proposed laws

PA Bill Number: HB777

Title: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Description: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (104-97)

Last Action Date: Mar 27, 2024

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FOAC's Weekly Message For Sunday March 29th 2020 :: 03/29/2020

We all know we are faced with a difficult time and the developments here in Pennsylvania, along with many other states, has presented us with a situation that has exposed the bias in government regarding our constitutional freedoms. I have wrestled with the many issues we have encountered in the last two weeks because it seems nearly impossible to condense it down into a readable format without making this newsletter nearly impossible to digest!

So, it seemed logical to try and break up and synopsize the issues as much as humanly possible and I will begin with the actions of Gov. Wolf in implementing the shelter in place orders and the essential/nonessential businesses and how it has impacted citizens’ rights.

However, let’s start with the Pennsylvania Instant Check System and how it has failed Pennsylvania citizens once again as we head into the coronavirus crisis. Almost as if it were a calculated effort on March 17 the Pennsylvania Instant Check System had a crisis of its own when it was down nearly the entire day. Just for the sake of being clear, the PICs system shut down the Pennsylvania Constitutional Right to Bear Arms! In case you might think that I’m exaggerating, just take a look at the Pennsylvania State police press release where they admitted the system went down for nearly the entire day. Of course, they state that they conducted several thousand background checks, intimating that nobody was deprived of the exercise of their rights. But when you ask many gun dealers, they will tell you that a sale lost in these circumstances many times is lost permanently.

The PSP testified about a month ago before the House Appropriations Committee that they cannot make the PICs system any more reliable. Let that sink in for a moment! They can't do anything to make their system better, so they blame it on supporting hardware and software. They are making excuses. Period. For example, when PICS goes down, the PICS program itself might not be down, but maybe Verizon’s internet is down or there's something wrong with the trunk line. Then what happens, it shuts down the whole system. It's the same with the server. If the server goes down, PICS goes down, but they don't blame it on PICS, they blame it on the server. Same with CLEAN (Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network). If CLEAN goes down, it takes PICS down too, but the PSP doesn’t consider that a PICS outage.

Basically, PICS is 99.3% of the time working properly, which is good. However, the supporting systems it uses are not always up, but don't count towards the 99.3% PICS uses. It's a BS number that means nothing. PSP uses it as a crutch. It's a lie. The PSP created this whole system of interlinked agencies. Now they can’t do anything to fix it and the sheer number of false positives, in denials, and operational dysfunction is rendering the sales of firearms and the issuance of LTCF’s problematic at best! We need HB 1244! (This legislation would eliminate the PICs system and turnover those duties to the NICs system as 36 other states use, would eliminate the PSP gun owner registry, would eliminate the fees you must pay to exercise your rights and return $11 million back to Pennsylvania annually along with putting more state troopers on the streets to catch criminals!)

Now along comes the Gov.’s shelter in place order and essential/nonessential businesses and in a time of crisis he decides that the sales of firearms through FFL’s are not important or essential businesses yet his own cabinetmaking business is and gets a waiver while gun dealers are shut down?! So, the governor gets a waiver and not one gun dealer does? All of the gun clubs are shut down? Now we are hearing rumors that ammunition retailers from out-of-state are being contacted by someone from Pennsylvania telling them they can’t sell to Pennsylvania citizens?

So, is Gov. Wolf pushing an agenda? Does he think he’s a king?

Leading up to this situation, many people have decided that they needed a firearm for protection. This has resulted in a great many new gun owners coming on board with the Second Amendment. To say this has distressed our anti-gun Gov. and the anti-gun groups would be an understatement! One of the corollary benefits is that these new additions to the Second Amendment community have just started realizing how bad Pennsylvania laws already are and how much they have been lied to by the anti-gun community and the media regarding restrictions on their rights!

Attorney Joshua Prince filed a King’s bench challenge to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This challenge went directly to the lack of authority by the governor to push this agenda down the throats of Pennsylvanians. While the Pennsylvania Supreme Court turned down the King’s Bench Challenge (with both Republicans on the Supreme Court bench/Saylor-Mundy stabbing gun owners in the back) there was a surprising dissent from three liberal Democrats on the bench which was written by Justice David Wecht that pointed out a high degree of tension between what Gov. Wolf wanted to do in shutting down gun dealers and the constitutional rights of all citizens to bear arms.

Part 2: Why Is A License to Carry Concealed Firearms (LTCF) So Important During an Emergency Declaration?

