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Free, grassroots strategy meeting on Second Amendment rights' infringement is April 15 at Days Inn, Batavia

By Billie Owens

Press release from Brian Graz:

Greetings Gun-owners and Supporters of the Constitution & Liberty.
 
Sunday April 15 there is being held a Town Hall Meeting (2 to 4 p.m. at Days Inn, 200 Oak St., Batavia) concerning the current aggressive anti-gun movement (which truly has become very concerning). This is a strategy meeting to try and create a better way to guard against and overcome the 2nd Amendment infringements, that NY State and the Federal Government continue to push on us.
 
The meeting will be chaired and run by Jim Ostrowski. Jim is a premiere local 2nd Amendment attorney and author of several books, from Buffalo, who has argued lawsuits against the State of NY and Governor Cuomo and has an active case going right now which he is seeking to get before the Supreme Court.
 
Also of note, Jim has been a featured guest on several conservative think tank discussions; the Mises Institute {https://mises.org/profile/james-ostrowski}, Lew Rockwell {https://www.lewrockwell.com/?s=ostrowski}, and Ron Paul's Liberty Report {http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/apps/search?q=ostrowski}... just to name 3.
 
Of course this is a non-partisan, gathering open to all concerned people. All are invited and encouraged to come. There is No Fee to attend. 

Please mark your calendar and try and be at this critical meeting. Time is running out and we can not afford to procrastinate any longer. Hopefully this meeting will be the grassroots of a new WNY (and beyond) awareness and action group of proactive citizens. 

Thanks for your time and I hope to see you there. 
Brian Graz
 
What: Second Amendment Town Hall meeting on strategy
Who: All supporters of the right to bear arms
Where: Days Inn, 200 Oak St., Batavia
When: 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 15

Congressman Collins receives endorsement and an A+ rating from National Rifle Association

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today announced he has earned an A+ rating and the full support of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the nation's premier firearms education organization.

“The unconstitutional regulations passed in Washington and Albany have stripped Western New York gun owners of their Second Amendment rights and freedoms," Congressman Collins said.

"In Washington, I have been proud to advocate on behalf of the law-abiding gun owners whose constitutional rights are constantly under attack by President Obama and Governor Cuomo. I am honored to receive an A+ rating and the full support of the NRA, and will continue to fight for our Second Amendment rights."

Chris Cox, chairman, NRA-PVF, said: “On behalf of the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) and our five million members, we are proud to endorse Chris Collins. His pro-gun record and steadfast support for the Second Amendment speaks for itself, earning him an 'A+’ rating from the NRA-PVF. New Yorkers can trust Chris Collins to fight against the gun control agenda of President Obama, Hillary Clinton and former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Congress."

NRA ratings for Members of the 114th Congress are based on their respective votes and efforts to promote and protect the Second Amendment. Since he was elected to Congress, Congressman Collins has voted in support of a number of Second Amendment legislative items, including:

H.R. 402 – National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act

Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.

- H.R. 4321 – Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act

This legislation and would prohibit federal funding for enforcement of any executive action in violation of the Second Amendment.

- H.R. 3516 - Social Security Beneficiary Second Amendment Rights Protection Act

Would prohibit Social Security from entering seniors into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System as a “mental defective” if they use a “representative payee,” which would prohibit them from gun ownership.

Congressman Collins also introduced H.R. 1488, the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act. This legislation ensures that despite financial troubles, Americans' Second Amendment rights will be protected.

Congressman Collins was elected in 2012 and reelected in 2014 to represent the 27th District of New York. The district includes 105 towns spread out over all or part of Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, and Ontario counties.

Visit by Honor Flight to SCOPE meeting provides information on group, recognizes local veterans

By Steve Ognibene

At Tuesday's SCOPE meeting in Batavia, local veterans were honored by the Honor Flight Network.

Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The group transports veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at the memorials of the various wars. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with veterans who may be terminally ill.

Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out.

John Foy (pictured above), a WWII infantry machine gunner vet of the "Battle of the Bulge," who overcame many obstacles, including sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow at times, and surviving the violent, pounding barrage of artillery.

"Only a very few of us had proper winter clothing," Foy said. "Frozen feet were a big problem and 24 hours a day we were outside and very little time was spent inside a house or shelter."

For a brief moment in history, these men held our nation's destiny in our hands. We did not fail. There are an estimated 16 million vets who fought in WWII and only 1.6 million are left. The average age of that generation is 92.

Pictured below is John Cipolla, paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division, signing his book for someone.

All vets were honored tonight with a choice of a copper memorabilia coin with their appropriate military service.

SCOPE meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Calvary Baptist Church on Galloway Road in Batavia.

For more information: http://www.scopeny.org/contact-2/chapter_info/genesee-county-chapter/

A "Common Sense" Poposal

By Kyle Slocum

Picture the future:  A Press Release From Senator Nannystate sometime in the near future.

