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2025 Meeting Dates
| The Saratoga / Capital District SCOPE Email Newsletter: April 2025 Members and Friends of Saratoga / Capital District SCOPE, please find this email with second amendment news that may be of interest to you. Below are news items and firearm related interest stories that occurred over the past few weeks… CAPITAL DISTRICT SCOPE RELATED NEWS: Meetings in 2025 are the third Tuesday of each month. The dates are as follows: May 20th, June 17th, July 15th, August 19th, September 16th, October 21st, November 18th. STATE SCOPE RELATED NEWS: State SCOPE has visited the Schoharie and Seneca chapters. SCOPE officials also visited the Tioga County Sportsmen's Association with the goal of boosting membership and exploring the possibility of starting a SCOPE Chapter in Tioga County. The visit proved successful in attracting several new members to SCOPE, though there was no interest from attendees in taking on the responsibility of leading a new chapter in the area. The President also shared SCOPE’s strategic vision for 2025-2026, which includes developing a robust social media plan, creating a merchandise strategy, and certifying SCOPE range instructors. Additionally, the SCOPE Board of Directors approved of a significant donation to Gun Owners of America New York (GOA-NY) to support their lawsuit against the controversial ammunition background check law; and to the Firearms Policy Coalition lawsuit against the ban of body armor in New York State. SCOPE officials are making plans to brief the majority and minority leaders in the New York State legislature, as well as senators and assemblypersons on SCOPE’s Top Ten Most Egregious Firearms Legislation. LOCAL 2A RELATED NEWS: Albany-Colonie New Lebanon man pleads guilty in Colonie gun store burglary case. Paul Gervasio, along with co-defendant Willie Moses, burglarized NY Shooter Supply in Colonie on November 14, 2024, stealing 14 firearms. Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon announced today, 37-year-old Paul Gervasio admitted to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Gervasio is facing a state prison sentence of 10 years, followed by five years of post-release supervision, with sentencing scheduled for May 29. Coxsackie-Athens Support the Coxsackie-Athens School Trap Team, they could use your help and you help may foster tomorrow’s stewards of the second amendment. https://www.facebook.com/coxsackieathenstrap/ NEW YORK STATE 2A RELATED NEWS: Three New Gun Laws Passed in NYS, as of April 3, 2025
Ghost Gun Manufacturing in New York Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has called on desktop 3D printer manufacturers to create security measures to prevent people from using their machines to create unserialized firearms by sending them a warning letter. Creality manufactures 3D printing machines and software and did not respond to the letter sent to them by Bragg. https://www.voxelmatters.com/prosecutors-warn-3d-printing-companies-about-stopping-spread-of-ghost-guns/ New York Federal District Judge’s Decision on Stun Guns and Tasers After the Supreme Court of the United States ruled UNANIMOUSLY in a Massachusetts case (2016’s Caetano v. Massachusetts) that stun gun bans are unconstitutional and you thought this topic was a closed and decided issue, a New York judge (Calce v. City of New York) just upheld that stun guns and tasers can be banned in New York State. He ruled that instead of the state proving they are not in common use (even though the Supreme Court said there were 200,000 in use), the judge stated the plaintiff has the burden to prove that they are in common use. Current NY BILLS (not all of them) Here we go again. NY Assembly
NYSenate
Both NY Assembly and NY Senate Companion Bills
OTHER STATES - QUICKIE NEWS: Colorado – Bad News, House and Senate Pass Semi Auto Ban The Colorado House and Senate passed the Democrats’ semiautomatic firearm ban. SB25-3, targets firearms which state Democrats define as a “specified semiautomatic firearm.” SB25-003 says, in part: The bill defines a “specified semiautomatic firearm” as a semiautomatic rifle or semiautomatic shotgun with a detachable magazine or a gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine. The bill prohibits knowingly manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, or purchasing a specified semiautomatic firearm; except that a person may transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm to an heir, an individual residing in another state, or a federally licensed firearm dealer. In addition to banning numerous shotguns and the AR-15, which is most popular rifle in America, SB 25-3 would also prohibit “gas-operated semiautomatic