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It’s time that gun owners in New York State go on offense. For years, gun owners and the organizations that supposedly fought for them in Albany have been reacting to what Governor Cuomo and his socialist allies in Albany have said or done. By doing that — by never going on the offensive and taking the fight to Cuomo’s radicals in Albany –- those organizations surrendered the playing field and gave gun grabbers the belief that gun owners had given up. But that ended last week! Earlier this week, the New York State Firearms Association, in conjunction with our bill sponsors in the State Senate and the Assembly, introduced Stand-Your-Ground legislation in Albany! In a nutshell, this bill would allow gun owners to use justifiable deadly force in their homes or any place else you are lawfully allowed to be, without having to retreat or face spurious criminal and civil charges. The Stand-Your-Ground concept is already on the books in a stunning 36 states, including ‘blue’ states like Illinois, California, Washington, and Oregon, with three more states adopting these protections in just the last few years! This legislation is already creating tidal waves in the legislature and is gaining an impressive number of cosponsors among pro-gun lawmakers in the State Assembly and State Senate. But more importantly, this legislation is sending a chill down the spine of vulnerable gun-grabbers who have to go before the voters in just over eight months! They know that they already must answer for their votes in support of ‘Red Flag Gun Seizure’ and the dangerous ‘Safe Storage’ legislation that they supported last year. And for these vulnerable incumbents — like Senator Jen Metzger who won with just 51.8% of the vote in 2018 in a seat that Donald Trump carried in 2016 — the thought of having to go on the record for or against Stand-Your-Ground law is absolutely terrifying. And that is why I hope that you will immediately send the pre-written email that we have prepared for you, urging your lawmakers to cosponsor this bill right away. More on that below. Sponsored by Senator Rob Ortt (R-Niagara County) and Assemblyman David DiPietro (R-Erie County,) the NYSFA’s Stand-Your-Ground law would totally reshape our self- defense laws by: >>> Removing the requirement that a gun owner retreat from a violent criminal before taking defensive action, allowing you to ‘stand your ground.’ As any police officer or veteran will tell you, the last thing you should do in the face of a violent criminal who wants to beat, rape, or kill you is turn your back on them! This bill would remove the requirement to retreat from ‘any place you are lawfully present.’ >>> Providing critical criminal immunity protections to a gun owner who uses justifiable force in defense of his own or another’s life. The bill would clarify that if you used reasonable force and there is no probable cause that you broke the law, you can not be arrested just because some anti-gun prosecutor wants to make an example out of you. This would spare gun owners the nightmare of facing decades in prison due to baseless, politically motivated criminal charges. >>> Establishing equally important civil immunity protections to gun owners who use appropriate levels of force in self-defense. Everyone has heard the stories of gun owners who were forced to shoot a violent criminal, who were cleared in court, only to be hit with a $10 million civil suit by the criminal or his estate. This bill would provide civil immunity to you, provided that the criminal investigation found no wrongdoing on your part. >>> Including protections for gun owners who threaten to use force while attempting to deescalate a dangerous situation. Right now, there are no legal protections for a gun owner who pulls his firearm in fear for his safety, but who does not have to pull the trigger because the criminal flees the scene. This legislation would cover the threatened use of force, so long as the threat of that force was justified under the circumstances. I’m sure you can agree that passage of this bill would be one of the most important things that we could ever do in our fight for gun rights here in New York State! But I’m sure you can also see why pushing this bill — with the 2020 elections right around the corner — is the very last thing vulnerable gun grabbers want to have to vote on! And because this new law requires that criminals be given the home address of their victims and/or witnesses, there have already been cases in the state where criminals murdered their victims before they could testify against them! With the entire state now aware of the fact that the Governor and his cronies in Albany value the lives of violent criminals more than the lives of law abiding citizens, this is the perfect opportunity for us to advance this bill! You see, either way, we win. Either we advance this legislation and provide critical protections to gun owners, or we expose the lawmakers in Albany who are blocking this legislation and let gun owners hold them accountable in their districts in the fall! After you do, I hope that you will consider a generous donation to help the New York State Firearms Association continue fighting for gun owners in Albany! You see, unlike our enemies at the Capitol, we don’t have a billionaire funding our fight for freedom. But our founding fathers didn’t have the rich and powerful on their side when they fought for our freedoms during the Revolutionary War on New York battlefields like Stony Point, Johnstown, and Ticonderoga! Patriotic Americans rose to the challenge then, and with your help, we are continuing that fight for freedom today in New York State! But your help would go a long way in enabling us to mobilize gun owners to this fight through social media campaigns, targeted direct mail, statewide email updates and more! If you have that ability, please know that with the New York State Firearms Association going on offense, now is the time for you to be as generous as possible! For others, I know that a gift of $75, $50 or $25 represents a true sacrifice. The amount of your gift is up to you, of course. I only ask that if you can make a donation, that you do so right away. Whatever you do, send the pre-written email to your lawmakers in Albany at once! For New York State,  Aaron Dorr P.S. With the 2020 elections already on the horizon, and vulnerable gun-grabbers scared of facing gun owners in their districts in the fall, it’s time for gun owners to go on offense! That’s why the NYSFA just got our Stand-Your-Ground legislation filed in Albany — which would allow gun owners to defend themselves from violent criminals without having to retreat, and without having to worry about spurious criminal and civil lawsuits! Help us crank up the heat in Albany. Not a member, join here. |