Approximately 33 thousand people died on the roads of America in the last year.  To address this horrific tragedy that plays itself out year after year in our country, we must have “common sense” restrictions on the availability and use of “Assault Vehicles”.

These “Assault Vehicles” are vehicles which are styled after military vehicles and have no legitimate transportation purpose.  They have only one reason to exist and that is to kill. 

People do not use these Assault Vehicles to go to Whole Foods and pick up organic groceries.  They do not use them to drive to the Park and Ride to catch the transit authority bus to get to work.  They don’t use them to move their furniture to their new apartments.  They don’t use them to take their garbage to the dump.  They don’t use them to drop their kids off at school.  They use them only to kill.  It’s only “Common Sense” to ban these “Assault Vehicles”. 

What is an “Assault Vehicle”?  It is any vehicle with an Open Cargo Area and at least Four Wheels that has any of these military-style features:

A Trailer Hitch installed on the rear of the vehicle

A Brush Guard installed on the front of the vehicle

A Winch Mount or Installed Winch anywhere on the vehicle

A Deep water fording kit, with or without prominent snorkel

Mud Flaps which protrude conspicuously below the wheel wells

A Pintle Designed to mount a machine gun, rocket launcher or thermonuclear device

We must, as a moral imperative, pass an immediate and total ban on these dangerous and completely unnecessary tools of death.  I have included a FAQ about this very important “Common Sense” bill below to help you convince your friends and neighbors of the importance of this “Common Sense” measure:

Q: What percentage of the motor vehicle deaths that you present in the justification for this law are related to what you are defining as an “Assault Vehicle”?

A: You are a shill for the National Truck Owners Association, aren’t you?  You hate children and want to see more dead bodies on the road, don’t you?

Q: How, exactly, do the “Military-style features” you have identified effect the lethality of the Open Cargo Area four wheeled vehicles you are seeking to ban?

A: You are mentally deficient and hate the children.  You are too heartless and too stupid for me to waste my time debating.  And, you hate the children.

Q: Won’t these restrictions make it more difficult for trail riders, who take their vehicle off-road for exploring and camping, to do so safely since you would ban the tools they use to extract themselves when they get stuck, or need to help others who get stuck?  What about privately owned tow trucks which would fall into the “Assault Vehicle” category?

A: People should not be leaving any area with street lights.  Don’t you realize it gets dark out there?  If people get stuck they should call the police for assistance, if people start getting themselves out of ditches and mud holes on their own there will be chaos:  You are advocating anarchy.  Tow Truck companies will have to get special licenses and have extensive background checks.  There will be a progressive fee schedule for the license and the licensed “Assault Vehicles” will have to be limited to seven gallons of gasoline in the fuel tank.

Q: Some of your colleagues have advocated the complete banning of all vehicles, stating that they should only be in the hands of the military and government.  Isn’t this just a starting point to the total ban on private transportation?

A: No one is talking about taking your car away.  You are just a conspiracy nut who hates the children.  You are dangerous and should not be allowed to express your vile and hate-filled opinions.  You are a tool of the car lobby and you hate the children.  Besides, you can always take the subway or the bus anywhere you need to go.  A car is a dangerous luxury that common people don’t need.

Reader submitted editorial: Welcome to the State of The City of New York

By Kyle Slocum

A fact has become clear to me: The State of New York no longer exists. What we have today is a polity that is, in effect, the City of New York and its possessions.

The passage of the “SAFE” Act is a clear message to the residents of the possessions of the City of New York that our interests and lifestyle are no longer relevant to the politicians of the State of New York. The passage of this bill is the legislative equivalent of rape. It was passed suddenly and without our consent. Our interests and concerns, as well as our rights, were secondary to the whims and desires of the City of New York.

I am sure that there are state-level politicians who are absolutely befuddled by the fact that they are required to vote on farm issues since they have never seen a farm in the Bronx. I would not be surprised if the legislature of the State of the City of New York voted for a car tax that required New Yorkers to pay 100% of the value of their automobile each year since, in reality, a car is a luxury. You can always take the subway or a bus to wherever your going, after all. The cultural gap between the City and the State of New York is as vast as the gap between Washington, D.C., and America.

In a perfect world, the residents of the State of New York would have the right, and ability, to divorce themselves from the political overreaching of the City of New York. In the real world, we are stuck with its mandates and its world-view. I have had a recurring dream: I stand at the Rockland County line with a huge saw. I cut, and I cut. Eventually, NYC and Long Island are cut free and I push them out to sea. I wish them good luck in their journeys, but I do not miss them.

Back in the land of the awake, we have to deal with the costs of this NYC control to the people of the possessions of the City of New York. Unfunded mandates, regulations and laws, passed to solve NYC and NYC suburban county problems, but having statewide effect and statewide costs, have built upon and compounded on themselves. These costs are bringing our local governments to the brink of bankruptcy. The State Senate is controlled now by the politicians of the City of New York, regardless of the fig leaf of a few Democrats caucusing with the Republicans to form a “Republican” majority. The situation will continue to worsen and the costs to rise.