handguns that have a detachable ammunition magazine.” Differences in the legislation passed by the House and Senate must now be reconciled before the ban makes it to Gov. Jared Polis’s (D) desk for his signature or veto. He signed it. NATIONAL 2A RELATED NEWS: Supreme Court Ghost Gun Kit Ruling. You may have to search for ghost guns on the web site. https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/03/supreme-court-upholds-regulation-of-ghost-guns INTERNATIONAL Hackers Expose Gun Owners Personal Data Iranian hackers hack Israli government database of Israeli gun owners and expose them. Could this happen here, yes! When a government or hostile force gets its hands on a gun registry, it becomes a roadmap for disarming civilians, persecuting political opponents, or enabling criminal enterprises. If hostile foreign actors can compromise Israeli security databases, what’s stopping similar groups—or even an overreaching domestic agency—from misusing American gun owner data? The best way to protect gun owners from cyber threats, government overreach, and criminal targeting is simple: don’t maintain a registry in the first place. Hackers already exposed Tesla dealers and vehicle owners in this country. https://www.ammoland.com/2025/03/iran-linked-hack-exposes-israeli-gun-owners-warning-against-gun-registries/ Camo Clothing Ban in Other Countries Countries like Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines share a hard line: camouflage clothing is off-limits for civilians. That’s no camo pants, no camo hats, and in some spots, not even a camo backpack. Show up in camouflage, and you might face fines, lose your gear, or get a stern talking-to at customs. MISC. What to do When a Gun Owner Dies. Call the Police and File a Report with the Court. When a gun owner dies, one would first need to determine whether the New York Penal Law considers the gun a firearm or not. If it is not a firearm (e.g., antique firearms, rifles with barrels over 16 inches in length, and shotguns with barrels over 18 inches in length), they can be transferred freely without the oversight of a licensed gun dealer. If it is a firearm, the procedures of the NY SAFE Act must be strictly followed in the transfer. Also determine whether the firearm is registered or not. If it is not registered, it is considered contraband and considered a “nuisance.” It cannot be passed down to the heirs and must be turned over to law enforcement. https://nyestateslawyer.com/what-to-do-when-a-gun-owner-dies Civilians stop more active shooters than police? You’d never know it from watching television, but civilians stop more active shooters than police and do so with fewer mistakes, according to new research from the Crime Prevention Research Center. https://thefederalist.com/2025/03/11/study-concealed-carriers-do-a-better-job-of-stopping-active-shooters-than-police Government Surplus 1911 Sales Trump restores the sale of surplus 1911 .45 pistols from the civilian marksmanship program (CMP) after Obama and Biden halted sales. ACTION ITEMS: Send an email to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin saying you want him to oppose any restrictions future on lead ammo and to abolish all inquiries into it. Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator Put your assembly and senate representatives on your cell phone contact list and every time you hear about a second amendment infringement, let them know you don’t approve and need them to vote against it. COMMENTARY: NYS Concealed Carry in State Parks In NY, one may not legally carry an otherwise legally licensed handgun within a State Park. I’m curious that NYS officials are so certain that you’re not going to be attacked by a bear (nor a human murderer) while you’re within the confines of a NY State Park that they’ve made it illegal for you to carry your handgun there (from ammoland). Privacy. Without Privacy, the Second Amendment Fails This is so true. Privacy in weaponry, especially in the home, has always been an important part of the Second Amendment. In the United States, we are well on the way to a cultural understanding that privacy in gun ownership is an essential part of ordered liberty. (Dean Weingarten, ammoland. For some reason this link redirects to another article. If you search ammoland for privacy the correct article should come up. https://www.ammoland.com/2025/04/without-privacy-the-second-amendment-fails/ CLOSING: Thanks for being a member or friend of Saratoga / Capital District SCOPE. I like hearing from you. Feel free to forward articles for the newsletter, especially local stuff to Capnospam@nycap.rr.com Join SCOPE or Renew here https://scopeny2a.org/membership Shooters Committee On Political Education (SCOPE). |