New York gun ownership on the firing line

By Dick Nelson

Sportsmen may be preoccupied with trout and the upcoming spring turkey hunting season right now, but in a couple of weeks the New York State Assembly will be voting on a dozen or more gun bills that will have a lasting effect on everyone who owns or would like to purchase a firearm for self-protection, target shooting, hunting and — as strange as it may seem — trapping and fishing.

Why trapping and fishing you ask? Because a number of trappers and anglers carry a sidearm to prevent attacks from coyotes, black bears or any other wild animal — rabid or otherwise — that might take exception to them entering their bailiwick.

But regardless of the purpose you choose to own a firearm, excessive gun control will take center stage at the New York State Capitol on April 29 when the assembly debates and votes on a package of anti-gun bills.

Commonly referred to as “Gun Bill Day”, it always conspicuously coincide with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) “Albany Lobby Day” — a day when anti-gun zealots demonstrate in the lobby of the state Legislative Office Building (LOB), eventually taking their misguided convictions directly to state lawmakers — not that they need to.

It’s no secret that the vast majority of New York lawmakers want to remove guns from the hands of legitimate gun owners. The fact that every anti-gun bill introduced in the state Assembly during the past three decades has passed is testimony to that. And, up until this year, each was stalled by a Republican majority in the state Senate.

But the Republicans no longer rule the roost and there is an excellent chance that this year the anti-gun lobby will be successful, especially with the rash of gun-related shootings in Binghamton and other cities.

But all is not lost. Through the initiative of pro-gun organizations such as the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) and the Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE), anti-gun extremists will, for the first time, find themselves competing with pro-gun advocates for lawmakers’ ears.

Both the NYSRPA and SCOPE have been rallying the troops for weeks, hoping that the call to arms will bring large numbers of gun owners to Albany and overshadow the anti-gun movement in the LOB, Assembly galleries and lawmaker offices.

“By large numbers we mean thousands,” said SCOPE president Ken Mathison, adding that anything less will be ineffective.

“We are asking all gun owners to take the day off from work, car pool, rent a bus and do whatever it takes to be in Albany on April 29 to show they care about their rights,” Mathison said.

While details of the rally are still being finalized, Mathison suggested that groups and individuals plan to arrive at the LOB at 11 a.m. and are prepared to stay until at least 4 p.m.

“Make appointments with your legislators or their staff, and if you can’t get an appointment go to their office anyway and let them know your position on gun legislation,” he said.

While Mathison urges gun owners to wear pro-gun logo caps, shirts, pins or articles that will identify you as a gun owner, he strongly recommends that attendees be appropriately attired. In other words, no camo or blaze orange.

Although admittedly not a big fan of “rallys” or mass “lobby days” because he feels they are generally ineffective unless attended by thousands of people, NYSRPA president Tom King is optimistic about April 29, because he believes gun owners have finally become aware that if they don’t show a sign of strength now, what they will lose this year is just the beginning.

“We need numbers or we will be perceived as weak and ineffectual without enough votes or clout to influence an election. If we are perceived as being a “Paper Tiger” it will mean more gun control, not less gun control,” King said.

In any event, King wants to remind attendees that gun owners will be held to a higher standard than NYAGV and other anti-gun groups, and therefore participants must be appropriately dressed, polite and not aggressive.

“There cannot be any confrontations with the supporters of the opposition and certainly none with legislators. And remember, all entrances to the LOB and the Capitol are protected by metal detectors and not even pocket knives are allowed in the building.

“If we can pull off a visit by at least 5,000 supporters it will be a success, even though 10,000 is the number most unions shoot for when bringing supporters to Albany on a Lobby Day,” King said.

Unfortunately, New York legislators aren’t the only lawmakers seeking to separate law abiding citizens from their guns. During a recent interview with “Good Morning America” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi let the cat out of the bag when she told co-host Robin Roberts, “We (Congress) don’t want to take guns away. We want them registered.”

I believed similar words were used in the Soviet Union in 1929, China in 1935, Germany in 1938, Cambodia in 1956, Guatemala in 1964, Uganda in 1970 and more recently in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.

And if you think it can’t happen here, think again. Both New York City and California have used firearm registration to locate and confiscate lawfully owned firearms. New York City enacted registration of long guns in 1967, and in the 1990s used the registry to confiscate semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. In the late 1980s and 1990s, California revoked a “grace period” for certain types of rifles, and then used the registry of current owners for confiscation.

Think about that, too, when you look for excuses for not being in Albany on the April 29.

Dropping anchor ’til next time