NYC pastor encourages parishioners to carry guns

I’m not often surprised by gun news, but I was not expecting this:

“The Rev. Francis Colamaria, pastor of St. Helen RC Church in Howard Beach, said at an active shooter seminar at the house of worship Monday that he encourages those with the legal ability to carry firearms to bring their guns to the pews.  “If you have a license to carry, I would advise you to carry,” Colamaria said at the seminar, adding that the question has been posed to him by parishioners. “We live in a very treacherous world.” …”

Good for him.

Shiny, happy people

The House is advancing H.R.38 through the Judiciary Committee.

The antis are hysterical. A group of big city DAs and state AGs held an “emergency summit” in D.C. to try and derail it:

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance was there along with long time antigun RINO Rep. Pete King:


What a grim looking bunch. Hopefully that’s a good sign for us.

Debate over the NY SAFE ACT heating up again

Don’t wait with the pistol license recertification. I suspect most people are and it’s going to be a custerfuck come January.

States push for reciprocity

Guns.com reports that several states are urging passage of the reciprocity bill:

“A group of state attorneys general has signed on to a letter urging lawmakers to approve a measure that would allow universal recognition if concealed carry permits across the nation.  The letter, signed by the top legal advisors in Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana and South Carolina, supports the passage the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 …”

According to South Carolinal Attorney General Allan Wilson:

“… “States should not be able to deny citizens of other states the basic constitutional right to self-defense,” Attorney General Wilson said. “South Carolinians who have gone through the process of getting concealed weapon permits shouldn’t have to worry about whether they can protect themselves and their families when they travel in other states.” … “Passing this law would not expand who’s allowed to have a concealed weapon permit,” Attorney General Wilson said. “It just eliminates the confusion we have now over which states recognize which other states’ permits, and makes that constitutional right uniform across the country. The Framers were unwavering in their right to self-protection and steadfast in their support of the Second Amendment.” …”

Compare that statement to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s latest op-ed against the bill:

“… The CCRA would override our state’s restrictive concealed-weapons permitting system and force New York to honor concealed-carry firearms privileges issued in other states, even though many other states have much looser standards … Passage of CCRA could unleash countless new concealed weapons on the streets of New York. That could mean more shootings, more victims and more tragedies in America’s safest big city … The CCRA is a gift to these terrorists. A person on a watch list could purchase multiple handguns at a gun show, take those guns into Manhattan and carry them, fully loaded, into Times Square. It wouldn’t be a crime until they started shooting …”

House bill H.R.38 picked up another co-sponsor before Thanksgiving bringing the total to 213. No new action on the Senate version S.446 since September.

Decline and fall

George Marlin has an excellent op-ed on the decline and fall of the Nassau County Republicans which makes for a good follow-up to Jack Martins’ welcome defeat on election day:

“… There was a time, however, when the Nassau GOP was the most respected and powerful political organization in the nation … But over time, the GOP machine began to rust.  Efficiently servicing the taxpayers took a backseat to rewarding political cronies with patronage and contracts … Meanwhile, the aging political machine’s influence at the polling booth continued to decline … The disastrous results on Election Day 2017 were the final nails in the coffin of the once mighty organization … Nassau Republicans are finished because their arrogance, incompetence and indifference to voter concerns has caught up with them …”

I would add the local Republicans sell-out first on Pataki’s 5-Point Plan then again on Cuomo’s SAFE Act played a big part in this collapse as well especially considering Martin’s campaigning loudly on his SAFE vote.

End of an era

The NYPD is finally retiring their service revolvers:

H/T: GunFreeZone

Admit it

The Legislative Gazette reports:

“… Sen. Felder, D-Brooklyn, first called for armed NYPD officers to be placed at city schools after a Halloween terror attack in New York City … That attacker was eventually apprehended by a police officer who happened to be nearby and according to Felder, proves that his legislation, S.6798, must be passed to ensure the safety of New York City’s students. This week, Felder again called on the Assembly to pass their own version of his Senate bill …”

There is no companion bill in the Assembly.

Time for me to stir the pot:

“After reading of Senator Felder’s call for armed security at public schools following the Halloween terror attack I have a question for the Senator: Don’t you think it’s time to admit that New York’s citizen disarmament laws do not keep the public safe?

However good your intentions, the NYPD does not have the ability, nor in fact do they have any legal responsibility, to protect the public either from street criminals or Islamic terrorists. The only one responsible for a person’s safety is the individual themselves. That is the reason 42 states covering 75 percent of the population have right-to-carry firearms for personal protection laws. No rational argument can be made for New York to be excluded from this. If you want to seriously address public safety then introduce legislation to bring the state in line with the majority.

Further, if you or any of your colleagues lack personal experience handling firearms and believe it is too complicated for ordinary citizens to do this, I am a certified instructor and will teach you it isn’t.”

I’m not expecting a response from Felder’s office, but you never know.

Racist rednecks

Dutchess Legislator Micki Walsh Strawinski does not appear to like either guns for country music:

I love the response from Ulster Firearms.

Make gun-trafficking a federal crime

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference today to introduce new legislation:

“… Gillibrand visited the Uniondale Public Library Monday to stand with advocates and survivors of gun violence and announce the reintroduction of the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking & Crime Prevention Act.  “I am proud to announce my legislation to make gun-trafficking a federal crime, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in fighting to pass this essential bill, as well as two other pieces of legislation that would protect families in New York …” …  The bill would make it illegal to sell purchase, or transfer two or more firearms to someone whom the seller knows, or has reasonable cause to know, is a felon or convicted domestic abuser.  The bill would also make it illegal to provide false information on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives firearms transaction record form …”

She had company at the presser:

The bills are not yet online so I’m not sure exactly what they do, but I’m pretty sure lying on a 4473 is already a felony. Maybe she’s making it a double, secret felony.

Say No to Spano

Now that George Latimer has won the Westchester County Executive’s race, he must give up his seat in the Senate.  That means a special election.

To the surprise of no one, the Spano name has come up:

“… Add Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano’s name to the list of Democrats considering a run for George Latimer’s soon-to-be-vacant state Senate seat. Spano confirmed Monday he has spoken to party leaders about a potential run for the state Legislature, where he served in the Assembly for nearly 20 years … Spano, meanwhile, has two years left in his second term as mayor. Yonkers has term limits that prevent him from seeking a third term in 2019 …”

As a general rule, whenever a Spano is on the ballot in Westchester, residents should reflexively vote for whomever their opponent is no matter who they are.  Mike is no exception.  Plus with Mike, you get Nick and nobody wants that.  He was an antigun Republican in the Assembly and switched to Democrat to become Mayor.  I’ve suspected for sometime he would make a run for county office, but with Astorino on the way out, he needs to find another gig.  Hopefully someone better jump in.