The emergency declaration by Gov. Wolf has triggered a section of Pennsylvania law, title 18 section 6107, that is reproduced below:

§ 6107.  Prohibited conduct during emergency.

(a)  General rule.--NO PERSON SHALL CARRY A FIREARM UPON THE PUBLIC STREETS OR UPON ANY PUBLIC property during an emergency proclaimed by a State or municipal governmental executive unless that person is:

(2)  Licensed to carry firearms under section 6109 (relating to licenses) or is exempt from licensing under section 6106(b) (relating to firearms not to be carried without a license).

(b)  Seizure, taking and confiscation.--Except as otherwise provided under subsection (a) and notwithstanding the provisions of 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 73 (relating to Commonwealth services) or any other provision of law to the contrary, . . . . .

Once you have read and digested the above you understand that the emergency declaration triggering that section of law has resulted in all Pennsylvania citizens who do not have a license to carry concealed firearms being trapped on their own property! Many gunowners do not fully comprehend the constitutional violations that is embodied in this situation! You should also understand that the term “firearm” means in this context any firearm: rifle, shotgun, or any handgun of any type may be carried upon the public streets or public property.

At this point, you may wonder whether or not you can even legitimately purchase a firearm and transported home and if you had that thought congratulations you have comprehended the vagaries of this law!

As a further example of the cluelessness of Gov. Wolf, his list of nonessential businesses and activities gives an exception for hunting and fishing and yet for hunting a firearm is, in most cases, essential for that past time. Granted we could all be running around the woods like Rambo with a knife and a stick, perhaps that is what Wolf thinks of us, but in all practical terms hunting is a virtual impossibility right now!

So, if you don’t have a license to carry concealed firearms (LTCF) then I suggest you make every effort to get one, if you can. Many sheriffs are trying to stay open at this point although Allegheny County and Erie County are still closed down. Part of the problem Pennsylvania Sheriffs are having is that a number of them do not have a mobile unit set up so they could place it in an isolated area which could comply with the social distancing requirements of the current situation. We will discuss more of this below as to why they’re having difficulty acquiring the technology now.

***In addition, this is why it is critically important that we pass constitutional carry legislation here in Pennsylvania! Representative Aaron Bernstine has introduced legislation to do just that-HB 1412 and! Please go to the link for this bill and see if your representative is listed as a cosponsor and if they are not, respectfully insist that they become a cosponsor immediately. If they will NOT cosponsor the bill please let us know!

Part 3: So, What Really Happened to All of Our Money That Was Left Over for The LTCF Modernization Process Meant for Sheriff’s?

In 2008, as some may remember, Pennsylvania legislature signed into law legislation that would provide for a five-dollar surcharge for the license to carry concealed firearms (LTCF). The legislation called for a five-year period for the collection of that five-dollar surcharge. This seems like a good time to examine what actually happened to those monies and why it’s no longer available for the sheriffs since this was basically a tax on our rights.

Pennsylvania State police records show that for the five years after the law was passed and signed into law there was a yearly breakdown as shown below of license to carry concealed firearms holders:

2013 - 269,273

2012 - 245,444

2011 - 167,656

2010 - 142,477

2009 - 165,857

For a sum total of: 990,707 Pennsylvanians with an LTCF. That means the amount of money the state collected during this five-year period was $4,953,535. It’s important to remember that this was a focused tax meant for us (LTCF holders) to fund improvements to the technology for Pennsylvania sheriffs in furtherance of the issuance of licenses to carry concealed firearms!

A contact in the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association has told us that the highest amount paid out to any one Sheriff was $11,000 in the form of a grant for the purposes of improving the technology and standardizing it. However, most sheriffs did not receive that amount as it was usually $8,000 or less.

So, let’s do a little math shall we, if we take 67 County Sheriff’s or issuing authorities and multiply that towards the overly generous sum of $11,000, we get a sum of $737,000 roughly. So once again let’s go to the calculator, subtracting that amount from the amount collected leaves us with a total of $4,216,535 that was left over from the technology upgrades. As they say, follow the money! Each Pennsylvania Sheriff should have had $48,000 roughly allocated to their account and if each one used roughly $11,000 that should leave them with roughly $37,000 that they could apply to these technology issues, BUT THEY CAN’T! Why you ask? Wasn’t that our money? Not according to the legislature because they returned that money to the general fund!

