Former Republican governor of New York George Pataki has very gingerly placed his foot inside his very busy mouth. The Republican presidential candidate did an interview with a publication called “The Skimm” in which he discussed topics ranging from health care to gun control. On that latter topic, the New York governor seemed woefully ignorant of the existing gun laws in the United States. Specifically, he claimed that . . .
The second thing with federal gun laws, is that we need to do a better job of enforcing them. It is illegal to bring a gun across state lines, and yet it happens all the time, and I don’t understand why the federal government is not doing far more to prevent that.
I agree that existing gun laws should be better enforced before making up new laws, but the former Governor seems to not understand that merely bringing firearms across state lines is not, in fact, a crime. The NRA has a handy little FAQ on that very subject if the good Mr. Pataki (or some underpaid drone on his staff) would like some reading material.
There’s some support for his claim, at least in New York. Handguns are licensed by the Empire State, and you can’t bring your handgun into the state without one of those super special licenses. So you can see where Mr. Pataki might have gotten confused.
But as much as New York likes to think of itself as the center of the known universe, the fact is that the vast majority of the states (of which Mr. Pataki aspires to be Commander in Chief) don’t have any such restrictions. I carried clear across the United States from Virginia to Texas (via Wisconsin) and didn’t even have to unholster the gun. Let alone ask the ATF for permission to cross state lines.
If Mr. Pataki wants to seem knowledgeable about his solutions to “gun violence,” he might want to know at least some of the basic laws currently on the books. Like the Firearm Owners Protection Act.
I wish they’d stop saying that “enforce the laws on the books” nonsense…
If they really want the votes of gun owners say that they’re for repealing the unnecessary and unconstitutional laws on the books (NFA, GCA, MGB, Brady, etc.) that treats gun owners as criminals who are presumed guilty until proven innocent and even after…
But then again… All the candidates are big government elitist types who look upon people like me with disdain, and are wholly ignorant of the second amendment and turn to gun grabbing when it’s politically expedient.
I wish they’d stop saying that “enforce the laws on the books” nonsense
+one godzillion.
What happens if a total gun ban is passed tomorrow? It would become a “law on the books” and by the logic of these clowns, something that should therefore be enforced.
We have entirely too many infringements “on the books,” some actually pushed by the NRA, with its continued boosterism of those laws (Background checks for purchases at LGSes, anyone?) and very many of the laws already “on the books” should be repealed, not enforced.
I’d also love to start hearing something about preemption when it comes to the second amendment; states and localities pass a law that infringes upon the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th amendments and the entire federal government is up in arms and they want the DOJ to federalize everything.
But a state passes a gun ban that infringes on the second amendment even more than the federal laws do, and nobody says a thing or these worthless pols on both sides will sort of side step and say “well states must have the right to govern themselves”.
They don’t say that when states I prison and prosecute illegals; and I wonder what these spineless jerks say about it if you said “states rights” and “1860”.
Oh wait I do… They’d resort to the tried and tested “racist” and “Jim Crowe” labels, and invoke lincolns name, the civil war, the emancipation proclamation and the preeminence of the fed.gov all faster than you could say “Ex Parte Milligan”.
What happens if some law is passed tomorrow? I don’t know. What if the Sun explodes tomorrow? Neither has anything to do with the author’s point.
The point of the article refers to existing laws. Hypothetical aws that might come into existence and some point in the future are not existing laws. You cannot move the goalpost and argue against a point that nobody made.
Good Lord, man, it’s all you can do to try, and still fail, to keep up with points that others actually have made. Don’t go overstretching your limited resources.
Not all the candidates are big government elitists. Rand Paul is in favor of eliminating taxes and gun control…along with half the federal government.
I’m a big Rand Paul fan, but unfortunately he’s not on the NRA’s payroll so they dont like him. And as much as I liked the NRA, I get why he isn’t with the NRA. Thanks to failed reporting, simply not being in the NRA according to CNN makes you against guns. Therefore anyone who does their research votes for him because he’s pro gun. And any CNN lacky that hates Hitlery votes for him because they think he’s against guns. The man is a political genius.
Yup.
The Brady Act? Unnecessary? Do you have any clue as to how many gun sales the Act has prevented to felons, people with domestic abuse charges, mentally ill? Yeah, I didn’t think you did. It’s closing in on 300,000.
Why do you yahoos think the crime statistics have gone down since 1993? Drives me nuts when you people don’t even bother to use critical thinking skills.
“Since the enactment of the Brady law on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2012, background checks blocked more than 2.4 million prohibited purchasers like domestic abusers, convicted felons, mentally ill persons, and other dangerous individuals from purchasing a firearm or receiving a permit to purchase or carry a firearm.”
