From the NSSF . . .

Who introduced you to hunting/the shooting sports and at what age?

My father introduced me to hunting and the shooting sports at a very young age. He started by stressing gun safety. My brother and I learned to shoot at first with a 1924 German-made bolt action single shot .22 caliber rifle.

I have since taught my three boys to shoot with the same gun. After taking my first hunter safety course as a teenager, I began to use a shotgun and shot a lot of clay pigeons with it. Ever since, each year I have almost exclusively hunted deer. 

Describe your most recent hunting/shooting sports activity? With whom?

Opening Day for deer season in Upstate New York is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. My oldest son Sean and I hunted this year on opening day, as we always do, on my in-law’s farm. We both got deer that morning.

It is always a special time to go hunting with my son and to hang out at the family farmhouse. We met up with some locals whom we have hunted with for years in the afternoon and did a few drives and got another deer. It was a great time. 

Describe your favorite shooting sport/hunting activity.

As you may have gathered, I love deer hunting! I have been doing it for 40 years. The best thing about it is the beautiful sounds of the woods. I always start and end my hunting day in my cherished tree stand sitting halfway up a ridge with a beautiful view of the woods and surrounding area.

To hear the tranquil sounds of the breeze on the trees and the various animals running around, chipmunks, minks, fox and even some coyotes is awesome. Of course, the excitement of seeing a deer and deciding whether to take it is the ultimate hunting rush.

Which piece of pending legislation related to the firearm industry is particularly important to you and why?

Since coming to Congress, I have consistently heard from sports enthusiasts and firearm owners in Central New York about the patchwork of laws they have to navigate when traveling across state lines. With this in mind, I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to advance the bipartisan Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38).

Congress must continue working to provide certainty to law-abiding firearm owners and ensure the fair recognition of concealed carry permits across the country.

What do you see as the challenges and opportunities for hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts in the upcoming congressional session?

In addition to advocating for sensible legislation to protect the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen, I believe Congress has a responsibility to encourage conservation and preserve the American outdoors for future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen. I was proud to support the introduction and enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act, which will significantly increase the availability of federal resources for conservation projects in my district and across the country.

For sports enthusiasts, it is critical that lawmakers work with federal agencies to fully implement the Great American Outdoors Act and continue to prioritize other federal conservation programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

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39 COMMENTS

  1. Well John…My question for you is…Since “Gun Control” is rooted in democRat Party racism and nazi party genocide why on earth is there a 1968 “Gun Control Act” On The Books In America? And…what are you going to do about it?

  2. Well….it’s about time we get a pro-Second Amendment candidate elected to Congress. Being a resident of Oregon’s Second Congressional District I wrote a letter to the local newspapers endorsing Cliff Bentz for U.S. Congress. Fortunately he won the race. Unfortunately two repeat Oregon Congressmen and another Oregon U.S. Senator (all treasonous socialists!) got reelected to high office. I was livid and irate over this! Why people can be so damned ignorant and vile voters re-electing “LBJ/KGB” type scum like this is way beyond decency, morality, and understanding! Good luck John Katko. You will need and deserve all the support you can get.

  3. My questions:

    John,
    What is the purpose/intent of the Second Amendment?
    Do you support the NFA? or are you for its full repeal?
    Do you support the Hughes Amendment? or are you for its full repeal?
    Do you support National Constitution carry?

    • Good luck getting those answers! The best you will get from most Republicans is “vote for us, we support the second amendment, we will fight the Democrats for your rights!”

      But there isn’t an itemized plan or plank I have seen of what they would really supposedly support. Except apparently some type of red flag laws. And more NICs, bump stock bans. Maybe silencer deregulation, as long as there are no shootings for a year.

  4. “With this in mind, I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to advance the bipartisan Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38).”

    Can we dispense with the bull?

    2016. The GOP holds both houses of Congress and the presidency. Absolutely nothing gets done on the bill, despite all promises.

    2020. The GOP holds (maybe) the Senate and nothing else. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to advance (the act)…”

    I’m sure he would find excuse or blame (his!) party leadership, fine. But saying you’re ‘working to advance’ such a thing is meaningless now. It’s just another go-nowhere bill that people sponsor to pretend like they’re getting stuff done. And there was every chance to do something before 2018.

    Don’t

    • Sure… except that we didn’t have 60 Rs in the Senate. Mind you, I do very much agree with the overall tenor of your comment, but that specific example is hardly a valid way to highlight Republican Party fecklessness

      • Red, keep in mind that the Act was passed by the House. It never came to a vote in the Senate. The Republicans should have brought the bill to the floor and let the Dems sink it, but they didn’t do that because the Republicans didn’t want to go on record.