Instead of that money being kept for a rainy day fund or one that could have improved the situation for citizens to get a LTCF or that could have allowed sheriffs in this current situation to expand their operations in ways that would facilitate complying with current restrictions on contact with other citizens we are left with a situation that deprives citizens of the basic choice of self-defense by depriving them of a LTCF!

In 2008 we (FOAC) complained about this but no other group in Pennsylvania seemed to be concerned nor, I guess, had they done the math like we had. The question is right now what is the legislature going to do about this because they have a responsibility to make sure citizens are not deprived of the rights!

Part 4: Has the PSP (Pennsylvania State Police) Usurped the Authority of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs in Issuing LTCF’s?

The law in Pennsylvania for issuing LTCF’s (license to carry concealed firearms) was always intended to be conducted by the Pennsylvania sheriffs in all 67 counties. What many do not know is that there is a quiet power struggle going on behind the scenes where the PSP is engaged in a seemingly cold war against the Pennsylvania sheriff’s authority on many levels. This includes denying that constitutional position the right to be treated as true law enforcement officers as they are in most states in this country.

Ironically, often times when a PSP officer retires, he/she then runs for office as a Pennsylvania Sheriff. At that point many of these officers then find out just exactly how arbitrary and capricious their former employer has been with this constitutional office.

So, what’s going on now?

The modernization plan engaged in 2008, and as referenced above, created a situation where the Pennsylvania State police was to participate ‘with’ the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association to update the entire process of issuing LTCF’s to citizens. For many sheriffs, this was a step backward from what they were already doing, technologically and organizationally.

What has not been exposed, heretofore, has been how the Pennsylvania State police have created a situation wherein they have added specific procedures that are not statutorily (written in the law) called for-meaning not legal. Those are the requirement that you must give a digital photo, which is for all intents and purposes a mug shot, and a digital signature on a digital signature pad. These requirements are now denying citizens the ability to get an LTCF because it precludes sheriffs from issuing licenses by the mail, especially renewals. (Is your LTCF ready for renewal?)

Virtually every Sheriff is located in the courthouse and the courthouse access is many times dictated by the judges and in some cases the County commissioners. So, if you can’t go into the courthouse because of this coronavirus pandemic then you don’t have access to this “digital signature and photo process”. This process dictated by the PSP has also for all intents and purposes made the emergency LTCF process a nullity! This process also makes it impossible for Sheriffs to comply with the religious preference option to waive the requirement for a picture.

Ironically, when you check with other states on their LTCF process (some call these concealed carry permits) you find out that the applicant can send in their own picture and that includes states like Maryland which is no fan of the Second Amendment, as you all know. No one has been able to answer the question as to what purpose the digital signature serves when you already have to sign the written application which can be downloaded right now for many Pennsylvania sheriffs’ websites.

So, everyone reading this should be upset that the powers and authority of the office of Sheriff is being intruded upon by the PSP without any concern as to the ramifications and impact on the average citizen especially in this trying time. When you combine the above procedures and problems dictated by the PSP with the problems experienced by the Sheriff’s office in virtually every County regarding the PICs system and its operational dysfunction, it is a wonder anyone in Pennsylvania ever gets a license to carry concealed!

**Message To All Gunowners Especially New Ones: Take Time To Practice Your Firearms Safety And Gun Handling Skills While You Have Time Off-It May Save Your Life

We are big proponents of skillful handling of firearms and the safe handling of firearms! Numerous directors and officers are firearms instructors with decades of experience in teaching people the safe use of firearms!

So, we thought we would offer you a video that focuses on the importance of proper gun handling techniques and the thought process behind the use of firearms in common self-defense.

FOAC 2nd Vice President Klint Macro has put together a video on these issues which you can see at this link: https://foac-pac.org/Videos/41 and please feel free to share this with anyone you feel may benefit from this video. We think Klint did an amazing job on putting this together on short notice!

Defending the Second Amendment comes in many forms and being proficient and knowledgeable in the skills, mindset and attitude necessary to properly handle firearms is an inseparable component of the responsibilities of citizens.

We hope you agree and that you are safe and proficient in the use of your firearms. If you need help with your firearms handling skills please feel free to reach out to Klint for training to advance your own skills-Trigger Pressers Union!

Pennsylvania Primary Election Delayed Until June 2

Pennsylvania's primary now will be held on June 2 because of the novel coronavirus.

The primary had been scheduled for April 28, but the state legislature voted to push back the date to June 2.