Read the whole article yourself and become informed,stop being one of the clueless:
http://smartgunlaws.org/effectiveness-brady-actbackground-checks/
A New York politician is ignorant of United States firearm laws? I can barely contain my shock and amazement.
Him and King… They ought to run as democrats.
RINO.
What’s really funny are these words that are self descriptive of the author himself – and all you gun nutters:
“But as much as New York likes to think of itself as the center of the known universe”
Never in the history of the United States of America has there been such disregard of fellow humans as that of the present day gun nutters.
This election cycle is really freaking me out, 2 Republicans are in favor more 2 amendment restrictions than Bernie Sanders.
Don’t let him fool you, Bernie would be all for repealing the 2nd Amendment, if he didn’t need to pretend to be a Fudd to get elected in Vermont.
Spot on. We know it because of his votes, including those in favor of the semi-automatic rifles ban, Brady background checks, and for closing the mythical “gun show loophole.”
People in Vermont are nice, comfortable, cheerful souls who are immensely disconnected from the realities of life in the rest of America, let alone the rest of the world. They’re of the mindset that “If you’re not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to hide” and “It’s only minor inconveniences for stuff you infrequently buy, or don’t need, anyway, so it’s no big deal.” Well.
They’re wrong and provincial, which is amusing from afar, but potentially catastrophic were their views made national law.
I don’t know, aside from the hippies and the crazy democrats out of Burlington, I think most of the people who live there (rather than the snowbirds who just own property there but can still vote), have the opinion of “leave me the fuck alone and stay out of my business”.
They’re very redneck in that way.
I blame the damn hippies!
The man was not exactly known for his intellectual prowess when governor.
“There’s some support for his claim, at least in New York. Handguns are licensed by the Empire State, and you can’t bring your handgun into the state without one of those super special licenses…”
Unless you’re bringing it in on your way THROUGH the state, which is covered by federal law specifically making it legal.
Yeah, about that … that assumes the local police and judges care about that law.
Exactly. I have read a number of articles where people have been arrested while traveling through NY with a gun even though they were following the federal law that allows it. In other words, NY has a reputation for completely ignoring that federal law.
As a NY resident with a CC permit, I often wonder if it’s worth the paper it’s printed on.
In some counties they don’t laminate handgun permits, and if you laminate it yourself then it becomes void. If you accidentally ruin it you get to go through the whole licensing process again. There is no number to call to report it lost, stolen, or damaged. You’re just f*cked.
try to come up with a valid and sensible fact based reason to ban SBRs and silencers. try to come up with a sensible explanation for why you can’t put a stock on a pistol, or mount a folding stock on a shotgun. explain the logic that requires the original ATF approval to follow a silencer everywhere, like a paper puppydog.
assigning evil intent to inanimate objects instantly disqualifies the speaker.
the laws on the books include a lot of silly arbitrary grasping at straws that serve no purpose and solve no problems.
Oh, they serve a purpose. They disarm us and empower the state. And they are the only laws which the Feds will actively make sure are enforced vis a vis ATF/FBI.
The fact that we need a Firearms Owners Protection Act at all is just ridiculous.
Is this the same Firearm Owners Protection Act that does Jack Sh!t protection for you in NJ and NY State?
How about real teeth for the Firearm Owners Protection Act?
RINO: exhibit A.
People actually voted for this moron.
Well, look at the moron that’s in there now. There’s your answer.
Of course, on that trip, you drove straight through Illinois without ever getting out of your car because Illinois does not honor out-of-state concealed carry licenses (although they graciously allow you to be armed in your car as you drive through Illinois if you have an out-of-state concealed carry license).
As someone who spent the first 19 years of my life in Illinois, and occasionally returns to visit family, I can assure you that driving straight through without getting out of your car is the best way to experience that state.
I thought the best way was to look at it from across the border.
I prefer looking at it via pictures on the Internet from my home in Arizona.
I just drove to Wisconsin, from Virginia. According to the Wisconsin State Police website, I believe my Virginia concealed carry permit was not recognized in the Badger state; only the Virginia non-resident permit has reciprocity. WTH? I’m confused (as usual).
This is what I hate about the the conflicting and complicated law, surrounding “permission” to carry, to protect my family and myself. Things are improving, but we have a long way to go.
As someone who frequently travels from my gun-loving state (ky) to un-gun-friendly (ny) with wife and small child in tow, having to leave my heater at home on road trips, through sketchy truck stops, often late at night, NY’s outright out of state handgun ban is horribly unconstitutional. NY offers no out of state permits, so even though I travel through reciprocity states, PA and OH, I would have to ditch my hat at a bus station locker in Erie if I didn’t want to be disarmed the whole way. Neither prospect appeals to me
In Washington, we have a state law that any government building that bans weapons (e.g. the courthouse) must provide secure weapons storage. Maybe we need a federal law like that applied to the states. The locker business would be booming in the northeast and California.
the vast majority of the states (of which Mr. Pataki aspires to be Commander in Chief)
The title commander in chief applies purely to the president’s military authority. And the president does not hold any leadership position over the states. He holds a leadership position in the federal republic formed by those sovereign states.
