proposed laws

PA Bill Number: SB945

Title: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals.

Description: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals. ...

Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (199-0)

Last Action Date: Apr 17, 2024

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FOAC's January 2021 Newsletter and Meeting Notice w-Linked Agenda :: 01/09/2021

The first general membership meeting of FOAC for this new year will be held this weekend, January 10, at 10 AM through the Zoom Conferencing option (details below).

Online Meeting Connection Details (also available at the end of the newsletter) are as follows:

Join the FOAC Meeting by Clicking this Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4122571099

**Please Note: To join this FOAC meeting you must RSVP by sending an e-mail info@foacpac.org and the Meeting Password will then be e-mailed to you by one of the officers. (Time: 10:00 a.m.)

You can view or download a copy of the Meeting Agenda at this Link: Meeting Agenda!

Now that the nationwide power play of the 2020 election is over and the outcome is certain, the single biggest question I have been inundated with is “where do we go from here”! I’ve always tried to temper our approach by using history as a guide but I’m finding it more and more difficult considering the individuals and agendas involved.

As an example, in 2008 when Obama was elected, many of the same concerns I’m hearing now were voiced them. I believe strongly that the incoming Biden administration will make the Obama administration pale in comparison on constitutional issues. The Democratic Party was less focused on socialist ideas and the moderates in the Democratic Party at least had some say in the agenda-not anymore. There is a mad rush to the left in what seems to be a contest to see who can be the most controversial and left-leaning!

First, we can see after the debacle on January 6 that the mayor of DC is pushing for statehood that will likely add several congressmen and, more importantly, two United States Senators to Congress. Obviously, these individuals who are in those seats will not be supportive of the Second Amendment or honoring their oath of office. Next, I’m receiving reports that on Biden’s day of inauguration he plans to unveil draconian gun legislation. This new report came from CNN and is buttressed by previous reports from individuals associated with his incoming administration. The depth and breadth of this push for even more restrictive federal gun control is unknown at this point because nothing’s been introduced and considering the forces trying to influence the Biden administration is very likely that he will try to move on this in the first 100 days!

*Here’s a list of Joe Biden’s administration’s gun control picks

Closing out the 2020 election and the Trump era:

Donald J. Trump was an outsider, unbeholden to the establishment norms and unwilling to “play the game”. A self-made man who made his fortune because of the freedoms and opportunities this Nation afforded him during his lifetime. Although rich and famous, he set aside all that to serve this Republic with the intent of instilling our lost sense of Patriotism and moving an America first agenda. This included exposing and ridding our Country of the decades old cancer growing within our institutions that threaten our way of life.

Sadly, his agenda and rise in popularity with true Americans runs counter to the agenda of the elites within the establishment, and dare I say the globalists who seek to destroy our Republic. Until DJT, these dark forces have been operating freely in the shadows for decades if not longer. DJT exposed them for what they truly are - traitors.

He lost this election because he miscalculated the depth and breadth of the swamp that would oppose him. They could not and would not allow their agenda to be exposed and derailed. Their soft coup through voter fraud seems to have worked. The unwillingness of the SCOTUS to intervene in the obvious sickens me. These enemies of our great Republic have been given aid and comfort by democrats, rhino republicans and globalists who obviously have sold their souls to the highest bidder.

As I ponder the violence and chaos occurring across our Nation, I seem to recall a previous president who was involved with, and supported a group of anarchists called ACORN. He also suggested that America needed to establish a civilian military as lethal and well-funded as our Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. But why? Surely the homeland is well protected against outside invaders. Was he signaling his approval for the establishment of insurgents like BLM, ANTIFA and Occupy Wall Street?

This old Marine does not believe in coincidence or happenstance, only the obvious direct action occurring now against our great Nation. The unwillingness of the Supreme Court, Congress and State Legislators to right a wrong in this election cycle is proof positive of a direct action against the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump. What occurs next is, for the most part, out of our control, politically speaking, at least for the short term.

Facebook and Twitter Purging Conservatives Across Both Platforms

Despite the rhetoric coming out of Joe Biden’s mouth about healing the nation it is clear he intends to take no action against the social media giants Facebook and Twitter as they silence conservatives across both platforms. This is a broad-based attack on conservatives’ speech and as an example I would point you to the link below:

https://www.theblaze.com/news/facebook-deletes-anti-democrat-walkaway-page

Facebook removed the popular, anti-Democratic Party "WalkAway" page from its platform Friday, according to a tweet from WalkAway founder Brandon Straka. That is well over ½ a million people whose stories have been essentially deleted without any explanation except to say “for violating our terms of use”. This is not a controversial page as it just talks about people stories as to why they’re walking away from the Democratic Party.