Pennsylvania follows in the footsteps of other states that have postponed their primaries. Maryland, Connecticut, and Indiana also have moved theirs to June 2

Voters do not have to go to the polls this year if they want to avoid crowds. You can apply for mail-in ballots, which does not require an excuse.

Wolf Has Got to Go

In my adult life, I have publicly called for the Impeachment of only one elected official, and that was Bill Clinton. Well, I am adding PA Governor Tom Wolf to that dubious list.

Through his so-called stay-at-home orders, Wolf has acted in a manner inconsistent with his responsibilities as Governor of our Great Commonwealth.

Governor Wolf fails to understand that even in the midst of a worldwide crisis folks still have to live their lives and do their jobs.

Governor Wolf has placed his judgment over the will of the People of the Commonwealth.

In order to enforce his mandate, does our Esteemed Governor plan to stop every citizen to determine if errands are necessary and life sustaining? Is this the proper and constitutional role of a Governor? I think not, and I don't believe that the people of Pennsylvania think so either.

Governor Wolf is acting in a manner that is contrary to his constitutional responsibility and to the manifest injury of the people of the Commonwealth, and by such conduct warrants Impeachment and Removal from Office.

By David Bowie

***Breaking News: The Federal Government Adds Gun Companies and Dealers to The Essential Business List

The Department of Homeland Security, mirroring statements by the Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton, and added gun dealers, ranges, and manufacturers to its essential business coronavirus-response guide on Saturday. 

The updated guidance from DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) now considers "workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges" to be essential. Those industry workers are listed under the designation for "law enforcement, public safety, and other first responders." 

The welcome change comes after Pennsylvania and other state and local officials have shut down gun stores and manufacturing plants around the country. The federal guidelines will very likely influence how state and local officials implement lockdown orders moving forward. Demand for firearms has skyrocketed in response to the uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic, even as shutdowns in some states have closed the only legal avenue for purchases. The demand is so high that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is running out of the yellow form, 4473, as a result of the demand. Some officials have cited the lack of DHS guidance to defend those closures.

Do Gun Bans Work? NO! This British Example Demonstrates ‘Why’ Gun Bans Fail

In August of 2018, British Authorities raided a black market gun manufacturing operation in Sussex, England. The small shop was producing clandestine pistols for the UK black market. About a year later, two men associated with the operation were sent to prison. A third man had died while in custody.

From the news coverage, considerably more details about the operation, shop and arms produced were released. This is a video on YouTube that reveals much - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzM03e3u7tk.

The pistols produced were simplified copies of the Browning 1922 design. Semi-automatic pistols are not difficult to make but are harder to make work well than sub-machine guns or revolvers.

The Browning copy repeatedly fails to cycle correctly. However, it takes very little effort to feed another cartridge into the chamber. It fires when the trigger is pulled.

The small shop operators chose not to rifle the barrels of their copy, to simplify production. At short range, up to 10 meters, the pistol would still be effective. They did not put any sights on the production for the same reason. In the video, you can see the projectiles are unstable and key-holing at very close range, perhaps three meters.

The authorities claim this a unique situation in UK, the very first clandestine shop producing black market firearms.  I suspect this is more of a propaganda effort on the part of British authorities to avoid being answerable to a public to whom they have sold the idea that there are laws on guns work! Why do I say this? Because it is clear that this information does not have much institutional history with the National Crime Agency. Is there anyone that really believes that this agency was not involved in Northern Ireland? Relatively sophisticated shop production of small arms were repeatedly made in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.  From smallarmssurvey.org, page 77:

In 1988, police uncovered a unionist workshop in County Down that was reportedly the largest illegal arms factory operating in Northern Ireland at the time. Thirty assembled sub-machine guns were recovered, along with materials sufficient to produce hundreds more. Also seized were craft-produced sub-machine guns copied from the Israeli Uzi design, whose manufacture involved copying the internal components of a Japanese ‘plug-fire cap’ (aka ‘modelgun’) replica.75 The workshop’s owner allegedly supplied loyalist paramilitaries for more than 20 years (Horgan, 2005, p. 100). In several cases, skilled craftsmen, who were otherwise employed by legitimate companies, carried out work on craft-produced firearms in the evenings (Forgotten Weapons, 2017). 

In 1997, engineer Denis Lindop was convicted of manufacturing sub-machine guns for loyalist paramilitaries from his home workshop in Holywood, County Down (McCaffrey, 2005). Marked ‘UFF Avenger 1995’, the weapons were designed to accept custom-made suppressors and had serial numbers—a relatively uncommon trait for homemade weapons (Cadwallader, 2000).

