Hope everyone is voting on May 20, 2014 – FOAC Pro-Gun voters guide

[Gripsafety]

In my precinct, every candidate in the Republican primary ran unopposed. Patrick Meehan was unopposed. While I get the machine's strategy of supporting a candidate who has a chance in November and saving resources for that fight, more candidates in the primary do influence the conversation.

This starts at the precinct level. Pay attention to your county and state committee candidates. Hell, get with some people who know how to do it and run for committee yourself if there are no good candidates.

I feel like I could have done our causes more good yesterday by voting in the Democrat primary.

[freesoul]

In my precinct, every candidate in the Republican primary ran unopposed. Patrick Meehan was unopposed. While I get the machine's strategy of supporting a candidate who has a chance in November and saving resources for that fight, more candidates in the primary do influence the conversation.

This starts at the precinct level. Pay attention to your county and state committee candidates. Hell, get with some people who know how to do it and run for committee yourself if there are no good candidates.

I feel like I could have done our causes more good yesterday by voting in the Democrat primary.

The GOP party machine does not want voters to choose the best candidate from within the party in a primary- they want them to rubberstamp a committee choice. They do this by "endorsing" someone because typically no one will run against them because all the party resources go towards the anointed candidate.

This adversely effects the rank and file in 2 ways: it makes a candidate beholden to a small group of party bosses and 2. means that in the general election we don't have a candidate with a sharpened sword from a primary contest.

This is why many continually wonder why we never seem to have good choices in the general election. Want to change that? Run for county committee and call for no endorsements. These county committees are usually filled up with party hacks who have some financial connection to party bosses, or they are just useful idiots who think they are doing good and lack self esteem.

[Yellowfin]

I didn't even know about the existence of committees until I saw them on the ballot here.

[Gripsafety]

In some counties in PA, there are unfilled committee seats. In many others, there are rubber stamp committeepersons. Here in Chester County, there is a coordinated effort to get good grass-roots conservative representation in the county Republican Committee. We didn't get to where we are overnight, and we're not going to fix it overnight, but progress is being made.

See http://www.precinctproject.us/ Get involved.

[vinlander]

Yes, join these committees. It's a small investment in time and effort with a relatively decent amount of power. Half the seats on these committees are open and just waiting for us.

It's the proper way to take over the GOP and recreate the party as it was. Turn it back into a true Constitutional Republican party, who knows, maybe we get to free the slaves once more.

Most of the rest of the country is experiencing a new passion for small, out of the way government and a return to traditional values. In the mean time Pennsylvania is fraught with apathy except by those who want to turn it into a People's State.

[WhiteFeather]

To everyone that went out and voted Thank you, lots of Vets paid the high cost for that right among many others that so many take for granted.

Wanted to address some of the comments made in this thread by a variety of posters about how you can personally make a difference and give you opportunity to become involved in some capacity to protect your freedoms.


CeasefirePA despite being able to out spend the pro-gun forces and talk up a good game in the controlled media, it didn’t do anything. Politics is not push warfare, it requires good people to become involved, otherwise bad people will fill that void . EVERY race CeasefirePA took a side on and attempted to target a Pro-gun incumbent Rep there anti-gun back person lost.

Example
In western PA with the redistricting and merging of two district into one new district 36.
it pitted to democrats against each other

Rep Harry Reedshaw – solid pro-gun democrat, much better than so many of the RINO’s out eastern PA

Rep Erin Molchany (anti-gun) that was ENDORSED by CeasefirePA in 2012 and in this May 2014 primary.


This occurred in several other races in which pro gun candidates asked for FOAC help, not by throwing money at the problem like occurs in many elections, we made a difference by volunteers willingness to put boots on the ground. The other side needs lots of money to hire mercenaries to exact what the same FOAC volunteers do for at no charge.

Its often said ALL politics is local, at the local election level here is where Gun owners can make the biggest difference by traveling in your local area to directly support Pro Gun candidates regardless of party or if you can vote in the election.

