Setting an example

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The Westchester gun show this past weekend was a big success with larger than expected turnout.  The County Center is a good location and hopefully they will be able to go back to having 2-3 shows there every year.

Rob Astorino deserves a shoutout for standing up to antigun politicians:

“… [County Executive Rob Astorino] vetoed legislation Thursday that moved to ban gun shows on county-owned property. “I tried to look at this issue not in the emotional way, as some people wanted me to do it,” he said. “There was no justification to ban a gun show based on the facts and based on the law.” …”

Other downstate politicians, especially Republicans, should take note of Astornio’s actions.  He called BS on the anti’s hysterics and proved they don’t have the ability to motivate opposition turnout.

Enter Trump

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The Donald was sworn in yesterday as President.  The relief at getting rid of Obama and Hillary has worn off and the reality that Cheeto Jesus is now Commander in Chief has set in.

I was not impressed with his inauguration speech.  It was populism, not principle like Ronald Reagan’s.  Nevertheless, now we’re going to see if Trump is going to live up to his promises.  This is now on the White House website:

Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community

“… Supporting law enforcement means supporting our citizens’ ability to protect themselves. We will uphold Americans’ Second Amendment rights at every level of our judicial system …”

Knowing this, I will consider Trump’s 2A promise kept if we get this:

  1. A reciprocity law.
  2. One good justice on SCOTUS.

If he really wants to Make America Great Again I’ll add the following:

  1. Remove silencers from the NFA.
  2. Two good justices on SCOTUS.

If Trump wants America, Fuck Yeah! add this:

  1. Repeal the Hughes Amendment.

H/T: Miguel.

The fix was in

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Sen. Jim Tedisco admits the obvious:

“… Tedisco said he was impressed by what he described as the governor’s candor about their partisan differences. He recalled that someone in the room noted to Cuomo that he had campaigned against a few members of the chamber’s GOP conference in the most recent election cycle. “(Cuomo) said, ‘You can’t call that campaigning,’” Tedisco said — a sentiment sure to warm the hearts of the Senate’s mainline Democratic conference. The governor “mentioned he had $19 million in the bank (for his campaign committee),” Tedisco added. “He mentioned he could use that money very aggressively, and that he didn’t. He mentioned he could have done a lot more in terms of campaigning ….””

Republicans shouldn’t be laughing about this.  They won because Cuomo chose not to use his resources against them.  There is no way he did this out of the goodness of his heart.  Cuomo expects something in return, most likely that the Republicans support his agenda.  Cuomo’s agenda does not include modifying the SAFE Act.

H.R. 38

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The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 has been given a bill number, H.R. 38.

It picked up Chris Collins as a new co-sponsor bringing the total to 132.

There is no Senate companion yet.

Reaction to a Governor Flanagan

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Some blowback at Ed Cox for talking down the possibility of Governor Flanagan:

“… State Republican Chairman Ed Cox’s quick dismissal of talk that state Senate GOP Majority Leader John Flanagan might run for governor in 2018 left some in his party “stunned” and “frustrated.” … Patrick McCarthy, a former state party executive director, was among those who couldn’t understand why his party leader publicly dissed Flanagan, the state’s highest ranking elected Republican …”

Because the notion of him running was so ludicrous it needed to be squashed before it had the chance to take hold and do more damage to the party.

“… At least two Republicans lay some of the blame for the recent uproar on Flanagan himself. They say if he knew word was leaking out that he is considering a gubernatorial run, he should have alerted Cox, who those close to him say was taken by surprise when asked about it by reporters shortly after the report surfaced …”

The public smackdown was much more appropriate.

“… The GOPer said a Flanagan candidacy would face significant hurdles, particularly among upstaters who are angry he voted for Gov. Cuomo’s controversial SAFE Act gun control law. The insider said if Flanagan wants to have a chance to win upstaters back, he’d bring legislation to the floor to repeal the SAFE Act this year. “Some might be criticizing Ed for his response, but I guarantee you there’s an equal amount who were pleased with it,” said one high-profile Republican …”

No, a whole lot of people were happy with Cox’s response.

Senate Republicans will never bring a repeal bill up for a vote because it would require many of their conference to admit they were wrong.  Even if they did there’s no reason for the Assembly to follow suit.  The Republicans simply do not have enough political clout to move much of an agenda.  They have to go along with Cuomo and the Democrats or the hammer will come down on them, they will lose control of the Senate, and that will be the end of it for the party.

Tom McKevitt rising

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Newsday reports that Nassau Assemblyman Tom McKevitt has been elevated to the #2 slot in the Republican Assembly Conference:

“… McKevitt has been named minority leader pro tempore, a title that not only makes him the No. 2 Republican in the chamber but also the guy who will lead the party in floor debates over the state budget and other bills. Previously, McKevitt had been an assistant floor leader, a role in which he frequently fenced with Democrats over the legal details and intricacies of proposed legislation …”

He is not our friend.  McKevitt has a history of co-sponsoring antigun legislation, voting for whatever gun control bills come up including the SAFE Act, and has even accepted campaign donations from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act and NYC

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Addendum to my earlier post on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, Congressman Richard Hudson has stated that his bill would apply to non-resident licenses:

“… “My legislative intent is to ensure a non-resident carry permit is recognized, and I’ve confirmed this with legislative counsel and Judiciary Committee staff,” Hudson said. Many gun owners in states that use a “may issue” permitting process, such as California or New Jersey, are not able to obtain concealed carry permits from their home state … However, those same gun owners may be able to obtain a non-resident permit from a state with different gun laws. Under Hudson’s proposal, that permit would allow them to carry across the country—including in their home state …”

This would mean that I could carry in New York City on my non-resident Connecticut license.

There would still be a problem for City residents, however.  Assuming they were able to obtain a CCW from another state they would still have to somehow obtain a handgun.  You cannot buy a handgun from another state and I don’t believe a local dealer would do a transfer to a resident with a non-resident license only.

Governor Flanagan

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Some rumor-mongering from Newsday:

“Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, a Long Islander who has clashed with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in recent weeks, is considering a Republican run for governor in 2018, according to three Republicans who spoke to Flanagan about the bid. “Yes, I’ve heard him say that,” one Republican said. “I think a lot of people are talking about him,” another prominent Republican said. “He’s the right age, the right demographic, has been successful in retaining the Senate majority and certainly has the respect statewide and not just as Senate majority leader.” …”

Successful?  The only reason for his “success” is because Cuomo and some Democrats want him to be in charge of the Senate.

Respect?  He’s Cuomo’s butt-monkey!

“… As a Republican he could attract the upstate support as well, but his vote for Cuomo’s SAFE Act gun control measure could hurt him among more conservative voters …”

It’s way more than that.

The idea of him running was so absurd that Ed Cox threw cold water on the idea:

“Republican Chairman Ed Cox on Wednesday in a Capital Tonight interview dismissed reports Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan is contemplating a run for governor in 2018. “Let me say, he is not thinking about it,” Cox said in the interview to air tonight on TWC News. “He is focused on his job as majority leader of the state Senate — a tough job — particularly when you have a governor who for the first time in two centuries was not delivered to the legislators.”” …”

He’s not thinking about it because so many people were laughing out loud after reading that piece in Newsday.

Codes Committee Co-Chair

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State of Politics reports that Diane Savino will be a vice chairwoman of the Senate Codes Committee.  Republican Andrew Lanza will be chairman.

Not happy about this as this is where most gun bills originate.  It’s been downhill for us since Dale Volker retired.