Capital District SCOPE

The Liverpool Clay Warriors won second place (behind Warsaw High School and just ahead of Indian Lakes Central School) in the New York State High School Clay Target League Conference 1.

Ashleigh Rosen ended up with a 20.7 average, making her the first place female sharpshooter in both NYS High School Conference 1A and the entire NYS High School League.

eaglenewsonline.com/sports/high-school/2021/01/26/local-sharpshooter-tops-state-competition/

Commentary. The definition of a so-called “assault rifle” or “assault weapon” changes as needed when the anti-gunners decide to redefine words to fit their agenda. Originally the term assault rifle was a term Germans used in World War II for their lightweight select fire box magazine fed machine gun – the Sturmgewehr. It was a propaganda term attributed to Hitler that was meant to instill fear.

The term assault rifle was changed to assault weapon around 1989. “Prior to 1989, the term ‘assault weapon’ did not exist in the lexicon of firearms.” “Assault weapon” is a political term developed by anti-gun advocates to convince people that some guns are too scary, effective, ergonomic or something, for U.S. citizens to own and the term was used for the advancement of gun control legislation.

In 1994 the federal assault weapons ban was enacted which defined an assault weapon as a semi automatic rifle with a detachable magazine (that had the appearance of a machine gun) and had TWO “scary evil features” such as a foldable stock or a bayonet lug . Some other guns were thrown in as well, such as shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

Then came the 2013 NYS “un”SAFE ACT which defined an assault weapon as a semi automatic rifle with a detachable magazine that had ONE “scary evil feature” such as a foldable stock or bayonet lug. Do you see how the assault weapon definition is changing ….

Now the NYS Bar Association is pushing the trend further by their definition of an an assault weapon as: “high-powered semi-automatic firearms that are capable of autoloading a new cartridge into the chamber after the gun is discharged,” with NO evil features specified! (November 2020). As it is written, it includes handguns too. (https://nysba.org/nysba-recommends-new-laws-to-reduce-mass-shootings)

This interpretation is also being used by Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, who interprets “copies” of the AR-15 or AK-47 as assault weapons, even if they have NO evil features , but she says she won’t enforce a confiscation for grandfathered rifles at this time.

So now you see the “assault weapon” definition evolving (creeping) by the leftists to meet their agenda. Next the attempt will be made to include all semi-automatic rifles (we are seeing this trend now), even currently compliant ones, semi-automatic shotguns, and semi-automatic pistols.

The next time someone says the term “assault weapon”, tell them that term is a garbage term. Its made up and manipulated by politicians and gun-grabbers so that they keep changing it to suit their agenda.

No I’m not talking about lubricating your firearms with CBD oil, but using CBD oil on or in your body. With CBD oil stores open all over New York State you might think it is okay to use CBD oil if you are a firearm owner, and it might be okay…most of the time, maybe 99.9% of the time, until you are involved in an incident and some over zealous prosecutor wants to make an example out our you. Read this Truth About Guns article below to get the opinion of attorney Emily Taylor:

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/marijuana-and-gun-rights-dont-mix-but-what-about-cbd-oil/

From GunPoliticsNY.com

Antonio Delgado received money from the following anti-gun PACs:

Everytown PAC, $1000 on 12/21/19
Brady PAC, $2000 on 7/23/19
Brady PAC, $3000 on 12/12/19
Brady PAC, $4000 on 12/16/19
Brady PAC, $1000 on 3/4/20

Antonio Delgado represents US Congressional District 19.

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To date, and increasing each and every day, 750 deer have been reported.
DEC recommends, should anyone encounter a sick, and, or dead deer, they should avoid any contact with the deer, and should immediately report it to DEC.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today asked bowhunters who may encounter deer affected by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) this fall to report the find to DEC. EHD is a viral disease of whitetail deer that cannot be contracted by humans. Reports from hunters help DEC track the disease’s potential spread.

Archery seasons for whitetail deer and black bear begin Thursday, Oct. 1, in the Southern Zone and more hunters will be in remote forests, fields, and waterways and may come across deer that died of EHD. Hunters are encouraged to report any deer suspected of dying from EHD to the nearest DEC regional wildlife office. A directory is available on the DEC website.

DEC wildlife biologists have been receiving reports of dead and sick deer this fall and collected carcasses for testing at DEC’s Wildlife Health Unit in Delmar, Albany County. Tissue samples have been sent to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University to confirm the presence of EHD.

To date, EHD has been confirmed in portions of Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties, and DEC has received reports of approximately 750 dead deer. Though the current outbreak appears concentrated in the lower Hudson Valley, EHD may have spread elsewhere in New York.

While EHD outbreaks can remove a number of deer from a localized population, they do not have a significant long-term impact on deer populations. Deer populations throughout the currently impacted region are robust. DEC does not plan to reduce harvest in areas affected by EHD at this time.

The EHD virus is carried by biting midges, small bugs often called no-see-ums or ‘punkies.’ Outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when the midges that carry the virus are abundant. Once infected with EHD, deer usually die within 36 hours. The disease is not spread from deer to deer or from deer to humans. Symptoms in deer include fever, hemorrhage in muscles or organs, and swelling of the head, neck, tongue, and lips. A deer infected with EHD may appear lame or dehydrated. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many succumb to the disease near a water source. There is no treatment for nor means to prevent EHD. The dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals.

The EHD virus affected New York deer in 2007 in Albany, Rensselaer, and Niagara counties, and in Rockland County in 2011.

