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LETTER from CHRISTIAN BASHEAR

To the Editor:

To express my support of the Second Amendment, I joined the 2AS group here in Otsego County when it was first organized. For far too long, the New York State government has passed more and more insane gun controls without seeming to care at all that they may be unconstitutional infringements to myright to keep and bear arms.

I also am sick of the insulting name-calling pro-gun control people use to label us.

There is nothing unreasonable to champion the Second Amendment as written and nor is it unreasonable to call into question certain gun control laws.

I have grown up in a household that enjoyed hunting and target shooting. The same with many ofmy friends and neighbors. We are not gun nuts and I dont know of anyone who is.

In fact, I cant see any of my friends or family even wanting to be around people who dont respect their firearms. But that doesnt mean its OK for the government to place one obscure restriction after another.

I want to see a future where my kids can enjoy hunting and target shooting as I did growing up. It has been a tradition that I fear might be stripped away.

There is talk every week on passing more infringing gun control laws throughout New York. We cannot stand for this anymore. Im tired of it and its time for freedom to fight back.

Having the freedom of self-defense is not only our right, it is our duty.

CHRISTIAN BRASHERRichfield Spring

Here is the original post:
BASHEAR: Protect Our Gun-Using Traditions - AllOTSEGO

It was the fall of 2016 and Hillary Clinton was clearly going to win the presidency and the Democrats were going to take over the U.S. Senate and House. The polls said Hillary was even or ahead in very red South Carolina. The blue wave was huge!

We all know the end of that story. Clinton lost and Republicans won the House and Senate.

Fast forward to 2020.

Trump is losing Wisconsin by a 17-point spread in polls according to MSNBC, Lindsey Graham is behind in his Senate race and the debate is about how big the Democrat takeover will be in the Senate and how much will they increase their control in the House. The blue wave was huge!

Not only did the blue wave fizzle in 2016, but it pretty much did not show up at all in 2020 either.

Instead of a blue wave, we saw Republicans not only make gains in the House, but they will likely hold the Senate. Nationally, Republicans also increased or maintained control in state houses and governorships across the nation. This is particularly important for the vital redistricting battles to occur after next years census. Republicans also garnered record amounts of Hispanic and African American votes.

Why did all this happen?

Likely because the Democratic Party sounded in part much like the snake oil salesman of old on so many levels: socialism is good; Joe Bidens son knows tons about energy production in the Ukraine; and if we could only defund the police we would finally have peace.

After weeks of the Democrats who run Pennsylvania ignoring state requirements on balloting, President Trump is having to go to court to ask them to follow their own law. Any president whose tenure was struck by the greatest pandemic in over 100 years should have lost this election in a landslide.

Instead, Democrats are relying on the always-suspect absentee balloting process to inch ahead in Georgia and other close states. If elections were like coastal cities, absentee balloting would be the shady part of town down near the docks you do not want to wander into because the chance of being shanghaied is significant. Expect the Georgia Legislature to address that in our next session in January.

Like a sports team that is solid in the fundamentals, the Republican Party is on the right side of issues about which our nation cares.

We believe there is a God whom you have the right to worship without the government telling you when and how you can do so; Republicans believe the Second Amendment right is vital to protection of our citizens; and we believe that if government stays out of the way, small businesses can flourish and jobs for our citizens will be plentiful. These are basic tenets of the Republican Party that distinguish them from the ever-left-leaning portions of the Democrat party who espouse socialism, defunding the police and a soft-on-crime approach to the huge and growing problem with gangs.

As the nation starts to see the far left aspire to have Bernie Sanders serve as a Cabinet member and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be the speaker of the House, Georgia has an opportunity to make sure one party has no chance at the national level to control the presidency, the House and the Senate. We can elect Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the Jan. 5 runoff. They represent Georgia, unlike their opponents who call our police "thugs" and promote taxes and regulations that will cause thousands of Georgians to lose their jobs.

The future is bright for the Republican Party. Vote Loeffler and Perdue on Jan. 5 to keep America from the Socialist/Marxist philosophy of their opponents.

