Learn from this

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From a syndicated Washington Post article, “Organizers of pro-gun rallies lament low turnout“:

“Student-led rallies around the country on Saturday aimed to show support for gun rights, though their effort drew smaller-than-expected crowds in a bid to counter the well-funded and organized youth gun-control lobby that emerged after the massacre in a Florida high school earlier this year …”

Organizers made two mistakes here.

First, not recognizing the gun control marches were organized by professional astroturf and their media allies and not a genuine expression of student support.  There was no way they could duplicate them using only grassroots. The appropriate response would have been to call fraud from the start to delegitimize them.

Second, assuming that rallies are an effective form of political action.  They are not.  I have covered this many times before.  Politicians don’t pay much attention to them as they go on all the time.  Only people who can organize votes and money around an issue are taken seriously. Elected officials do not go around asking for people to hold rallies, they ask for help with their election campaigns.

Some examples:

Truitt For Assembly – Dutchess Campaign Kickoff!

An evening in support of our next Assemblyman Colin Schmitt

8th Annual Sheriff Moss Pig Roast

Politics is not difficult to understand especially when elected officials come right out and tell you what to do. They want gun owners to help them get on the ballot, come to their fundraisers and give money. The students should learn from this.

Newsbits

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Proposed Nassau storage law

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I have obtained a copy of the proposed Nassau Co. mandatory firearms storage law.

The legislative clerk’s office insisted I file a FOIL before they would give it to me which was absurd.  I was able to get a copy from a legislative aide.

Here it is in PDF format.

Decriminalize it

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New York has slowly been moving in the direction of legalizing recreation marijuana.

The legislature should speed up the process:

“A burglar trying to rob a Main Street apartment early today Monday was shot in the hand by the gun-toting tenant, police said. New Rochelle police said Darius Rogers and a second man broke into an apartment at 759 Main St. around 12:49 a.m. Rogers was armed, but so was the tenant, 21-year-old Nicholas Collado, and Collado shot the intruder, police said. The second intruder fled. Rogers was transported to a local hospital and was treated for non-life threatening injuries. He is facing felony charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon …”

Good. He got what he deserved.

“… Police said they found narcotics in the apartment. So, Collado is facing felony charges of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and second-degree criminal possession of marijuana.”

Decriminalize all of it including the hallucinogenics and get the state out of the drug control business altogether.  It is bad policy.

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Problem

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Newsday reports:

“As the race for governor accelerates, Republican nominee Marc Molinaro says the campaign of Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is trying falsely to define him as an ultraconservative out of step with most New Yorkers on social issues … The Cuomo campaign routinely refers to Molinaro as “Trump mini-me . . . who has an ‘A’ rating from the NRA …” … He defends the right of the National Rifle Association to be included in discussion of gun control and school safety. But he refuses to take campaign contributions from the NRA …”

There are roughly 250,000 NRA members in New York.

A candidate who does not have a personal interest in firearms and has little to no firsthand experience with them isn’t a problem.  A candidate who does not want to make guns a priority issue during the campaign isn’t a problem.  A candidate who does not want to accept special interest donations isn’t a problem.

This is a problem.  A lot of people are going to look at this as an insult as it singles out the NRA.

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Look at the Janus reaction

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Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court effective the end of July.

Already there is speculation that his replacement will give us a court more supportive of 2nd Amendment rights.  That is probably right.  To understand how New York representatives would react to a pending gun case that would significantly impact the state, look at how they prepared for the Janus decision which said public employees cannot be forced to pay union dues.

Public sector unions knew they would likely lose that case so earlier this year their allies in the legislature passed and Governor Cuomo signed a new law designed to blunt Janus’ impact.  I would expect the same thing to happen when it appears another major SCOTUS ruling on gun rights is imminent.