The great purge has begun!

***Question: considering how social media is handling these violations of the rights of citizens, do you think FOAC should remove any presents from Facebook and/or Twitter?

There are other platforms available such as Parler and MeWe that have much better policies and protections.

We will discuss this in the meeting tomorrow but if you have a personal viewpoint please feel free to send a message to info@foacpac.org!

North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson Files his Concealed Carry Recognition Legislation (HR 38) on the First Day of the New Session

As in prior sessions of Congress where this legislation has been filed, the goal continues to be and is meant to restore, and protect from government intervention, one’s right to bear arms during interstate travel to facilitate individual self-defense.  

“Our Second Amendment rights do not disappear when we cross state lines, and H.R. 38 guarantees that,” said Rep. Hudson. “The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2021 is a common sense solution to provide law-abiding citizens the right to conceal carry and travel freely between states without worrying about conflicting state codes or onerous civil suits.” 

“I am especially proud to have such widespread and bipartisan support for this measure and will work with my colleagues to get this legislation over the finish line,” he continued.

One hundred and fifty-seven House members have co-sponsored the measure, including some House Democrats.

There are a record number of concealed carry permit holders in America (and growing exponentially), but they ALL face the same obstacle. Their right to keep and bear arms ends at their home state’s border unless there is some arcane agreement worked out between other states.

It would be unthinkable for any other God-given right to be considered this way, but this is true of Second Amendment rights. States can issue permits/licenses for their citizens to carry a concealed firearm, but that right doesn’t travel across state lines even though the Constitution mandates this under the Full Faith and Credit clause.

In 2017, Congressman Hudson was able to push his bill through the House of Representatives. The legislation passed by a margin of 231-198, mainly on a party-line vote. Pres. Trump promised to sign it if it came onto his desk and then the bill died in the Senate. Rightly or wrongly, the Senate Republicans believed that they did not have the votes to override a threatened Democrat filibuster.

Congressman Hudson’s fix is simple. Treat the concealed carry permit the same way states treat drivers’ licenses. States don’t reject another state’s license just because it was issued by another state. They recognize its validity and the legal authority that comes with it.

This is a fix that’s long overdue and Congressman Hudson’s been trying to fix it for years.

Anti-Gun Groups Exploit Suicides and Ignore the Science and What It Shows

On December 1, 2020, David Codrea, wrote an article entitled: “Gun Prohibitionists Exploiting Suicide to Advance Disarmament Agenda”.

In his article he cited the suicide rate in Japan:

“In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020,” CNN reported Sunday. “In 2016, Japan had a suicide mortality rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people, second only to South Korea in the Western Pacific region…”

The current dialogue unilaterally states as accepted fact that 2/3rds of all gun deaths are suicides.  Drawing from anti-gun group Gifford’s own fact sheet, it shows the states that have a less than 50% death rate due to suicide by firearm vs total deaths due to firearms, which is below the 66% threshold of the national average.  What this illustrates is the list of more violent states. So, if the suicide numbers are at 50% or below, the firearm deaths due to murder and accidental shootings would, concurrently, be equal or greater than those numbers, thus close to or above a majority. Let’s look at the firearm death rate due to suicide vs total firearm deaths below:

  • Illinois has a rate of 40%
  • Louisiana 47%
  • Maryland 40%
  • Mississippi ranks at appx 50%
  • New Jersey 40%

this shows the who’s who of States that have the most dangerous cities.  Illinois, with Chicago, often the murder capital of the US.  Louisiana, with perennial violent favorites New Orleans and Baton Rouge ranking high.  Maryland, with Baltimore, very likely the most dangerous city in the country.  And the criminal favorite, New Jersey, the generational favorite target of crime and violence with Trenton, Camden, and Newark.

We’d be grossly naive if we believed that the removal of firearms from society would stop people from taking their own lives, the facts do not justify the position.  Policymakers need to look to the quality-of-life issues and the expansion of our mental health system.

If you wish to read more on this issue please consider the articles below:

What Are the Real Facts Regarding Major Crimes in America?

Without a doubt have resolved to purchase a firearm for self-defense because of the unfolding insanity that has gripped our country for almost a year. Over 8 million Americans have become new firearms owners and the anti-gun groups are going apoplectic over those numbers with sky is falling type of rhetoric!

Some in government and in government agencies want us to believe that we can rely on government to deal with criminals. But can they, and do they? Let’s take a look at that!

Admittedly 2020 saw a groundswell of stupid ideas focused at attacking law enforcement as well as releasing people back into society that should never have been released. But it is important to know the facts and understand what really happens when a crime is committed.