The writer represents District 121, Columbia and McDuffie counties, in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he is chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Link:
Guest Column: Republican Party wins on Election Day, and future is bright - The Augusta Chronicle

Although the 2021 session of the Texas Legislature convenes on January 12, gun control advocates financed byNew York billionaire MichaelBloomberg and Beto "Hell Yeah, I'll Take Your Guns" O'Rourke wasted no time in announcing their declaration of war on your Second Amendment rights in the Lone Star State. Monday was the first day for the pre-filing of bills, and more than three dozen measures attacking your rights have already been introduced!

Here are some of the highlights of what's to come:

That's after ONE day of pre-filing. Gun owners need to send a resounding message to their state lawmakers in opposition to these gun control bills RIGHT AWAY.Please contact your State Representative and urge them to OPPOSE any and all gun control measures and feel free to list these specifically.

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Record Amount of Gun Control Legislation Introduced on First Day of Bill Pre-Filing for 2021 Texas Legislative Session - NRA ILA

DENVER A shooting range in the historic Five Points neighborhood aims to help educate communities of color about gun safety at an affordable price and in a virtual environment to help pierce through intimidation.

In a red brick building off Washington Street and 24th Avenue, the cars zipping by make more noise than the Second Amendment rights being practiced inside.

The 1770 Armory and Gun Club owners take pride both in their military background and as Black business owners in a market where minorities make up a small margin.

Wanda James and Shawn McWilliams own the shooting range. James served four years in the Navy and McWilliams served eight years in the Marines.

"Given where we are in America and where we are today, it is vitally important that we are able to protect your family and the people that you love," James said.

She says a lot of people in the Black community, "don't feel safe."

Unlike your traditional shooting ranges, this one feels a bit like a video game with real guns.

We wanted to create a virtual range that allowed them (clients) the opportunity to bring their weapon in, fire their weapon efficiently, get comfortable with that weapon, co-owner Shawn McWilliams said.

Customers can bring their personal gun or one will be provided. The gun is loaded with a shell casing equipped with a laser which looks like a bullet. When the trigger is pulled, a pin hits the casing and a laser shoots out. A target on the wall marks the X and a computer program records how close the laser shot landed to the target and awards points.

McWilliams says most people dont know the basics of holding a gun properly.

There is a lot of people that go out and buy firearms who never get an education, so Im against that, McWilliams said.

The virtual shooting range opened its doors in October. The owners hope the virtual environment will appeal to women, particularly those in minority communities who may fear guns or have a negative perspective about them.

The two owners served their country and now theyre working to serve their community to increase education and help prevent a potential tragedy.

The price of ammunition skyrocketed at the beginning of the pandemic and McWilliams says their range is an affordable alternative to get practice.

Just having a gun in your house can actually be a detriment to you and your family if you are not trained on it and you are not comfortable, James said.

If you dont know how to use that firearm, you can take someones life and you can change your life forever, McWilliams said.

Once a month, the owners will hosts Second Amendment Tuesday and invite guest speakers to discuss gun laws.

See the original post:
Virtual shooting range opens in Five Points and aims to increase gun safety - The Denver Channel

Gun rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Maryland Over Handgun Carry Ban. (Dave Workman)

U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), and Maryland Shall Issue (MSI) announced the filing of a new federal Second Amendment lawsuit that seeks to restore the right to bear arms by making it possible for law-abiding individuals to carry a loaded handgun on their person in public for self-defense in the state of Maryland. The case, Call, et al. v. Jones, can be found at FPCLegal.org.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Nicole Moss, David Thompson, and Peter Patterson of Cooper & Kirk, Raymond DiGuiseppe of The DiGuiseppe Law Firm, and FPC Director of Legal Strategy Adam Kraut.

The State of Marylands laws make it a crime for a law-abiding person to carry a loaded handgun outside of the home unless they have been issued a permit to carry a handgun. Further, State law prevents individuals from obtaining a license because of further unconstitutional requirements, such as the good and substantial reason requirement, among others. Just like in the Bennett and Greco cases recently filed by FPC, challenging New Jerseys and New York Citys respective bans, Marylands law amounts to a total ban on carry for the average law-abiding person. And consistent with other FPC and SAF cases, the plaintiffs argue here that the Supreme Courts precedents take that policy choice off the table.

The Second Amendment protects both the right to keep a firearm in the home and the right to carry a firearm for protection outside the home, explained Pete Patterson of Cooper & Kirk. Yet, the State of Maryland prohibits typical, law-abiding citizens from lawfully carrying firearms for self-defense outside of the home. This ban on carrying firearms is flatly unconstitutional, and we are bringing this suit to overturn contrary precedent in the Fourth Circuit and to secure the Second Amendment rights of the law-abiding citizens of Maryland.