Small shop production of relatively sophisticated small arms happens all around the world, on a regular basis.

How likely is it that the UK would be exempt if there is sufficient demand? There was plenty of demand in Northern Ireland during the Troubles before 1998.

With rising crime and gangs in the UK, it is unlikely this shop will be the last one found there.

The small milling machines and lathes that streamlines the production of small arms are said to be common and cheap in the UK.

As reported in the video, small parts, such as nuts, bolts, and springs were sourced commercially. Shotgun cartridges were found at the shop. Pistol cartridges can easily be manufactured using powder and primers salvaged from shotgun shells. Bullets are cast of lead in homes and shops all around the world, as an inexpensive hobby.

Firearms are not difficult to produce. In a society with access to inexpensive machine tools and electricity, they are much easier to produce than on forges and with hand tools, as is commonly done in less developed countries such as the Philippines.

In these Troubling Times we forget the simple things: Reliable Guns - Importance of Gun Maintenance!

From a long-time friend: Funny story for you. I took my Kimber Ultra Carry out of the safe, figuring it might be a better house gun than the .380 on my nightstand. Yanked back the slide to charge a round into the chamber, and it was a struggle. Did the old ‘slingshot’ trick with the slide, and it literally crawled forward, and I had to tap the slide to get it to seat.

That’s about the time I hit the ‘oh shit’ point. Had to find that stupid little piece of wire to keep the return spring from flying across the room, and luckily it was exactly where it was supposed to be. Cleared it, had to tap on the slide stop with a hammer and a wooden dowel too loosen it, finally field stripped it, and oh---my---gawd. You know how bad I am about cleaning guns? Took me about a half hour to get all the crud off it, re-lube, and now its running like a Swiss watch. I’d say ‘you can’t believe the carbon and varnish I cleaned off of it’, except, knowing me, you would believe it. So far this week, including my Kimber, I’ve scrubbed down and re-lubed 5 different guns that needed some care, including my new Wrangler .22, and a friends new Shield EZ 9mm.

Remember Friends IF you want your favorite blaster to work DON’T NEGLECT MAINENANCE!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: PA Senator Hughes Openly states that when Democrats take back the Majority in the PA Senate they intend to move an ‘aggressive’ agenda of Gun Control: https://foac-pac.org/Videos/40

Gun Control Quote of the Week: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently used his personal dislike for the Second Amendment as justification for closing New Jersey gun shops during a national emergency. Governor Murphy unilaterally decided that gun shops and NICS background checks are not essential, but liquor stores and garden centers are.

When asked at a COVID-19 press briefing about the closure of gun shops and his shut-down of the NICS process, Murphy stated that a “safer society for [his] taste has fewer guns not more guns.”

1st Point to Ponder: An increasing number of police departments around the country are watching their ranks get sick as the number of coronavirus cases explodes across the U.S. The growing tally raises questions about how laws can and should be enforced during the pandemic, and about how departments will hold up as the virus spreads among those whose work puts them at increased risk of infection.

In big cities and remote areas alike, officers are being told to issue tickets or summons rather than making arrests for minor crimes. More crime reports are being taken by phone or online. These steps to limit exposure come as police must beef up patrols in shuttered business districts and manage spikes in domestic violence.

2nd Point to Ponder: Social unrest could erupt among the urban poor and marginalised in the West's biggest cities as they lack sources of income amid the COVID-19 crisis, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.

https://news.trust.org/item/20200327134620-yc7e3

3rd Point to Ponder: Unintentional firearms fatalities reached lowest levels ever

You’ll shoot your eye out, kid. Or maybe not, says the National Shooting Sports Foundation. They’re reporting that unintentional firearms fatalities have reached their lowest level ever, despite melodramatic claims that the recent surge in firearms sales will result in a significant increase in firearms-related harm.

In fact, the National Safety Council reported that in 2018, there were only 458 accidental firearms fatalities, constituting less than 1% of all recorded fatalities that year.

What’s the trick, you ask? It’s safe handling and maintaining “positive control” over your firearms. Responsible gun owners understand when, how, or if it’s safe to leave their firearms unattended.

Given the huge increase in firearms purchases in recent weeks it’s especially important to pass this kind of knowledge on to others who may be first-time gun owners.

4th Point to Ponder: The Feds continue their streak of losing their guns…again

Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity (plus poor chain of custody for firearms and anything else valuable). These are the things the FBI and certain other organizations under the DOJ are known for.