Let’s start with the fact that police only make arrests in approximately 11% of major crimes nationwide and only 2% of those major crimes result in a conviction. Consider that for a moment and then reflect on how the anti-gun groups ignore these statistics. Of course, there are a lot of reasons for the low arrest and conviction rates including George Soros prosecutors, witness intimidation and the lack of trust in the justice system to mention a few.

The media breathlessly pontificates about the gun violence in Chicago and yet they never seem to find time to let everyone know that there’s only a 13% closure rate on homicide cases. That means 87% of those killing others in Chicago are still on the street and those are better odds than you would get playing the daily lottery. At this point you’re probably asking yourself, are the anti-gun group people hypocrites for ignoring the dangers out there for the average citizen, politicians notwithstanding and all their security?

From the Chicago Reporter:

As Americans across the nation protest police violence, people have begun to call for cuts or changes in public spending on police. But neither these nor other proposed reforms address a key problem with solving crimes.

My recent review of 50 years of national crime data confirms that, as police report, they don’t solve most serious crimes in America. But the real statistics are worse than police data show. In the U.S. it’s rare that a crime report leads to police arresting a suspect who is then convicted of the crime.

The data show that consistently over the decades, fewer than half of serious crimes are reported to police. Few, if any arrests are made in those cases.

In reality, about 11% of all serious crimes result in an arrest, and about 2% end in a conviction. Therefore, the number of people police hold accountable for crimes – what I call the “criminal accountability” rate – is very low.

Many people believe that police deter serious violent crime. In a sense they do, however law enforcement’s primary job consists of acting as armed historians. Figuring out what happened after the fact.

The next time someone you know questions you as to why you carry a firearm for self-defense you may want to relate these facts! Then you can impress upon that person the undeniably accurate statement that the person most responsible for your safety is you, and that includes your family. So the next time you’re looking in a mirror you can remind yourself that we are living in an age when fewer arrests are being made and prosecutors and judges are turning a blind eye to charging all but the most egregious cases. The ones caught in the middle is the average law-abiding citizen.

If you think the statements above are not completely accurate then take a look at this most recent case where three Allegheny County police detectives were shot at by a person who should’ve been in jail. Below you will find the links to an article in a local paper as well as to links to the criminal record of the perpetrator. I want to impress upon you that all of the gun laws at the state and federal level failed to protect those police officers as did the prosecutors and Judge Mariani who accepted the plea bargaining away of the gun charges from this perpetrator in his prior case.

So, take what you hear with a grain of salt and never feel self-conscious for carrying your firearm because you are your own best safety measure!

Interesting Videos:

Recent Op-Eds of Interest: The Blow That Killed America 100 Years Ago

https://freemansperspective.com/1913-america/

Overall Status of 2nd Amendment Legislation Filed to Date in PA and the US:

2021-2022 Session PA State Bills (updated)

  • Pro-Gun Bills: Non-Filed
  • Anti-Gun Bills: Non-Filed
  • Legislative Memos: Click Here

2021-2022 Session Federal Bills (updated)

  • Pro-Gun Bills: 2
  • Anti-Gun Bills: 2
  • Unrated (text unavailable): 5

1st Point to Ponder: Michelle Obama Just Called for What Trump Warned Us About Big Tech

Former first lady Michelle Obama calls on tech companies to permanently ban President Trump from their platforms and put policies in place “to prevent their technology from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection.”

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2021/01/08/what-michelle-obama-just-called-for-is-what-trump-warned-us-about-big-tech-n2582795

2nd Point to Ponder: ABC’s Cincinnati affiliate, WCPO9, was giving voice to demonstrably false claims by “the local chapter of the NAACP”

“(The law) will result in the deaths of more African Americans based solely on the fact that they are unfairly perceived as being a threat,” Cincinnati NAACP President Joe Mallory claimed. “Stand Your Ground legislation will unduly justify the murder of innocent people, particularly innocent Black people whose suspicion of being a threat is actually based on racial prejudice, racial hatred, and racial perceptions, none of which have any basis in fact.”

“Studies have shown that a white person will be able to use self-defense as their defense, and a Black person tries to use the same thing, and they don't end up being able to use that with much success as their white counterparts can,” Mallory added.

Read More Here: https://www.ammoland.com/2021/01/naacps-stand-your-ground-lies-wont-die-with-dewines-bill-approval/

Anti-Gunners on Guns:

Anne Stave, a reporter with the Columbus Dispatch, reminded her readers of the anniversary of the mass murder outside the Ned Pepper's Bar in Dayton. In August of 2019, an assailant murdered 9 people and wounded 27 people in 32 seconds. In August of 2020, she complained, “Ohio laws haven't changed a bit.”