        • “ It never came to a vote in the Senate.”

          Thank you Mitch McConnell, for blocking the reciprocity act, your Chinese overlords are happy with your obstructionist policies sabotaging America.

          Blocking the miners pension and health care for years was just a start, with your new term in office you will be empowered to freeze America’s efforts to throw off the yoke of foreign oppression.

  5. Jesus, that’s what passes for PRO-2A? Color me not impressed. Bet it’s better than what I have in NC though… I made myself sad…

    • Research the progun history of Kirsten Gillibrand (pre senate) you may feel slightly better. Also remember you do not need freedom papers just to buy a pistol.

  6. Upstate NY is FUDD territory for sure, hence the focus on hunting and conservation. BUT: why so much griping in the comments about a guy who basically shares our values when it comes to guns? Not that I especially trust any politician, but picking fights with people who express willingness to help out (or at least stay out of the way) seems pretty counterproductive when there are avowed socialists working extremely hard to take everything from us.

    • Well, speaking strictly for myself, he doesn’t “share (my) values” about guns. I’ve seen that particular dance schmed heard that song in that pitch too many times. I’ll guarantee you if they would have asked him anything at all about open carry, constitutional carry, or hell, REPEALING any existing restrictions on firearms he’d have turned into the Looney Tunes frog and starting dancing to the tune of “COMPROMISE AND COMMON SENSE.” And yes amigo, you are correct there are filthy Commies trying to take everything from us. Know how they’ve done it for 90 years? One little tiny, common sense compromise at a time.

      Which is why Ralph’s comment is correct. Again, speaking only for myself.

      • I’m certainly as frustrated with the system as anyone. It’s rigged, and it’s clearly no longer bound by constitutional law or the bill of rights. In an ideal world, we’d replace every one of the entrenched political class with liberty-minded originalists who would immediately start tearing out 100 years of rot.

        But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in the grubby real world where halfhearted conservative John Katko represents the 24th congressional district: a purple urban and suburban district in a deep-blue state run by Andrew Cuomo and his ilk. The representative from the 24th congressional district could easily – easily – vote against gun rights 100% of the time without enough pushback to make a bit of difference. Katko, to his credit, doesn’t do that.

        Yes, I suppose he does compromise too often. But the alternative is some Bernie Sanders supported, off-brand, upstate AOC who will vote against us. Every. Single. Time.

        The alternative is not – I repeat, NOT – some 2A purist who would easily win if we upstaters would just “get off our lazy butts and vote.” I know you’d like it to be, but it isn’t.

      • “And yes amigo, you are correct there are filthy Commies trying to take everything from us.”

        I am so thankful to Providence above that we were able to successfully combat Vladimir Putin’s efforts to sabotage this election.

        Many true American citizens are looking forward to the unsealing of Robert Mueller’s indictments at 12:01 on January 20, 2021.

        • Hey Miner, remember when Mitt Romney (of all people) named Russia and Putin as our greatest geopolitical opponents and Obama smugly laughed that, “the 1980’s called and wants it’s foreign policy back,” and then all the squeeing liberals and late-night comedy hosts (i.e. Top. Men.) clapped and laughed like trained seals because Obama was just SOO much smarter and cuter and cooler than icky conservatives? I remember. And yet here you are, with Putin now living rent-free in that cranium of yours.

          So did Obama lie? (Spoiler alert: yes)

          It’s not Putin who stole this election, dangerous as he is. It was the DNC.

          Also, why are all left-leaning comedy hosts men, you misogynist?

        • See Napresto’s response? You’ll never touch that, because he’s objectively correct and you can’t wiggle out of it you reptile. Go fuck yourself you slimy piece of shit.

        • Ha ha, you losers are so hilarious!

          And the DNC stole the election?

          How did they do that in a state like Georgia, with a Republican governor and a Republican Secretary of State?

          And you’re telling me that after four years of Trump running the department of justice he can do no better than this at protecting the elections?

          Winning!

          And regarding unbiased comedy, perhaps you should check out Samantha Bee on full frontal, I’m almost positive she’s a woman.

        • The fact that you think Samantha Bee is both unbiased and a comedian pretty much says it all. I’ll hand it to you that she’s a woman… possibly.