View this web site to view election results for all of PA.
http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/


On that web site Please note ALL the elections in the May 20th 2014 primary that there was NO challenger within the party and all the races there was NO opposition from the other party. Other than a write in and special situation the current office holder are safe from the voters to keep another term even through the upcoming general election. Note


In the last general election (2012) of state house –senate in over 200 races other than open seats there was only one incumbent that lost, many seat nearing 100 there was no challenger.
Let ALL of this sink in.

Combine the lack of real challengers in election, very high retention of incumbents in most election cycles can make many politicians arrogant, go unaccountable for the votes and start giving you lip service – run around when you ask them a relevant question to matters that effect the state / your future.

In the 2014 general election once again you will see many elections where there is no other viable candidate running in opposition to incumbents.

As a general lesson in civics and political realities we face with protecting your firearm rights here is something for everyone to consider. Rest assured many will disagree with the following, still each of US can only cast one ballot in any election.

The most informed, educated voter like yourself that takes the time to know the issues, researched the candidate inside and out before Election Day to make best choice.

Your vote is cancelled out by someone that hasn’t got a clue who or why they are voting for someone. How to counter this and become a force multiplier to help get people elected that will support your constitution rights is something you can change by becoming involved.

If you ever volunteered to work the polls handing out FOAC pro gun voters’ guide as people are walking into cast their ballot and they have NO IDEA who or why they are voting for or against you understand how scary this concept of the un wash masses voting is and the real danger to losing hard won freedoms.

ALL elections are nothing more than popularity contest, just because some ones wins an election doesn’t mean they have a clue on how to govern, how to be effective or anything about politics , especially trying to work with a bunch of ego driven politicians to get anything passed that is constructive to all.

Keep in mind in PA their sole purpose and only thing required of anyone elected to office is support, defend and OBEY both the commonwealth of PA and federal constitutions with ALL votes and official actions while they hold this office.
THIS OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION IS THE JOB TITLE & WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE DUTY IN WHICH THEY ARE COMPENSTATED FOR!


In this thread somewhere, someone reached out to the chairman of FOAC Kim Stolfer and asked a constructive question about why a particular candidate was on the FOAC voters guide, when the error was discovered and most important it was corrected.




FOAC is member driven, (not by officers on the board) often in FOAC meeting leading up to election and who get on and who doesn’t get on FOAC pro gun voters’ guide can be hotly debated subjects at meetings, often the final decision is left up to up or down vote by those in attendance at meetings. Sometimes it a matter of two candidates both being pro gun who gets the final endorsements in general elections, other time it just who get listed on voters guide.

In primary election FOAC only recommends candidates. there are exceptions to this general rule

Often people running for elected office come to FOAC meeting, speak to membership, take question and seeking FOAC’s support, recommendation and or endorsement.

You should try to attend these FOAC monthly meetings and you can raise your concerns (whatever) about those seeking office.

About those selected to go on FOAC pro gun voters guide, people get mad when someone they like or dislike doesn’t make the cut.


IF you raise the bar so high to what is Pro gun many elected people you could work with, educate and would vote the right way when the facts of a particular legislation as written would have a negative impact of gun owners, would get excluded from being listed on FOACA pro gun voters guides. On some core issues votes, people that have gotten several election of listing of being on FOAC pro gun voters’ guide have had their endorsement pulled on just ONE negative vote on a core issue!

You also can recommend a candidate that doesn't go on the record with a written response, Often people seeking elected office do NOT complete the FOAC questionnaire after several copies may have been mailed to them, hence we can take a stand or support them.

On some elections it so-so incumbent versus a dedicated

Come the general election in 2014 we all have several choice on state wide races that can and will directly affect your article 1 section 21 right most notably is going to the office of Governor.

After enduring 8 years of “fast” Eddie Rendell (D) and Tom Ridge (R) both using the office of Governor to lobby and past gun control that more than tripled the size of the UFA from the past 6 decades before them.

We were fortunate enough to finally have someone elected like Tom Corbett that is pro gun (I will give you it’s a low bar standard) or at very least a governor NOT lobbying for more gun control which is more than the recent past governors have done.

When Tom Corbett was the Attorney General he more than double the list of states that PA has reciprocity with and again when compare to past AG, and took a pro active stand on preemption violations. Tom Corbett was probably the most pro gun Attorney General elected in PA compared to all those that sure weren’t firearm friendly, much like the current AG is no friend to freedom.