Sheila Blanchard, the aunt of a victim, explains the “do something” side of America's gun debate. She said, “Sometimes I don't understand why they can't feel the pain we feel, because if they did – just for 60 seconds – there wouldn't be any gun safety bills dying on their desks while people continue to die in the streets.”

Under the pressure of these unbearable losses, Ohio Governor Mike De Wine (R), said, “We owe it to the victims. We owe it to the families and to all Ohioans to finish the job and get this done.”

Media Corruption and Lies: Ghoulish CNN Hosts Are Upset They Can't Show Graphic Footage of a Trump Supporter Dying

After playing the video of the chaos outside the doors of the chamber, Cuomo complained about being unable to show viewers the woman as she bled out, calling it a “mistake” not to do so:

All right. So, you saw what we did there, right? We froze the video to save you the aftermath. I have to be honest with you. This is a discretion call, editorially, that we make to kind of insulate you from the reality of violence. I’ve always thought it was a mistake.

“I think we should show it,” Lemon morbidly chimed in.

[…]

And according to Lemon, we needed to see the death of the white Trump supporter because America had seen the death of black men at the hands of police. “So, I think you are absolutely right. We should show that, to show how horrible these insurrectionists. The -- the horror of their actions, today,” he demanded.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2021/01/07/excuse-me-cnn-hosts-lament-not-being-able-to-show-trump-supporter-bleeding-to-death-inside-capitol-building-n2582725

Closing Thoughts: History Repeating Itself?

Like the Boston Tea Party, Wednesday (1/6) was an inflection point in our history. We were all horrified at the loss of life, with no excuse for police using deadly force. And no excuse for not being better prepared to handle an excited and passionate crowd. And no excuse for DJT’s inciting them either.

It is important for all of us to look down at the arc of history. The settlers of 1620 had become, once again, colonists of the British Empire. What they had escaped from, had now come to them in order to exercise the tyranny of the Crown. They were ordered to obey. Freedoms were limited if not eliminated. Taxation/tribute to the Crown was ever-increasing. This is not what those early Americans bargained for.

And so, protest migrated to rebellion and then to revolution. The Crown saw this as seditious and cracked down even harder. The Declaration of Independence came after. Then the Revolutionary War.

History does repeat itself primarily because societies come and go but the human form is constant and has been constant for thousands of years. We, humans, are sentient with both analytical and emotional thought patterns. When we are influenced either by loudness or manipulation, eventually we come to the “wait a minute” moment. The power that drives our sensibilities says, “Something is wrong.”

“When in the course of human events”, a famous preamble, announcing the state of the Colonies, the authors meant it not as a commentary of current events, but as the start of an Action Plan.  These were not passive people, steeped in being “subjects” of government. They came to America (and to this day still come) for Freedom and Self-governance.

Yesterday, history began its slow and sure march along the same path. Tens of thousands of average Americans marched on the Capital building to (mostly) peacefully protest our government, a fundamental right. But unlike the summer when BLM was (mostly?) peacefully protesting, the press was aghast. Concentrating on perhaps a hundred zealots who entered the “peoples’ house” (actually, their house too) and disrupted a “democratic ritual” causing officials to scurry out of the building in underground passageways. Cries of “how dare they”, “despicable”, “disgusting” dutifully came from the press and echoed by Congress, in that order, because we all know that the media now sets the narrative.

Congress has an opportunity, just as the Crown had, to actually respond to the protest. Until things got violent, 74 million Americans had similar feelings. And now, just as then, that group likely will split into the revolutionary and loyalist camps. 

Congress has an opportunity to divert our path. But now, with a very leftist majority in government, they are not likely to. The group now in power, the ones scurrying like rats in the catacombs on Wednesday, only sees this as an ephemeral crisis in which they only see a self-serving opportunity. 

With respect to social media, every freedom-loving American should dump Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and (especially) TikTok.

To summarize. We are at a crossroads and Americans must make a decision as to whether America will return to its roots as founded or become a new world-Leftist America? It’s our choice: cower or push back and it’s up to all of us to use our respective gifts to make that decision and it’s important to remember that there are no do overs.

Stay Free!

Kim Stolfer, President

**As a reminder, all FOAC members and, indeed, every gun owner can participate in the January 10, 2021 FOAC Monthly meeting from any PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android phone by clicking on the link below:

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android by Clicking the Link Below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4122571099

Meeting ID: 412 257 1099
**OUR MEETING PARTICIPATION RULES ARE BELOW:

To join this membership meeting you must RSVP by sending an e-mail info@foacpac.org and confirm your attendance and the Meeting Password will then be e-mailed to you by one of the officers.

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