EHD is endemic in southern states where there are annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity. Generally, in the northeast, EHD outbreaks occur sporadically and deer in New York have no immunity to this virus. Consequently, most EHD-infected deer in New York are expected to die. In the north, the first hard frost kills the midges that transmit the disease, ending the EHD outbreak.

Hunters should not handle or eat any deer that appears sick or acts strangely. DEC continues to monitor the EHD outbreak. In addition, the State Department of Agriculture and Markets has alerted deer farmers and veterinarians throughout the state to be aware of the disease and to report suspicious cases.

For more information on EHD and helpful related links, visit the DEC website.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html

Last fall in 2019 Governor Cuomo signed a law that lowers the legal blood alcohol threshold while hunting from 0.10 to 0.08, similar to the current level for operating a car or boat. The penalty for hunting while intoxicated remains the same. The law takes effect September 1st, 2020.

Anyone convicted of hunting while intoxicated stands to lose their hunting-related licenses for a period not to exceed two years. The crime is classified as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to, but not more than one year in jail, and/or a fine of no more than $500.

From Gun Politics in NY:

A-8078C, Permits 4-H certified shooting sports instructors to supervise and instruct persons under sixteen years of age at shooting ranges, and A-8666A, Relates to authorizing hunting big game by rifle in the County of Tompkins, have been signed by the Governor.

From my friend Gary:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced that a new online bowhunter education certification course opens July 15, 2020 and ends August 31st. A bowhunter education course is required for all hunters who use a bow and arrow to hunt deer or bear. All hunters must also complete a mandatory hunter education course before purchasing a hunting license.

“DEC began offering online hunter education courses this spring, and the response has been fantastic,” said Commissioner Seggos. “I encourage all experienced and aspiring bowhunters to take advantage of this opportunity and sign up to take the bowhunter education course online.”

All in-person bowhunter education courses have been cancelled this year during the State’s ongoing response to COVID-19. The online course provides an opportunity for new archery hunters to get their required bowhunter education certificates before the fall hunting seasons begin. Since the April 15 launch of DEC’s new online hunter education course, more than 30,000 people have completed the course. Nearly 70 percent of those completing the online course are 21 or over, and almost 40 percent are women.

DEC’s Hunter Education Program is partnering with Kalkomey Enterprises, a company that specializes in hunter education, to offer online courses that can be completed in six to eight hours. The online course covers all the topics of the traditional in-person course including bow safety, tree stand safety, hunting ethics, wildlife conservation, and New York State hunting laws and regulations.

Students who successfully complete the online bowhunter education course and pass the final exam will receive their bowhunter education certificate. The course is available to individuals aged 11 years and older, but only those 12 or older may purchase a hunting license. Students can complete the courses from a computer, tablet, or smart phone at any time.

To take the online course and receive a bowhunter education certificate, you must be a New York State resident. The cost of the course is $30. The course can be accessed at Bowhunter-ed website. The online course will be available through August 31, 2020.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html

Yugoslavia existed for over 70 years. In 1991, the country started breaking down into independent units and civil wars ensued, which finally ended with six independent states. Wars – not war – since each independent state fought its own wars. During the wars, words like genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass starvation were often used and an estimated 250,000 people died.

What does that have to do with SCOPE and the coming election?

Yugoslavia broke apart for ethnic, religious and historical reasons, which is now called identity politics. Think of the words being used today: racist, white privilege, white supremacy, systemic racism, capitalists, or any hyphenated Americans. These words divide us into groups that one of the other groups can hate – or at least blame for whatever went wrong in someone’s life.

There have always been issues in America, but our strength has been moving forward; moving beyond those issues. One reason for Yugoslavia’s divisions was a battle fought 600 years ago. In America, does anyone hate “Indians” because of Custer’s Last Stand, 144 years ago? The Japanese and Germans committed horrendous atrocities during World War II but they are now our allies. Irish, Italians and Chinese all were discriminated against but are now mainstream Americans. (That’s right, Americans! Not hyphenated Americans, just plain Americans.) It’s been over two generations since the civil rights activities of the 1950’s and 1960’s brought change and produced programs such as Affirmative Action which discriminated in favor of blacks. The pre-China Virus economy included record low unemployment for almost every “identity politics” group.

Progressives, in order to gain power, are trying to split America apart through identity politics. In essence, to Balkanize us. There can be no doubt that their goal is to create a new Yugoslavia here and then break up the United States. Remember, Barack Obama promised to fundamentally transform the U.S.A.

When the act of an individual, (such as the police officer in Minneapolis who knelt on George Floyd’s neck), is used as a basis for charging systemic racism within police departments (and everywhere else in America) that is wrong and nothing more than another step in balkanizing us. The left’s systemic racism lie is disproven by the fact that the police chiefs in Seattle and Dallas were black women. This fact should have been publicized by the main stream media as a rebuttal to the charge of systemic racism. When the Dallas police chief said, in response to violence, “If you break the law, we will arrest you”, there were calls to fire her. Rebuttals to the charge of “systemic racism” cannot be tolerated by the left, if they are to achieve balkanizing America.

There are many issues to consider when casting your ballot this November. Certainly the 2nd Amendment and preserving our Constitution are important. But we must also keep in mind that we are under attack on many fronts. Do candidates mindlessly repeat whatever is in fashion about identity politics in order to balkanize us? Those are not people operating in the best interests of the America we love and will defend.