State sovereignty will continue to fade, and be replaced by centralized statism, if people continue to incorrectly think this way.
The blog offers no way to comment and correct Mr Pataki.
The irony of the situation here is that George Pataki reinstated the death penalty in New York in 1995. NY disbanded it in 2004, but the simple fact remains, this is the guy who reinstated it.
So, he’s OK with the government monopoly on lethal force, but us mere mortals, god forbid…
I think that Pataki meant to say that it’s illegal to transport a gun from anywhere in New York State into New York City. NYC does not recognize NY state-issued permits.
I can understand Pataki’s confusion. It seems absurd that a city could give the finger to the state, but hey, that’s New York.
He is part of the aristocracy and speaks for all us lesser serfs who need parenting.
It looks like the GOP is trying to lose the unlosable election.
With Hilary as a Dem candidate, it shouldn’t take too much effort with her political baggage.
(As I was typing “Hilary” on my phone, a typo resulted in the word Gulag appearing in the auto-correct)
(As I was typing “Hilary” on my phone, a typo resulted in the word Gulag appearing in the auto-correct)
Skynet knows! lol
The federal law will not protect you if driving through NY state and a cop pulls you over and finds the handgun. I believe you have to be going straight through or to a competition, shoot and leave…straight out of the state.
When I got my handgun permit in NY state, the instructor (no shooting, just talking and instructing) could not legally allow me to touch a real handgun. Unless you are a certified range officer at a range, you cannot touch someone else’s firearm. Someone correct me if I’m wrong
The Sullivan Act in NY state (gun control) was passed in 1911, Sullivan was a gangster and a state legislator. He got it passed so his adversaries would be unarmed. I bought a book on NY state law regarding firearms and the two idiots who wrote it dedicated it to Sullivan. In some ways he got what he deserved . . .syphilis and died ignobly. The gangsters (politicians) are still in charge.
“Unless you are a certified range officer at a range, you cannot touch someone else’s firearm. Someone correct me if I’m wrong”
OK, you’re wrong.
See NYS Penal Law
§ 265.20 Exemptions.
7-a. Possession and use, at an indoor or outdoor pistol range located in or on premises owned or occupied by a duly incorporated organization organized for conservation purposes or to foster proficiency in small arms or at a target pistol shooting competition under the auspices of or approved by the national rifle association for the purpose of loading and firing the same, by a person duly licensed to possess a pistol or revolver pursuant to section 400.00 or 400.01 of this chapter of a pistol or revolver duly so licensed to another person who is present at the time.
A coworker said he liked the idea of arresting people for stupidity, like the in the Canadian parachuter story. Then he said something about already over populated prisons. I asked “If we arrested all the stupid people, who would govern us?”
The only difference between prisoners and politicians is the press coverage…
I would change this comment. “or some underpaid drone on his staff” to unpaid intern or volunteer because if someone is getting paid and they don’t know this they should be fired.
Don’t forget about FOPA folks.
Even thought the Federal Second Circuit has eviscerated it with respect to Port Authority airports. Its still respected and observed on dry land.
Don
Its illegal to take my Colt M4 LE6920 across any state lines without permission from the ATF…
Pesky SBRs.
“There’s some support for his claim, at least in New York. Handguns are licensed by the Empire State, and you can’t bring your handgun into the state without one of those super special licenses.”
Actually, that’s not entirely true (not that I’m defending NYS’s draconian laws in anyway), BUT, there are limited exceptions to that restriction the permit average non-residents to posess and use handguns in the [Evil] Empire State: NY PEN: 265.20)…
Reading it spelled out on the NRA site really highlights how “un-free” we are. Unloaded, locked case, separate container for ammunition, and in a separate compartment from passengers. Even then, in MA,CT and NY you “might” immediately wind up cuffed and stuffed for possessing a useless tool on your way to visit Grammy. A tool I have owned, used, and carried in my home state for 25 years without a single incident.
As a frog in a warming pot, I was better off being ignorant.
Pataki is an F- on our civil rights. He was a horrible governor who made NY gun laws much worse in 2000.
Also, “enforce the laws” is ok if it’s coming from Vermont….. But not New Jersey.
Wait a minute….Virginia to Texas via Wisconsin? What path did you take??!?
And we let people like this rule us. I guess we deserve it.
“I agree that existing gun laws should be better enforced before making up new laws…”
Did you really just say that?!
The dog down the block would be a better presidential nominee than this sack….
Then again, it is the Repugnicon establishment in charge.
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