require us to purchase high levels of liability insurance?>Require us to undergo a background check to buy a box of ammunition?

    I think I know your answers to such questions. But what commitment are you willing to make?

    >Will you help our organized battle by renewing your membership?
    >Will you help recruit other gun owners in your county? 
    >will you register new voters and encourage all to vote?

    We have enough gun owners in New York to win any election.

    *Renew your S.C.O.P.E. membership today at our website: www.scopeny2a.org   -OR-

    *Mail the membership form on the back of a Firing Lines to PO Box 165, East Aurora, NY 14052 


  • 02/14/2022 10:54 PM | Anonymous

    A good friend and 2A supporter sent this to me:

     I spoke to Assemblyman David DiPietro about the big problem gun owners will have when marijuana becomes legal to buy and to use.  This is a way the federal government can take away your second amendment rights.  It seems that the legal purchase of pot will need you to show proof of your age with a government document with a photo.  Usually this is a driver's license.  That information can be captured by the government and your name will be on a list of marijuana purchases which can be sent to the FBI and the NICS list to make you ineligible for purchasing guns.  It also opens the door for the feds to check the list against the list of people who own guns, like pistol permits an hunting licenses and could give them a reason to knock on your door, arrest you and confiscate all your guns.  This last sentence is my opinion, but I believe this federal government is capable and willing to do so as their passion for "more gun control" increases.  Attached is the statement from Assemblyman DiPietro who has a perfect Second Amendment record as a legislator.  I believe what he says. Pass this on to your gun owning friends.

    From Assemblyman DiPietro:

    Hi .."To all firearms owners: please be advised that any purchase of legalized marijuana in New York State will result in the confiscation of your firearms. Marijuana is still a controlled substance according to federal law. Federal law supercedes state law.

  • 02/12/2022 10:00 PM | Anonymous

    I’m more convinced than ever that SCOPE must focus beyond defending only the Second Amendment. We must emphasize that the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, and perhaps others, to be of equal importance. 

    • Let’s look at the facts. Intrusion by the state and federal governments as well as bureaucrats over the past 2 years have limited our rights as protected in more than one amendment. 

      Recall President Biden’s remark in his acceptance speech on January 20, 2020:  “‘We The People’ means the government”.

      Nothing could be further from the truth. I prefer a statement by our first President, George Washington: “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people”.

      The “pandemic” with its selective shutdowns, mask and other mandates may have been well-intentioned by some. But the Constitution, according to Daniel Webster, was “made to guard against the dangers of good intentions”…”There are men, in all ages…who mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters…They think there need be but little restraint upon themselves…the love of power may sink too deep in their own hearts….”

      Sound all too familiar? The possibility of greater harm looms ahead. How many of you are aware that under the leadership of Gov. Kathy Hochul, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) has considered adopting several regulations pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed regulations have prompted a great deal of public concern due to their encroachments upon personal and religious liberty. 

      In a February 8 press release, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R-Pulaski) said: 

      The COVID pandemic opened the door to an era of government overreach and the Hochul Administration is taking full advantage of the opportunity… If the governor and her agency commissioners want to turn temporary measures into permanent laws, send the bills to the Legislature, and let them go through the legislative process with debate and proper consideration. Making agency directives permanent is a blatant end-run around the Senate and Assembly, and an extension of the unilateral Executive-Order governing that defined the last two years.”

      The proposed regulation would expand the Health Department’s authority to isolate and quarantine New Yorkers due to communicable diseases. This regulation would give Health Department officials, in coordination with law enforcement, the authority to force an individual into isolation, including in a place that is not their home.

      Recall the words of Thomas Jefferson: “We in America do not have government by the majority—we have government by the majority who participate…All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

      How then can you participate?  Click on each of the four links below to easily send your comments on the proposed regulations to the New York State Department of Health. The public comment period for these proposals ends on Monday, February 14, 2022.

      https://www.votervoice.net/NYCF/campaigns/91737/respond.


    • https://www.albanyupdate.com/connect/?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns%2f91735%2frespond

      https://www.votervoice.net/NYCF/campaigns/91736/respond.   

      https://www.albanyupdate.com/connect/?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns%2f91740%2frespond

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

A 2nd Amendment Defense Organization, defending the rights of New York State gun owners to keep and bear arms!

PO Box 165
East Aurora, NY 14052

SCOPE is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization.

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