Justice Anthony M. Kennedy may be the middleman in the gun-rights debate - It was the Supreme Court’s two hunting buddies — Elena Kagan and Antonin Scalia — who squared off last week when the divided court upheld criminal penalties for people who lie about their true intentions when they buy guns.  But those who follow the court’s jurisprudence on gun control were more interested in what the decision said about a third justice, Anthony M. Kennedy.

Ulster County Sportsmen contribute to NYSRPA lawsuit against SAFE Act

ALBANY, NY (06/16/2014)(readMedia)-- The Federated Sportsmen's Clubs of Ulster County (FSCUC) presented a check for $3000 to the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association at their annual members meeting held this past Saturday June 14 at the Wallkill Rod & Gun Club.

The money will go to offset legal costs for NYSRPA's lawsuit against the so-called SAFE Act. FSCUC raised the money by selling signs calling for repeal of the SAFE Act.

"I am extremely grateful for their efforts," said NYSRPA President Tom King. "With the support of ordinary people and groups like FSCUC, we will prevail with our legal action."

Persons in the attached picture are, left-to-right: FSCUC Vice President Elmer LeSuer, FSCUC President Ray Lux, NYSRPA President Tom King.

‘Wow’: Journalist Attempts to ‘Debunk’ Anti-Gun Group’s List of ‘School Shootings in America Since Sandy Hook’ — Here’s What He Found - Everytown for Gun safety, an anti-gun group formed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and prominent gun control advocate Shannon Watts, released new data on Tuesday suggesting that there have been an average of 1.37 school shootings every single week in the U.S. since the deadly 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.  The anti-gun organization cites a total of 74 school shootings since Dec. 14, 2012. However, several of the shootings have come under scrutiny as some of them appear to have occurred off-campus and at least one may have been an instance of self-defense.  Journalist Charles C. Johnson dug deeper into Everytown’s data on Tuesday and published his findings on Twitter. He also criticized the fact that the group classified violent disputes and gang-related violence as “school shootings.”

NYSRPA opposes firearms microstamping legislation

State legislature cannot make something work just by writing it into a bill

ALBANY, NY (06/09/2014)(readMedia)-- The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association is opposed to mandatory firearms microstamping legislation, bills A-3244A/S-68A. Despite the complete lack of genuine public interest in this issue, members of the state legislature feel the need to once again bring it up.

Even though the technology's patent holder admitted the process does not work, and the firearms industry says they cannot make it work, members of the state legislature keep pushing for these bills, continuing their quest much in the same way as Don Quixote.

"Only in New York does the legislature think they can make something work simply by drafting a bill which says it does work," said NYSRPA President Tom King.

Adding to this absurdity, in back in April WAMC reported that researchers at the University at Albany are developing a method for crime scene investigators to detect and recover gunshot residue from a crime scene or suspect. Their residue processing method creates a molecular "fingerprint" which, unlike microstamping, requires no legislation and does not affect gun dealers and manufacturers. The UAlbany chemists' research is being supported by the New York State Police.

"Given that UAlbany is right down the road from Capitol, perhaps it would be worthwhile for legislative leaders to invite the chemists down to the LOB to educate the legislature on their research. Who knows? They might learn something," King concluded.

Wait for a pistol permit in Onondaga County drops - The wait for a pistol permit in Onondaga County has steadily gotten better since a logjam was created in the wake of the passage of the NY Safe Act.  A year ago, it took 15 months get an appointment with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department simply to apply for a pistol permit.  "We’ve been able to reduce the wait from over 15 months to three months.  That’s a tremendous improvement,” said Deputy Chief John Balloni.

DOJ accused of targeting gun industry with 'Choke Point' program - The Obama administration, after failing to get gun control passed on Capitol Hill, has resorted to using its executive power to try to put some in the firearms industry out of business, House Republican investigators say.  The assertion is included in a report recently released by California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  Citing internal Justice Department documents, the committee concluded that the administration used a program known as Operation Choke Point to target legal companies that it finds “objectionable.”