I attended the Sportsmen’s’ Association for Firearm Education (SAFE) CCW meeting on Long Island over the weekend. This is the second time I have attended and turn out looked impressive to me. We filled an entire double sized ballroom at the Sheraton in Smithtown New York with every seat taken and plenty of people standing in the back. The speaker who received the most attention was Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP of the NRA. Mr. LaPierre was there early to mingle and was very open in answering questions from whoever cared to ask. I had met him there last year and had a specific question in mind this year.
In my opinion the Supreme Court is as conservative as it is going to get. The only way a liberal justice is going to leave before Bush is feet first and it seems very possible that the next administration will be Democrat, if not the Congress or Senate. My question was:
“If this is as good as it gets when do we push a true 2A case, like the Morton Grove IL handgun ban, to the SCOTUS?”
His reply was that they were still not confident of the ruling we would get. I am not so certain but he did give me the name of somebody to follow up with on the issue and stated it was a point of internal debate at present. What they feel far more confident is bringing their First Amendment case to the SCOTUS again with regards to Campaign Finance Reform.
The highlight of the meeting was Mr. Pierre's speach and the movies shown by Mr. LaPierre and a lady who made the movies for the NRA. For those who have not had the pleasure try to find a way to hear Mr. LaPierre speak in person, it is worth it. The movies focused on secretly taped footage of Handgun Control’s gala at the French Embassy in Washington, complete with Mike Wallace expressing his allegiance with that group and Charleston Heston as well as plenty of Katrina footage. There were movies of people who had their weapons forcibly removed by the police in LA as well as plenty of people who used weapons to defend their homes. Several people who were ambivalent about the 2A were true supporters after their experiences. What were truly troubling were the many people who went to the trailers in LA where the confiscated guns were being held. Even with serial numbers it is only a very small minority of people who find guns that were taken from their homes and vehicles. Many of these people were robbed at gunpoint by the authorities, others had their houses broken into and ransacked in a search for guns BY THE POLICE.
What was the most shocking was that only a minority of 2A people in the room had seen any of this footage. We all need to spread the word about Katrina to every “sportsman” we know who doesn’t concern themselves with the 2A fight.
There were several other speakers and a fund raiser raffle. I was somewhat disappointed that there was really no emphasis on CCW in NY and there was an attitude of doom in that we all know the next Governor and Attorney General are going to come straight from the Democratic machine. Overall I would go again and I will be contacting the gentleman Mr. LaPierre suggested I speak with.
In my opinion the Supreme Court is as conservative as it is going to get. The only way a liberal justice is going to leave before Bush is feet first and it seems very possible that the next administration will be Democrat, if not the Congress or Senate. My question was:
“If this is as good as it gets when do we push a true 2A case, like the Morton Grove IL handgun ban, to the SCOTUS?”
His reply was that they were still not confident of the ruling we would get. I am not so certain but he did give me the name of somebody to follow up with on the issue and stated it was a point of internal debate at present. What they feel far more confident is bringing their First Amendment case to the SCOTUS again with regards to Campaign Finance Reform.
The highlight of the meeting was Mr. Pierre's speach and the movies shown by Mr. LaPierre and a lady who made the movies for the NRA. For those who have not had the pleasure try to find a way to hear Mr. LaPierre speak in person, it is worth it. The movies focused on secretly taped footage of Handgun Control’s gala at the French Embassy in Washington, complete with Mike Wallace expressing his allegiance with that group and Charleston Heston as well as plenty of Katrina footage. There were movies of people who had their weapons forcibly removed by the police in LA as well as plenty of people who used weapons to defend their homes. Several people who were ambivalent about the 2A were true supporters after their experiences. What were truly troubling were the many people who went to the trailers in LA where the confiscated guns were being held. Even with serial numbers it is only a very small minority of people who find guns that were taken from their homes and vehicles. Many of these people were robbed at gunpoint by the authorities, others had their houses broken into and ransacked in a search for guns BY THE POLICE.
What was the most shocking was that only a minority of 2A people in the room had seen any of this footage. We all need to spread the word about Katrina to every “sportsman” we know who doesn’t concern themselves with the 2A fight.
There were several other speakers and a fund raiser raffle. I was somewhat disappointed that there was really no emphasis on CCW in NY and there was an attitude of doom in that we all know the next Governor and Attorney General are going to come straight from the Democratic machine. Overall I would go again and I will be contacting the gentleman Mr. LaPierre suggested I speak with.