On election day Each of you will have a choice on which Tom gets your vote and your reasons will be you own along with the consequences for that choice for the next 4 years.




++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



On a personal note on the governor race here my opinion you are entitled to have your own

we each will have to live with the results of actions or inactions in this race

SUPPORT is a TWO WAY STREET

politicians want your support and votes on election day, what they do or don't do in office to support your rights and their Oath to constitution should be used to see if they should have another term or work to replace them with someone that will.


I have a several letters of thank you from the last time I gave my time to support Tom Corbett’s first run for governor at various events as a unpaid volunteer.


Tom Corbett and the deleting of the ROS promise at the FOAC meeting

I have listen to the reasons and “THE REASON” with the statutory language in the UFA why isn’t wasn’t done and the somewhat valid excuse a bill never made it to Governor Corbett’s desk for signature.

I have a real problem with this unfilled promise and the Republicans leadership in general to do anything to promote and protect our freedoms and rights over the last several years.

Since the R’s gained the house over the last four years, right now as it stands We got more legislatively accomplished to make the UFA more law abiding firearm friendly under a democratic controlled house in their last 4 years.

Mostly because the Pro Gun Democrats (from western PA) would fight within their own party to do the right things to show real leadership unlike many of the Republic IN Name Only in leadership position in house take us and our support for granted and are not willing to fight a good fight.



Tom Wolf from the statement made in the press and in CeaseFirePA questionnaire with answers given.

in my opinion: Mr Wolf would use the governor office to promote and advance more gun control just like most have.

Same goes with Wolf’s running mate (Senator Stack) for the Lt Governor has a history as being dedicated for passage more gun control, without any focus of criminal control which is the real problem.

For that reason (plus a few more) I will again be voting for Tom Corbett in 2014.

Whether I will once again volunteer my time to Tom Corbett’s reelection is up what is or isn’t done by the governor in the remaining part of the 2013-2014 legislative session to keep his promise.

we have watched Republican driven legislation fast tracked since 2010 when they have held a majority everywhere, for us we got nothing from the R's but a unfinished D's lead effort from 2009-2010 session


Keep in mind this governor race is for Tom Corbett to LOSE or WIN, IF you look at the 2014 primary results. Corbett got a problem with support!

http://www.electionreturns.state.pa....=0&IsSpecial=0

You will see Tom Corbett received about 27,000 votes less than the Lt Governor received so many people are not too happy with governor Corbett and about 200,000 less votes than he got in same 2010 primary.

To win the PA governor’s race about 2 million votes are required!

Your one vote or my one vote out of 2 million votes is like a drop of water in lake, the difference is IF we decide to actively promote Tom Corbett for re-election (DO NOTHING) or face the consequences of having a Wolf elected that will promote to the sheep to disarm everyone will make them feel safer regardless that the fact that gun control laws ONLY affect the people that obey them.

By definition criminal are law breakers and don’t obey the laws, that why gun control in its stated objectives for enactment is failure everyone its tried.

KEEP ALL OF THIS MIND DURING THIS 2014 ELECTION and WHO you VOTE FOR

this is why I will cast my vote for Tom Corbett

[gnbrotz]

Tom Corbett and the deleting of the ROS promise at the FOAC meeting

I have listen to the reasons and “THE REASON” with the statutory language in the UFA why isn’t wasn’t done and the somewhat valid excuse a bill never made it to Governor Corbett’s desk for signature.

The retention of transfer data is a violation of existing law. What's the need for new legislation (other than being a convenient excuse)?

The Governor appoints the PSP Commissioner. Why would he not simply choose a Commissioner who would enforce existing law, and make this commitment a condition of the appointment?

[WhiteFeather]

The retention of transfer data is a violation of existing law. What's the need for new legislation (other than being a convenient excuse)?

(Republicans) on PA Supreme Court stabbed gun owners in the back with their BS ruling up holding the lower court decision since the PSP are missing some ROS, it not a fully complete so its then legal for the PSP to keep.