          As for the rest of your silly prattle, it’s the hard push (from the left) for unverified mail-in ballots that turned this election into the fiasco it is. There was no compelling COVID justification for this, but there was a strong incentive for leftists who saw defeat looming on the horizon to seize the obvious opportunity, manufacturing Democrat turnout from otherwise non-voters, including pets, out of state residents, and the deceased. If you can’t win fairly, win by “curing” ballots, verifying nothing, and “finding” votes where needed. Weirdly, this was only done for senile Joe Biden, not for house, senate, or local races, which is why the Democrats had such a terrible night otherwise.

          Mail in voting needs to end. Period. Every vote must require ID and verification from now on. Anything less is politicians trying to game the system and cheat the voters.

          Assuming you pull the scam off this time around, have fun with Biden as the face of your party. The media, ignored and irrelevant, won’t be able to hide his slide into dementia or his corruption for very long. It would be funny if it wasn’t tragic.

        • Do you remember when President Barack Hussein Obama closed down the two spy houses the Russians were operating in the US and ejected something like 40 Russian agents from the United States because of their election meddling?

          And now Trump’s department of justice is investigating presidential pardons for sale, this should really prove interesting.

          I can understand why you’re upset, even attorney general William Barr is in on the deep state conspiracy:

          “For the attorney general of the United States to make that statement — he is either a liar or a fool or both,” Dobbs said. Dobbs then went further, suggesting Barr was “perhaps compromised.” He characterized Barr as having “appeared to join in with the radical Dems and the deep-state and the resistance.”

  7. Look at that dude in that pic with his cute white gloves and preppy hunting sweater…..
    I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him…. typical rich pos….

  9. Great a federal NY congressman for guns. But in the democrat super majority government we have infringed on our rights to silence from the state republicans, the national republicans or any of the gun groups always standing around wit their hands out for money.

    When I can go to a store and buy a SCAR or order ammo online you have accomplished something. Until then I still have no gun freedoms.

  10. At my age with health issues and my best years behind me. I’ve lived a good life, worked hard, played hard and raised a family. I simply don’t care who supports the 2A or doesn’t. I will not give up my Rights or Firearms willingly. The threat of a long jail term or even death are no longer a deterrent to my Rights. I’d rather be dead than live as a Subject under Tyranny. The Founding Patriots understood what that means. Both those who became famous for their actions as well as those whose names have been lost to time. Each person will someday have to make that choice as they did. Probable much sooner than anyone wishes and yet the choice will have to be made. We face an Administration that has already dealt the cards and showed it’s hand. The question is will POTG call the bet or fold their cards in defeat. The Time is Coming Where Talk Will be Cheap and Actions Will be Expensive. The decisions made will determine the path this nation and it’s people will live under for years to come. Possibly forever. History has clearly shown every society that has allowed itself to be ruled by Tyranny has suffered great sorrow and required much bloodshed to once again live Free. If they are ever so fortunate. I know not how others will choose. I simply know that I will not live without Freedom. If War must come let it come to me so that my children and their children’s children can know the Freedom I enjoyed. Keep Your Powder Dry

  12. I’m pretty FUD up with Republicans who pretend the 2nd is about hunting. Yeah he isn’t going to support the grabby damned Democrat/Socialist/Communist agenda, but calling him a supporter of the 2nd Amendment is a bit of a stretch.

  13. In Georgia our Secretary of State is named Brad Raffensperger and just like Trump said on Thanksgiving he’s “an enemy of the people”. We can’t have a fair election in Georgia with him in office. I’ve convinced my family that we are boycotting the run off election. It’s a scam process.

    • Boycotting the Senate runoff election in Georgia is a huge mistake. The GOP must hold the Senate to serve as a firewall against Biden and the Leftist agenda. Vote!

  14. I received my NYS pistol permit at age 19 before, according to Federal Law, I could legally purchase handgun ammunition. I worked in private security, then in County security, then concluded with 33 years as a police officer retiring at the rank of lieutenant. My father was a police officer and a paid fire fighter. My family devoted our lives to public service. Upon retiring, do you realize that I cannot purchase or possess an AR-15 with a detachable magazine even though I have more range instruction/ use/ carry time and familiarity than most US soldiers?
    Mass killings are terrible, despicable acts committed by mentally deranged individuals with no simple answer but to ban and solely blame an item legitimately used by 10’s of thousands of Americans is not the answer. Neither is defunding the police because of a small percentage of bad cops. Should we have banned Rider Moving trucks and fertilizer to prevent more Oklahoma bombings? I think not. What’s the answer? There is no easy solution but an in depth working relationship between all facets of government including Social Work, Mental Health, Police, and Prison systems. It wouldn’t be a ‘catch all’ but I know at least 75% of the mass killers had prior negative involvement in these fields.
    On the other hand are career politicians wanting nothing more than your donation and vote.

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