NYSRPA lawsuit update

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Here is the latest on the NYSRPA lawsuit against the SAFE Act. Do not read anything pro or con into the Judge’s order as it is common practice to make decisions based upon the briefs rather than verbal arguments. To date we have spent $426,000 on this lawsuit. The machine gun shoot raffle benefiting the legal defense fund runs through December 31st so there is still time to get in on it.  Otherwise, donations can be made through the general link.

TEXT ORDER

On November 22, 2013, Plaintiffs requested a hearing on the pending motions.

But given the breadth and thoroughness of the briefing by the parties and amici already submitted to this Court, it is prepared to resolve the pending motions without a hearing. Further, this Court is fully cognizant of the impending deadlines instituted by the SAFE Act and the possible effects those deadlines may have on the public and government administration. Therefore, considering both that the issues have been comprehensively briefed and that various deadlines imposed by the Act will soon take effect, this Court will issue a decision on the merits in advance of the deadline dates.

SO ORDERED.

Issued by William M. Skretny, Chief Judge on 12/23/2013.

Trump follies

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Donald Trump is not going to run for Governor.  The only reason his name has been floated by some GOP operatives is because he is wealthy enough to self-finance a campaign.

Being an attention whore, Trump himself will flirt with the idea in the media, but in the end won’t do it.  All this shows is how intellectually and financially bankrupt the state Republicans have become.

Don’t even think about it

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Why?

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said Sunday there is a 50-50 chance he will run for president in 2016 …”

People want this as much as they did Rick Lazio to run for Governor back in ’08.

Astorino looking at 2014

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On Rob Astorino exploring a gubernatorial run next year:

“… Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who is exploring a run for governor next year, has no interest in being Cuomo’s sacrificial lamb, state Conservative Party Michael Long said.  “He told me several weeks ago if he doesn’t raise the money or can’t put an organization together, he won’t jump in the pool,” Long said. “He told me he wasn’t into a suicide mission.” …”

The question I have is does Ed Cox plan to run any serious campaigns next year for Governor, Attorney General, state legislature, etc.  Right now I would say the answer is no, he doesn’t.

The Bloomberg Party

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Adam Brodsky has an idea, “How Bloomberg can save NYC now“:

“Everyone’s got a suggestion for Michael Bloomberg’s future, now that he’s stepping down.  Well, here’s one he’s not likely to consider — but should: create a genuine two-party system in New York by building a credible Republican Party …”

A bold idea that has its pluses and minuses.

On the plus side is his money, which is the lifeblood of politics especially under our Tammany system of government.  If Bloomberg were genuinely interested in having open political discussion of ideas he could certainly use his fortune to help bankroll opposition candidates to the leftist machine.

On the minus side is with his money comes a price: allegiance to Bloomberg.   He’s spend a lot of his own money pushing various pet issues like gun control and I cannot see him doing this without putting conditions on candidates.  It would be less of the Grand Old Party and more of the Bloomberg Party.

At this point it is all academic as I have seen no indication he is interested in going this route.

1+1=0

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Mayors Against Illegal Guns is merging with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

It is nothing to get excited about, just a reshuffling of the same old astroturf.   It’s the same as when the Brady Campaign took over the Million Mom March back in the day.  Antigunners, and leftists in general, do this every so often as a way of keeping their issues fresh.

Off the deep end with Senator Klein

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Jeff Klein decided to respond to our response to his outburst last week:

“Tom King’s remarks are despicable and have no place in the court of public opinion. For him to claim that our state’s watershed gun control laws are somehow making women more vulnerable to sexual attacks is downright abhorrent. If Tom King was actually serious about protecting women, he would have joined me back in 2003 when I championed the repeal of the statute of limitations for rape prosecutions. Every credible statistic proves that smart gun control legislation like the SAFE Act effectively reduces gun crimes. I invite Tom King to come down to the Bronx anytime to meet the mothers, fathers, and children who are devastated by gun crimes almost every day.”

What possessed him to do this is beyond me.  All it does is diminish his own stature even more then his first outburst did.

Several points:

  1. He ignores claims by NOW that reported rapes are up.  He has too, they contradict his assertion that SAFE has made everyone safer.
  2. He’s never asked for an opinion on any of his bills, let alone one from 10 years ago which was unrelated to gun issues.  For the sake of argument, let’s assume it was a great piece of legislation.  According to his own description, it dealt with rape prosecutions, not rape prevention which is the core of our argument.  Typical leftist tactic of trying to change the subject.
  3. He claims that “every credible statistic” backs up his original statement that SAFE is good, but fails to provide any collaborating information, then contracts himself the next sentence.
  4. How can there be people “devastated by gun crimes almost every day” if SAFE is working just like he says it is in the previous sentence?
  5. Other legislators as well as NOW-NYC and NYAGV aren’t rushing to Klein’s defense.

Like father, like son

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That’s because the last big decision he made (on gun control) was such a total miscalculation, it removed him as a presidential contender just like it did for his old man over 20 years ago. The boy Cuomo was too stupid to learn from his father and thus history repeats itself.

Fred Dicker: Cuomo, Skelos are losers

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Fred Dicker’s annual winners & losers column for 2013:

“… Gov. Cuomo, after two strong years as a fiscal moderate and social liberal, emerged as the biggest loser of the year, spending much of 2013 pursuing the “progressive’’ programs he had once forsworn.  These included … a ban on legally possessed semiautomatic assault weapons that are rarely used in crimes and other restrictions on gun ownership …”

No mention, though, that this cost Cuomo his shot at the presidency.

“… Other losers this year include … Republican Senate leader Dean Skelos, who caved in to threats from Cuomo and signed a “message of necessity’’ that jammed the anti-gun SAFE Act through the Legislature without debate, thereby dividing the GOP into upstate and downstate factions …”

No mention either that this may very well be what puts the Republicans into permanent minority status in the legislature.

Both Cuomo and Skelos totally misread public opinion on gun control and there is a price both will have to pay for it.

Mixing it up with Senator Klein

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I’ve been with NYSRPA for 13+ years and cannot recall a single instance where an elected official tried making a personal attack upon any gun rights activist.

That is until now when for some reason Jeff Klein decides to go off to a Times-Union reporter:

“… Tom King’s recent remarks on the NY SAFE Act are insulting to all New Yorkers who understand we need smart gun control laws … Despite Tom King’s opposition to some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, New York is much safer today thanks to the NY SAFE Act … I think Tom King’s time would be better spent figuring out ways to better protect New Yorkers from the scourge of gun violence that is shattering lives each and everyday …”

Funny thing is, this is totally out of the blue.  There was just no reason for Klein to do this.  Someone must have put a bug up his ass.

Here’s the response I put together:

The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association would like to respond to remarks made by State Senator Jeffrey Klein in a discussion with Times-Union reporter Casey Seiler on Wednesday. Specifically, we would like to address this statement made by Senator Klein:

“… Despite [NYSRPA’s] opposition to some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, New York is much safer today thanks to the NY SAFE Act …”

Apparently Senator Klein has been too preoccupied with other things lately to notice that the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women disagrees with him. In a report filed by WCBS 880’s Monica Miller on Tuesday, NOW-NYC president Sonia Ossorio said that reported rapes have gone up 57 percent since 2009.

“There is a reason guns are often called the great equalizer,” said NYSRPA President Thomas King. “Firearms put women on equal footing with men and give them the ability to defend themselves against aggressors who are generally larger and stronger than they are. Instead of empowering women, Senator Klein has made it more difficult for women to have access to the best and most effective means of personal protection. The results speak for themselves.”