There was two proposed bill introduced in the 2013-2014 legislative to deal with the existing Record Of Sale (ROS)

There is also one to totally eliminate the requirement of completing a ROS and PSP involvement in transfer of firearms by Eliminating PA Instant Check System (PICS) and Use the National Instant Check System (NICS) HB 921. See HB 921 thread post there rather than debating the merits here FOR or Against here just included to answer the question as to WHY there is a need for new legislation.

No Bill has moved out the judiciary committee in this session or the past session while Tom Corbett was governor to deal with ROS or overturn case law set by the PA Supreme Court.


Rep Tallman HB 792
Subject: Handgun Registry Legislation

I respectfully request your support of legislation that I intend to introduce that would amend Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses).
This legislation would prohibit government entities or any public or private person from compiling registries and databases of firearm ownership. There would be certain exceptions concerning criminal activities etc.
Currently Section 6111.4; Registration of Firearms; states “…any government or law enforcement agency or any agent thereof to create, maintain or operate any registry of firearm ownership…”. Our Supreme Court in their renowned wisdom decided that the wording in the statute does not include the Pennsylvania State Police and they are allowed to maintain a registry of handguns.
Hopefully to correct this decision by the Supreme Court in “Allegheny County Sportsman vs. Rendell”, we will make it even plainer that there is to be NO registry of firearms ownership by ANY government entity.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs...cosponId=11546

Rep Krieger HB 1430
Subject: Prohibition on Maintenance of Firearms Registry


With enactment of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Firearms Act in 1995, the Commonwealth instituted a requirement that purchasers of firearms submit to a background check. Integral to the passage of the Uniform Firearms Act was Section 6111.4, which expressly prohibited any government or law enforcement agency from maintaining or operating a “registry of firearm ownership”. Despite the plain language of the Act, the Pennsylvania State Police have created and are maintaining a database of handgun owners from data obtained from such checks. Unfortunately, by way of some tortured logic, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League v. Rendell, held that this database was not a “registry of firearm ownership”, despite having all the attributes of a registry.

The bill would reverse the holding in the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League case, by defining the term “Registry of Firearm Ownership” to make absolutely clear that the term includes any database, record or registry reflecting the sale, transfer or ownership of firearms. Passage of this bill would require the Pennsylvania State Police to destroy the existing record of sale database, and make it crystal clear that no such database can again be created or maintained.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs...cosponId=12724



In the PA Supreme Court 2004 decision confirming that the PSP’s existing record of only handgun sales does not constitute a registry of firearms “[T]he database does not maintain a record of all firearms owned by Pennsylvanians, which would include long guns, or firearms that are owned by Pennsylvanians, but not purchased in the Commonwealth. Additionally, the database of handgun sales does not include handguns that are transferred between spouses, parents and children, and grandparents and grandchildren. See 18 Pa.C.S. §6111(c). Nor is the database a survey of existing ownership.” Allegheny County Sportsmens’ League v. Rendell, 860 A.2d 10 (Pa. 2004).

Read the 2004 ACSL Legislative Reports for details on this court case and final outcome

note the time it took to render or find A REASON to make it legal, which is clearly was illegal actions by the PSP.

This is the big reason WHY who get elected anywhere in PA can affect your rights and WHY you need to be more directly involved in politics and elections more than just walking into voting booth 5 min on election day.

You MUST become active and educated IF you want to retain your firearm rights or any personal freedoms you still have remaining after the death of thousands of slices.




http://www.acslpa.org/html/2004_reports1.html


PA Supreme Court Gives Narrow
Victory to the Rendell
Administration Over Registry

It took the Pennsylvania Supreme Court over 19
months to render a 3- 2 decision in favor of the
Pennsylvania State Police and Governor Ed
Rendell's maintenance a computerized database of
gun owners . A database which is clearly a registry
of firearms owners , and clearly prohibited by
Section 6111.4 of the Pennsylvania Uniform
Firearms Act.

The 3- 2 vote saw Justices Ronald Castille, Ralph
Cappy and Michael Eakin voting that the database
was a registry of sort, but not prohibited by
Section 6111.4 because is was not a complete
registry, because it did not contain all firearms
owned by Pennsylvanians .