The State of Marylands laws act as a complete bar to the average citizen from being able to carry a firearm for self-defense, stated Ray DiGuiseppe. Like several other states that have similar subjective provisions which function as an impossible threshold, Marylands good and substantial reason cannot pass constitutional muster. This suit seeks to place all of Marylands citizens on equal footing when it comes to the ability to exercise their natural right to self-defense outside of the home.

Marylands laws, such as its good and substantial reason requirement, destroy the right to bear arms in public, and by so doing, violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, explained FPCs Adam Kraut. As the Supreme Court has already held, the enumeration of the right in our Constitution takes that policy choice off the table. Maryland, like all states, must respect the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms and allow law-abiding people to carry loaded, operable arms in public for all lawful purposes.

Anti-gun Maryland officials have been using this dodge for years, said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. By setting this arbitrary standard, state bureaucrats have been routinely denying Maryland citizens their right to bear arms. The state cannot be allowed to continue this discriminatory practice because it essentially gives public officials the power to deny someones fundamental, constitutionally-protected rights on a whim.

On behalf of our members, Maryland Shall Issue, Inc. is proud to announce that weve partnered with the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in bringing a new legal challenge to Marylands unconstitutional wear and carry permit requirements, said Maryland Shall Issue President Mark Pennak. The good and substantial reason requirement for issuance of a permit imposed by Maryland law has long been used to effectively disqualify the vast majority of law-abiding Marylanders of their right to carry a handgun for the lawful purpose of self-defense. The time has come to end Marylands subjective and discriminatory law and regulations. The people of Maryland have a fundamental right to protect themselves in public.

The right to bear arms is not a second-class right nor a mere privilege that only some lucky people are granted by the government on a case-by-case basis, said FPC President and FPF Chairman Brandon Combs. It is constitutionally and morally offensive for the Maryland government to criminalize the exercise of this fundamental human right. The Constitution itself provides the only justification necessary for law-abiding adults to exercise their fundamental, individual right to bear arms in public. FPC will proudly fight to restore the full scope of the Second Amendment in the Old Line State and throughout the nation in this and other cases.

Recently, Firearms Policy Coalition has filed several major federal Second Amendment lawsuits, including challenges to New Jerseys carry ban (Bennett v. Davis), New York Citys carry ban (Greco v. New York City), the federal ban on the sale of handguns and handgun ammunition by federal firearm licensees (FFLs) to adults under 21 years of age (Reese v. BATFE), and Californias Handgun Ban and Roster laws (Renna v. Becerra). FPC also has an upcoming trial in its lawsuit challenging Californias assault weapons ban (Miller v. Becerra).To follow these and other legal cases FPC is actively working on, visit the Legal Action section of FPCs website or follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

FPC is urgently seeking individual and FFL plaintiffs for a number of lawsuits that are being prepared to challenge laws and policies that infringe on fundamental rights, including (but not limited to):

If someone you know meets the criteria above, or if you would be interested in participating in litigation as a supporting FFL, please contact us:

If you would like to support FPCs Call case and many other pro-Second Amendment lawsuits, legal action, and research, please chip in $5, $10, $25, or whatever you can at https://www.firearmspolicy.org/donate or Join the FPC Grassroots Army at JoinFPC.org.

About Firearms Policy Coalition

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org) is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. FPCs mission is to protect and defend constitutional rightsespecially the right to keep and bear armsadvance individual liberty, and restore freedom through litigation and legal action, legislative and regulatory action, education, outreach, grassroots activism, other programs. FPC Law is the nations largest public interest legal team focused on Second Amendment and adjacent fundamental rights including freedom of speech and due process, conducting litigation, research, scholarly publications, and amicus briefing, among other efforts.

About Firearms Policy Foundation

Firearms Policy Foundation (firearmsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3 grassroots nonprofit organization. FPFs mission is to defend the Constitution of the United States and the Peoples rights, privileges, and immunities deeply rooted in this Nations history and tradition, especially the inalienable, fundamental, and individual right to keep and bear arms, through research, education, legal action, and other charitable programs.

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Gun Groups Sue State of Maryland Over Handgun Carry Ban - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News