So it should come as no surprise that between September 2016 and July 2019, 38 special-agents were punished for losing 45 government-issued firearms. I’m not sure if they lost their guns breakdancing, but hey, at least it wasn’t 449 like last time.

Recent Anti-Gun Legislation Introduced at the Pennsylvania & Federal Levels:

Pennsylvania Anti-Gun Legislation:

  1. HB2343-Title: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms, for restoration of firearm rights for offenses under prior laws of this Commonwealth, for licenses and for Pennsylvania State Police.
  2. HB2344-Title: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions, for persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms, for sale or transfer of firearms, for Pennsylvania State Police, for firearm sales surcharge, for Firearm Records Check Fund, for retail dealer required to be licensed and for licensing of dealers, providing for ammunition purchase authorization permits, establishing the Ammunition Safety and Enforcement Fund and providing for transporting ammunition into this Commonwealth. (This legislation has been WITHDRAWN!)

Federal Anti-Gun Legislation:

  1. HB5866-Title: Gun Trafficker Detection Act
  2. HB5917-Title: Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act
  3. HB5949-Title: National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Data Integrity Act of 2020
  4. HB6006-Title: Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2020
  5. HB6318-Title: To expand economic opportunities, improve community policing, and promote common-sense gun violence prevention in underserved communities, and for other purposes.
  6. SB3348-Title: Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act of 2020

Anti-Gunners in Government Agencies – CDC – Comments on Guns: The CDC funded a flawed study of crime-prone inner-city residents who had been murdered in their homes. They then tried to equate this wildly unrepresentative group with typical American gun owners. The U.S. House’s Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee (on March 6, 1996) members were not amused.

  • The Winter 1993 CDC official publication, Public Health Policy for Preventing Violence, coauthored by CDC official Dr. Mark Rosenberg.  This taxpayer-funded gun control polemic offered two strategies for preventing firearm injuries—“restrictive licensing (for example, only police, military, guards, and so on)” and “prohibit gun ownership.”
  • The brazen public comments of top CDC officials, made at a time when gun prohibitionists were much more candid about their political goals.

We’re going to systematically build a case that owning firearms causes deaths.  We’re doing the most we can do, given the political realities.” (P.W. O’Carroll, Acting Section Head of Division of Injury Control, CDC, quoted in Marsha F. Goldsmith, “Epidemiologists Aim at New Target: Health Risk of Handgun Proliferation,” Journal of the American Medical Association vol. 261 no. 5, February 3, 1989, pp. 675-76.)  Dr. O’Carroll later said he had been misquoted.

But his successor Dr. Mark Rosenberg was quoted in the Washington Post as wanting his agency to create a public perception of firearms as “dirty, deadly—and banned.” (William Raspberry, “Sick People With Guns,” Washington Post, October 19, 1994.

Founding Father’s Statement on Freedom: "The defense of one's self, justly called the primary law of nature, is not, nor can it be abrogated by any regulation of municipal law. This principle of defense is not confined merely to the person; it extends to the liberty and the property of a man . . . it extends to the person of every one, who is in danger; perhaps, to the liberty of every one, whose liberty is unjustly and forcibly attacked." James Wilson (1791)

Closing Thoughts: When I was a kid, I used to hate stringing up the Christmas lights because every time you would go to plug them in one light was guaranteed to be out.

It was just crazy to me- that one light had the power to keep them all from glowing red. And yet each gun owner has that same power right now.

Whether you are new to this fight or have been around for decades, the current bias and prejudice and lies on the 2nd Amendment affects us all! Your voice matters and it is important to this fight that you are not just simply another link in the chain, you have the opportunity to make an impact by choosing to get involved.

We shouldn't ‘wait’ for governmental violations of our rights to get to a point that it forces us to be responsible and involved Americans – by then it will likely be too late. It is on all of us, right now, to stop the spread of this plague of lies swirling around the gun control debate, not just sit back and think someone else will do it.

Yours in Freedom!

Kim Stolfer, President

**As a reminder, every gun owner can participate, if the FOAC meeting is still held, in the April 19, 2020 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: https://zoom.us/j/517562174

**Meeting Agenda Download Online: https://foac-pac.org/uploads/FOAC-Meeting-Agendas/20-03-08_AGENDA-KS-CG-DB.5.pdf

One-tap Mobile: +19292056099,,802388529# US (New York)

Dial by location:  +19292056099 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 517 562 174

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adSioEAVyf