All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
I attended Will Truitt’s Dutchess County Campaign Kick-Off yesterday:
Some campaign events are free, others are fundraisers like this one.
Gun owners need to attend such events and gun clubs should pass around the hat to sponsor them. If clubs were to sponsor say, a dozen such events around the state, so many problems in Albany would go away.
Back in April I made the prediction that Republican Senator Elaine Phillips would not get any help from gun control groups no matter what she does for them.
Today I am proven right:
Archived image here.
The Brady Campaign is once again trying to reinvent itself with the formation of a new Political Action Committee, Brady PAC.
They are looking for a political director to run it.
According to the job description:
“Brady PAC is a new, hybrid Political Action Committee that backs political candidates running for office who support common sense gun violence prevention policies like expanding background checks to all guns sales, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, enacting Extreme Risk laws, and other gun violence prevention strategies, policies, practices and programs to make our homes, schools and communities safe …”
Antigunners have never had much success in electing people around their issues so I don’t see this going anywhere. I am interested to see who is funding this latest effort, though.
Under pressure from Governor Cuomo and squishy RINOs in his own conference, Senator John Flanagan has opened the door for returning the Senate to Albany for a special session:
“… The pinball game that is New York politics lit up anew on Wednesday with State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan telling The Point that he would consider calling his conference back for a special session by September, including to consider abortion legislation. “I am not averse to coming back,” Flanagan told us. “But first there has to be a legitimate agreement with the governor and the speaker on all outstanding issues,” he said …”
Abortion might be the main issue, however, Cuomo is still running ads demanding action on his “red flag” gun control proposal. That could come up as well.
The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports:
“Former Binghamton mayor Matthew T. Ryan is running for Broome County Sheriff in the November election, challenging incumbent Sheriff David Harder, who is seeking a sixth term. Ryan, a Democrat and Binghamton resident who has no law enforcement background, will be running for sheriff under the Working Families Party ticket …”
Ryan was a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Unless the Democrats endorse him I don’t think he’s that serious about running.
Thursday’s Newsbits:
At 11:00am New York City Public Advocate Letitia James announces plans to fight gun violence in New York if she is elected state attorney general, Harriet Tubman Memorial, St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Manhattan.
Elections:
Legislation:
Politics:
Colin Schmitt is looking for campaign volunteers for his Assembly campaign in AD-99 covering parts of Orange and Rockland counties.
Contact the campaign at colin@colinschmitt.com or by phone at 845-245-3068.
Democrat Congressional candidate Tedra Cobb was recorded saying she supports gun bans, but won’t say so in public as it would damage her campaign:
“… “When I was at this thing today, it was the first table I was at, a woman said, ‘How do you feel about assault rifles?’ And I said they should be banned,” Cobb can be heard saying in the video recorded by one of the attendees. “And I said, you know, people were getting up to go, to go get their lunch because it was a buffet, and I just said to her, I want you to know Cindy, I cannot say that.” …”
I decide to be helpful and send copies of the story to the Legislative Corespondents Association.
Republicans jump on Cobb:
Listen to @TedraCobb tell supporters that she supports a gun ban but can't say that on the campaign trail "because she'll lose" #NY21https://t.co/oDTvP7eC14
— Chris Martin (@chrisjdmartin) July 11, 2018
As the video starts becoming more popular, the public is reminded that Cobb took a pledge to run an honest campaign:
“NY-21 Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb has formally committed to The Post-Star‘s no-lies pledge … “I have proven myself to be honest and forthright and I will continue to be that way,” she said …”
Gun control advocates take umbrage at the suggestion they told Cobb to keep quiet:
.@MomsDemand Action refutes claim in video from Cobb that she was advised to not publicly support an assault weapons ban. "We encourage every candidate to be honest and vocal in their support of a wide range of gun violence prevention laws." https://t.co/cj2hiUJClR
— David Lombardo (@poozer87) July 11, 2018
NRA gets in on the act:
Trump has nominated D.C. Circuit Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh as his choice for SCOTUS.
He appears solid on gun rights as the L.A. Times reports:
“… [Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh] will move the high court to the right on … gun rights … Kavanaugh appears to support broader gun rights under the 2nd Amendment. In 2011, he filed a 52-page dissent when the appeals court, by a 2-1 vote, upheld a District of Columbia ordinance that prohibited semiautomatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 rounds … But Kavanaugh said the ban on semiautomatic rifles was unconstitutional because the weapons are in common use in this country. “As one who was born here, grew up in this community in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and has lived and worked in this area almost all of his life, I am acutely aware of the gun, drug and gang violence that has plagued all of us…. But our task is to apply the Constitution and the precedents of the Supreme Court, regardless of whether the result is one we agree with as a matter of first principles or policy,” he wrote …”
Antigunners are not happy:
Judge Kavanaugh’s dangerous views on the Second Amendment are far outside the mainstream of even conservative thought and stand in direct opposition to the values and priorities of the vast majority of Americans.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) July 10, 2018
Judge Kavanaugh made it clear where he stands. He thinks the 2nd Amend says that weapons of war, like AR-15s, belong on our streets. That’s not what Scalia wrote. For the NRA, this is just desserts for a $30+ million contribution to Pres. Trump’s campaign. #SCOTUSnominee
— Avery Gardiner (@AveryWGardiner) July 10, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh is a true Second Amendment radical. He believes assault weapon bans are unconstitutional, a position way out of the judicial mainstream, far to the right of even late Justice Scalia.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 10, 2018
Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo, who had already been attacking Republicans over his “red flag” proposal, started attacking them over abortion:
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a gaggle with reporters on Monday in Brooklyn said he plans to call out individual Republicans in the state Senate over the issue of abortion rights in New York. “I’m going to call them all out by name — all out by name,” Cuomo said. Cuomo’s targeting of individual GOP lawmakers is part of a years-long break for him and the Senate Republican conference. The relationship was once a productive one for the governor and the GOP lawmakers who controlled the chamber …”
This relationship was doomed from the start as Republicans never brought anything to the table except themselves. If Judge Kavanaugh is what finally puts an end to Republican “control” of the Senate so be it.