Two Upstate Shootings in the News

 1) NY: Parma Man Accidentally Shot from Half Mile Away, Civil Suit Follows after Charges Dismissed

This one is old news but I had not heard of it.  In October 2016, two men were target shooting in rural New York. They were sighting in rifles for the upcoming deer season.  They could see about a thousand feet, but there was no obvious backstop on the flat ground. They had two .308 Winchester rifles, a Del-Ton AR, and a pistol. It was about 4 p.m.  Almost half a mile away, unseen, Kevin Flannery was shot by them while mowing a lane on his property.   Charges were dismissed, but a civil case was filed in November 2017.  more here.  KNOW YOUR BACKSTOP 

2) HOME INVASION ROBBERY SUSPECT SHOT DURING STRUGGLE IN HORSEHEADS, January 2018

Deputies said Daiquan Bythwood, Zhamere Charriez of Elmira and Drew Stansfield of Horseheads, NY had a loaded 22 rifle and broke into a home on Overlook Drive around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and demanded cash. Deputies said an occupant of the home then struggled with Bythwood before the homeowner grabbed his own shotgun from his bedroom and shot Bythwood and struck him in the hip with a load of buckshot.  All three suspects then left, deputies said.  more here

Cuomo, Heastie Push For Statewide Bump Stock Ban

From: http://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/cuomo-heastie-push-for-statewide-bump-stock-ban/71-508239062

Cuomo, Heastie Push For Statewide Bump Stock Ban
Bump stocks, used in the Las Vegas mass shooting, could be banned if Governor Cuomo and Speaker Heastie get their way. Gun rights advocates say they’ll pressure the State Senate to defeat the bill.

Author: Steve Brown
Published: 6:35 PM EST January 15, 2018

Five years ago today, Andrew Cuomo signed into law the SAFE Act, a package of gun control reforms the Governor has described as a model for the nation.  Now he and the Assembly Speaker would like to add to it with a ban on bump stocks.  The devices, used in the Las Vegas mass shooting in October, transform a semi-automatic weapon. A single pull of a trigger with a bump stock equipped firearm can produce a continuous flow of bullets, like an automatic weapon.

Months later, investigators are still at work. An official report on the investigation has not been released.  But last week, Carl Heastie identified a bill banning bump stocks is high on his legislative priority list for 2018.

Assembly Bill 8717 proposes to make it illegal to possess, manufacture, transport or sell bump stocks in New York State. A spokesman says Governor Cuomo supports the bill.  “‎The use of bump stocks is currently illegal in New York, but we would support legislation that builds upon our strongest in the nation gun safety laws and further restricts possession of these deadly killing machines,” says Rich Azzopardi (Cuomo’s spokesperson).  That leaves the only question mark on the issue in the State Senate. 2 On Your Side reached out to Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan asking whether he will support or oppose the legislation. We got no response.

But gun rights advocates like Tim Andrews, president of SCOPE-NY, know the State Senate is where the fight will be.  “I think our best hope of doing that is obviously in the Senate. I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination I believe it would necessarily be easy to do. But that would be our focus. We will put all the pressure on we possibly can. We feel we have to,” says Andrews.

Andrews says control issues need to be handled on the federal level or they will not work. And although the influential National Rifle Association has signaled it believes the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms should regulate bump stocks, the Republican-controlled Congress has not taken up the issue.

Bump Stock Baloney In New York

We knew this was coming…. New York’s proposed ban on bump stocks.  Interestingly, a senate republican, Andrew Lanza (24th District) is the sponsor for the Senate version.

The information below came from a great web site: http://www.gunpoliticsny.com/?p=15699.

BUMP STOCK BALONEY
JAN 9, 2018 State Legislation

State of Politics reports that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie backs a ban on “bump stocks”:

“… Lax gun laws are the reason handguns, bump stocks and military-grade assault rifles are crossing state lines and finding their way into our communities. We must take action as a state to curb this deadly pipeline …”

This is a phony non-issue, but that won’t stop antis from pushing the issue.

Heastie co-sponsors A-8717 which currently sits in Codes. Senate companion is S-6918 which is somewhat unusual in that it has a Republican sponsor and Democrat co-sponsor. This is the one they’re likely to try and move. Alternate version is A-8913/S-6902.

Governor Cuomo Proposes to Remove Guns From Domestic Abusers

From the Times Union:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled the first proposal of the 2018 State of the State: remove all firearms from those who commit domestic violence crimes. This legislation will require all domestic violence crime convictions, including misdemeanors, to result in the immediate removal of all firearms.

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/279256/cuomo-looks-to-expand-gun-ban-for-domestic-violence/

My comment:   Domestic violence is horrible.  But there already is a law on the books against those convicted of domestic abuse from obtaining firearms.  This is just a ploy to take more firearms away from the people with only an accusation.  Call Governor Cuomo at 518-474-8390 and tell him we have enough gun laws already.  Someone will take a message.

Commentary on Reciprocity

Reciprocity will have an overall positive change on the gun culture of the US if passed. More people will obtain carry permits and be introduced to the normalcy of gun ownership.   They will in turn become more interested in rifles, shotguns, and sporting handguns.

Reciprocity is more important than just reciprocity in itself.

Final Vote for HR 38, Updated with New York, 12/8/17

Local Representatives within the Capital District SCOPE Chapter:

Tonko – Nay

Faso – Aye

Most members of the New York House delegation opposed the concealed carry bill, including two Republicans — U.S. Reps. Dan Donovan and Peter King.


Here is how the entire New York state congressional delegation voted:

YES
Rep. Chris Collins (R), Rep. John Faso (R), Rep. John Katko (R), Rep. Tom Reed (R), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R), Rep. Lee Zeldin (R)

NO
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D), Rep. Joseph Crowley (D), Rep. Dan Donovan (R), Rep. Eliot Engel (D), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D), Rep. Brian Higgins (D), Rep. Peter King (R), Rep. Nita Lowey (D), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D), Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D), Rep. Grace Meng (D), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D), Rep. Kathleen Rice (D), Rep. Jose Serrano (D), Rep. Louise Slaughter (D), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D), Rep. Paul Tonko (D), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D)


Everybody Else – Final Vote Results:  http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll663.xml

FYI – HR 38 / HR 4477 and Virginia Citizens Defense League’s Take on it

excerpt:

Virginia Citizens Defense League is going to continue supporting H.R. 38, even when combined with H.R. 4434.

The idea is that gun owners will gain far more by having National Reciprocity than would be lost to the bad parts of the Fix NICS component.

There are various theories floating around as to whether combining the bills is either a good strategy that will help get National Reciprocity onto the President’s desk or a horrible strategy that will only get the Fix NICS bill on his desk. Should National Reciprocity die in the Senate, but Fix NICS survive, we will then contact our Representatives to kill the Fix NICS bill and also ask the President to veto the Fix NICS bill unless National Reciprocity is also put on his desk.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is working to get an amendment to improve the Fix NICS part of the bill. That would be an ideal solution.

Virginia Citizens Defense League will push CCRKBA’s amendment to Fix NICS once we know which Representative is carrying it and once we can verify the wording.

You will be updated once I know more about the CCRKBA’s proposed amendments, hopefully on Tuesday. You will also be updated on the disposition of H.R. 38 once I find out how the vote went on Wednesday.

Article:  https://www.ammoland.com/2017/12/national-reciprocity-vote-in-house-this-week-but-there-is-a-twist