I can dream of the counties of Western New York declaring their separation and forming their own polity to free themselves from the tyranny of the City of New York, but this will not happen. It would create a new entity that would potentially result in a new state that would bring with it two new U.S. Senators who would inevitably be Republican. The City of New York would never stomach that, let alone the party of which it is a wholly owned subsidiary.

Alternatively, perhaps the border counties, and their neighbors, could petition Pennsylvania for admission to the Commonwealth. That will not be allowed for very much the same reason. It would tip the balance of power in Pennsylvania in favor of the Republicans. That would never be allowed.

What I suspect will continue to happen, though, is that former citizens of what was, once, the Empire State will continue to make their homes in Free States in the South and West of the United States of America in increasing numbers as the oppression of the City of New York continues. With lower taxes, and better employment prospects than are available in the possessions of the City of New York, it is a no-brainer to flee. Good luck paying your ever-increasing bills with an ever-increasing out-migration of taxpayers, State of the City of New York.

Three elected officials with single message for SCOPE members: We support the 2nd Amendment

By Howard B. Owens

The 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution got a ringing endorsement Tuesday from three of the top-ranking elected officials who represent Genesee County.

Rep. Kathy Hochul, State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Steven Hawley all appeared at SCOPE's monthly meeting to talk about what they're doing to help prevent extremists on the left from stripping gun owners of their right to own firearms.

Ranzenhofer started off the evening by discussing how important a Republican majority is in the State Senate to protecting gun rights.

"There are people out there who don’t like you and want to take away your rights," Ranzenhofer said.

When Ranzenhofer was first in office, and the GOP didn't have a majority in the Senate, he said anti-gun Democrats regularly tried to push new laws to restrict gun and ammo sales.  Since the GOP regained control of the upper chamber, "we’ve not had to be constantly on guard for new legislation coming up," Ranzenhofer said.

Now, Ranzenhofer said, the biggest worry at the state level for gun-rights advocates is a popular governor who wants to push through legislation to restrict the rights of gun owners.

Hochul said she comes from a family of gun-rights advocates. She has two brothers in Maryland, she said, who are expert marksmen. While Hochul said she isn't big into hunting or target shooting herself, she has taken safety courses and knows how to handle a firearm.

"When a bill comes up that affects your 2nd Amendment rights, I’m on your side," Hochul said.

While clerk in Erie County, Hochul said she streamlined the process for a gun permits from a year or longer to four months, and three of those months involve the State of New York doing background checks.

"Some of you may say I have a 'D' after my name and I can't vote for you," Hochul said. "Well, fine, but I still represent you. I am independent and I look at each and every issue as what's best for the people of Western New York. Sometimes the Democrats are right and sometimes they're really wrong. Some times the Republicans are right and some times they are really wrong."

According to Hochul, when the gun rights groups come out with their congressional rankings soon, she will receive a very high grade for her voting record for her first year in office.

"I'm very proud of my ranking," Hochul said.

Hochul also noted that she opposed the "Fast and Furious" operation, which provided guns to drug gangs in Mexico, and believes Attorney General Eric Holder should respect the powers of Congress under the Constitution and turn over all "Fast and Furious" documents to the House of Representatives, a demand from Congress the Obama Administration is fighting.

Hochul faces the most serious reelection challenge in November of the three officials who spoke Tuesday and SCOPE Chairman Jack Taylor said he contacted the campaign for her challenger, Chris Collins, to invite Collins to the meeting, but didn't get a response.

Hawley talked a good deal about his work on veterans' issues, particularly his annual Patriot Tour of Washington, D.C., and noted that while his colleague in the Senate, Ranzenhofer, may need to deal with only two anti-gun zealots in that chamber, the state Assembly is filled with 40 or 50 people eager to water down the 2nd Amendment.

Hawley said those representatives deal with a very different constituency than Assembly members in Upstate and Western New York, where people often live on a bit of land, own their own homes, like to hunt and fish and target shoot.

In noting the differences, Hawley segued into a discussion of a bill he has repeatedly sponsored -- allowing a referendum vote on whether New York should be split into two states.

Taylor spoke between each guest and hammered home the same point: Gun rights advocates need to educate the public on the difference between law-abiding citizens who own guns and criminals who not only use guns but other implements to commit their crimes.

"In all my years in retail, I've never seen a gun jump off the shelf and shoot somebody," Taylor said.

Some of the blame for the misrepresentation of guns falls on the media, Taylor noted, reminding SCOPE members that you never see a headline that says "Chevy and Budweiser kills family of four," but you do see headlines like "Glock used in murder spree."

The former county coroner said the most common way that young people die a violent death in Genesee County is from drunken driving, while there is only about one homicide every seven years locally (worth noting: the last homicide locally was Scott Doll beating to death his victim, no gun involved).

"We are all against crime, whatever the implement," Taylor said. "We need to separate the crime from the implement. There’s not a gun law out there that ever saved a life or prevented a criminal from committing a crime."

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