The court seized on the fact that the words
" registry" and "owner ship" were not defined in the
law. This gave them the opportunity to apply their
own definitions . First the court defined the word
" registry" as "an official record or list" . They then
agreed that the common definition of the word
"ownership" is " the state of fact of being an owner ;
legal right of possession" . Most reasonable
persons would agree that these definitions fit the
State Police's database. But not the three in this
Supreme Court decision. Surprising to almost
everyone, the court decided that; " In examining
the content s of the Pennsylvania State
Police' s database, although the database may
be a r egis t r y, it is not a registry of firearm
ownership." Their reasoning; " The database
does not maintain a record of all firearms
owned by Pennsylvanians " . Some examples
are; long guns and guns purchased between
spouses , parents and children.

Firearms brought into the state when people trans fer after changing
jobs .

Justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman
had a more reasonable response, Justice Nigro
wrote; "As though the database at issue here
does not include every person in Pennsylvania
who owns a handgun, because it only tracks
sales from authorized Pennsylvania dealers , it
never the less violates sect ion 6111.4 by
keeping a partial record of handgun
owner ship insofar as it records those persons
who either own or used to own a handgun
that they purchased from a Pennsylvania
dealer . Thus , although I can appreciate the
benefits of maintaining a database concerning
handgun sales in this Commonwealth, I am
never the less compelled to conclude that the
General Assembly has explicitly prohibited
the police from keeping such records . "

If just one Justice joined Nigor and Newman we
would have won. We were convinced going into
the Supreme Court that we would have Eakin and
Newman on our side since they courted gun
owners when they campaigned for election to the
court. We new that Justice Saylor refused to sit on
the case. We new that Justice Baer would not
enter into the decisions because he was not on the
court when the case was heard. As a result, with
only five Justices left to decide the case we held
hopes that Nigro would join Eakin and Newman.
We were shocked to learn that Eakin sided with the
Majority to rule against us , and pleasantly
surprised to learn that Justice Nigro disagreed with
the Majority, and even wrote the dissenting
opinion.

When Eakin campaigned for the court in 2001 it
seem clear that Eakin was pro- firearms ownership,
and supported the words in our constitution that
the Right to Bear Arms shall not be questioned.

Judging by the length of time the court took to
render a decision, our attorney said that they were
struggling to define their position. So instead of
ruling in our favor they simply agreed with the
lower court's decision.

It is also clear that they wanted this ruling to
receive as little news coverage as possible, so it
was not a surprise that they released the ruling
during the last few weeks of the Presidential
elections . The news media were totally occupied
by the elections , and paid virtually no attention to
the decision.

We only had one recourse available to us and that
was to as k the court to reconsider their decision.
This would have required a Justice who ruled in the
majority to agree to reconsider his vote. This
would have been very costly and it was very
unlikely that the decision would be reconsider

The problem with this decision is that it leaves
open any attempt by any state or local government
to establish their own registry, provided that it is
not a complete registry. We must follow-up this
decision with corrective legislation.

READ original on ACSL website..... as cut and paste PDF don't always come out correctly

The Governor appoints the PSP Commissioner. Why would he not simply choose a Commissioner who would enforce existing law, and make this commitment a condition of the appointment?

As to making a pre appointment condition that question can be only answered by the man himself.



Since Governor Tom Corbett is on the campaign for re-election now in 2014 and sometime takes question from the public or from direct inter action at public appearances you can speak directly to the man to ask the question.


Anyone that really wants to can attend these public campaign events were they should politely and respectfully press Governor Tom Corbett for honoring promise that promise about the ROS.


Anyone can also write a straight forward simple question to Governor Tom Corbett about honoring the promise made at the FOAC meeting.


Report back the answer or the reply you get from Governor Tom Corbett!


Keep in mind there is VERY good chance we will have a new governor elected in 2015 then its going to be your problem about the PSP problems along with ROS retention bills all die when this session is over. As the other Tom running is a turkey. Our chance will be gone till who knows when if ever again to correct many of the problems with the UFA without a pro freedom governor who would willingly sign IF they got to his desk.