Ny gun day
We had a similar event here in Albany last month. One of the local bus companies donated 2 busses so our local sportsmen could travel together to the event. Many have said we can talk till we are blue in the face and it will do no good. At least i know that when the chips fall i will have tried all peacefull means to get my message out.
We had the biggest crowd ever to assemble in the building. Even though only 2000 people showed it was a positive day for all of us.
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By Dick Nelson
Published:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 2:14 AM EST
To paraphrase a line from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams: If you organize it, they will come.
I’m speaking, of course, of Tuesday’s Sportsmen and Outdoor Recreation Legislative Awareness Day, and unlike similar events that weren’t that well coordinated— they organized it, and sports people came.
More than 2,000 strong came from every corner of the state to the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Albany, arriving by bus, train and in at least one instance — by plane. And when they got there they made sure their voices were heard, not only by the politicians that occupied the egg-shaped dome, but by the opportunistic lame-stream media that takes pot-shots at hunters and gunowners every chance it gets.
Organized by Assembly Republican Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R-Canandaigua) and New York State Rifle and Pistol Association president Tom King, the event was covered by every television station in the Capitol District; and with National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre as the featured guest speaker, I wouldn’t be surprised if coverage didn’t go national — with the national media putting its own spin on it, of course.
But it was all straight talk that emanated from the “Well” of the LOB and the thousands of sportsmen and women that crowded the floor and stairways loved every minute of it.
They loved it when Minority Leader Kolb said, “Today’s Sportsmen and Outdoor Recreation Legislative Awareness Day is highlighting the positive role of outdoor activities in the lives of New York’s residents and our economy and providing hunters, sportsmen and outdoor recreation enthusiasts from around the state with a chance to have their say about the legislative issues affecting them.”
And they loved it when King paraphrased another movie quip, “We’re fed up and we’re not going to take it anymore” — and had the crowd repeat it several times.
And they loved it when King said that gunowners have been on the defense too long and it was time that New York State had a Second Amendment Bill of Rights; cheering loudly when he said it was time New York became the 41st state with right to carry concealed firearms for personal protection laws, providing a list of other measures New York needs to adopt, including uniform laws, statewide pre-emption with no exceptions for New York City; unlicensed possession of a pistol at a range and using the Pittman-Robertson money — a federal tax on guns, ammunition and other sporting equipment — for what it was intended, such as the construction of public shooting ranges.
King was followed by Ken Mathison, president of Shooters’ Committee on Political Education (SCOPE); Larry Rudolph, president of the Safari Club International; and James A. Rabbia, plant manager for Remington Arms.
But they cheered the loudest when LaPierre was introduced and they hooted and hollered when he spoke about dishonest politicians who want to disarm honest citizens by imposing more restrictive gun legislation.
“When dishonest politicians try to disarm good people while letting criminals run the streets — and when the media support them by letting their lies stand as the truth that is truly the worst of both worlds.”
Speaking about the criminal element and what should be done about it, LaPierre said, “People use food to alleviate hunger, water to quench their thirst; they should be able to have a gun to protect themselves from bad people, much the same way they had guns to protect themselves from bad people in 1775.”
LaPierre then urged lawmakers to stand up for the rights of law-abiding gunowners while putting the full weight of the law on criminals. He urged Attorney General Eric Holder “to prosecute armed felons 100 percent of the time; then make them serve the time.”
The crowd really got excited when he said, “Starting today we are going to take back New York.” Then referring to New York’s more than one million gunowners and national polls that show the highest percentage of people nationwide believe law abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms, he said, “We are the majority, lets start acting like it.”
In summing up LaPierre’s address, King said, “This is a benchmark event that will not soon be forgotten. The time has come for the millions of law abiding gunowners of this state to hear the truth, be aware of their supporters and recognize their opponents. Those who attended this event will remember the issues and will meet the challenges ahead and support those people who support them.”
Dropping anchor ’til next time.
