Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Since our last edition, we have seen the AWB 2.0 (proposed federal “Assault Weapon Ban”) pass the House of Representatives (217 Yea/213 nay/1 absent) and then stall (for the time being) in the US Senate Judiciary Committee. This unenforceable and misguided legislation was cosponsored and voted for by a host of Pennsylvania Representatives:
Democrats: Brendon F. Boyle, Cartwright, Dean, Mike Doyle, Evans, Houlahan, Connor Lamb, Scanlon, Wild.
Republican: Fitzpatrick
While it seems unlikely that this bill will make it through the US Senate, look at how quickly it moved through the House and recognize how elected officials had no problem with disarming the citizens while arming themselves, the government.
The elected class must disarm “you” to control “us”.
We The People ARE the final check and balance in our Constitutional Republic and the ultimate homeland security. These “representatives” know this and for the last 2 years, they have waged a war of servitude upon the citizenry. If government can disarm us, make us poor, make us scared, make us weary of others, have us identify as anything other than “Americans”, allow the criminals to run amuck, and keep us locked down in our homes, and make us dependent upon government … they will ultimately have total control.
Take note of all of these so called “Representatives” and vote accordingly in November!
Recently, I visited Mike Doyle’s office in Washington D.C. His staff was very courteous and facilitated a last-minute visit to Rep. Doyle’s office. I offered my opinion to his staff, gave my contact information and offered to share additional thoughts and data with the Representative. I offered my expertise to be a resource for him and encouraged his staff to share my want to talk to the Representative.
All I ever receive from Rep. Mike Doyle is the same tired carbon copied standardized email response that I have been getting from him for years. Mike Doyle does not Represent me. I am just a person that lives in his district. HIS district. Many in the elected class look upon the districts that they represent as “their” district. Like a small fiefdom where they are the lord, and we are the serfs.
Any elected official that actively moves and votes for the restriction of the individual rights and liberties of Americans must be removed from office. We have a chance to do this in November. Read the list above, and look up the voting record of all of those on the ballot and VOTE ONLY for those that empower the people not work to restrict and control them. Remember, “We The People” have the ultimate power…. ACT ACORDINGLY.
By Kim Stolfer, FOAC-ILLEA President
After a robbery at gunpoint during a church service Bishop Whitehead clashed with Gov. Hochuls’ policies that called for disarming individuals who are on church property.
While we can sympathize with Bishop Whitehead’s beliefs it still doesn’t matter because the law is the law.
Still, Whitehead firmly believes the law should change in favor of the right of self-defense.
“They need to pass a law expeditiously that pastors of houses of worship, anyone on the ecclesiastical staff, need to be able to have permits for firearms,” said Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who was robbed in his Canarsie storefront church on Sunday. “If the teachers can have it, we should be able to have it.”
I think Whitehead might want to refresh himself on New York state law, which does not allow for armed school staff any more than it recognizes the right of law-abiding citizens to carry in a church, synagogue, or mosque, even with approval by worship leaders.
Of course, in order for Whitehead to be able to lawfully carry, it sounds like there might need to be additional changes to state and federal law.
Such a law should even overlook the sins of his own past, said Whitehead, who served time in prison on an identity theft charge.
“No matter if we have a record, it should be exempt,” Whitehead said. “So we should be able to bear arms as the Constitution says.”
… In a news conference outside the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries, Whitehead said elected officials, including Gov. Hochul and President Biden, should do more to help churches.
“I’m calling on every elected official that has power to protect houses of worship,” Whitehead said. “We need protection. We need you to sympathize with us. We don’t get the luxury of having firearms. All we’re asking is help us protect ourselves. Pass a law where we can carry our firearms, because this gun violence has gone to a new level. “
We don’t know if the good Bishop has repeated the thoughts of his fellow clergy but we question why members of clergy are any different than the average citizen in their need for self-defense? The right to bear arms and self-defense is a right of the people and not just pastors and clergy who are having their civil rights abused by the state’s laws in light of the Supreme Court decision in Bruen.
By Stephen LaSpina, FOAC-ILLEA Board Member
In NY vs. Bruen, the Supreme Court set further precedent that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right, nor a right that may be whimsically removed by government officials. Specifically, this case dealt with the ability to lawfully carry ones firearm for self-protection, striking down the concept that states “may issue” a permit to a law-abiding citizen, instead insisting that they “shall issue” it. This case is just the latest example of what happens when courts take a plain and unbiased look at the text of the 2nd Amendment and it’s practical implications.
This is not the first time we’ve won in the courts or in state legislatures. There was the landmark D.C. vs. Heller win at the Supreme Court. There are the 25 states that now have Constitutional Carry signed into law. Many other examples could be cited. But no matter how many wins we rack up, gun-grabbers continue to ignore what is lawful and impose their tyrannical will on the people.
In direct response to Bruen, Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, is attempting to simply make everywhere she possibly can a state-enforced “gun free zone.”
In essence, what she is saying is, “Sure, we may have to issue permits now, they just won’t be valid for the vast majority of public places you can otherwise lawfully be.” She’s after public transportation, parks, and daycares, just to name a few.
Additionally, a majority of U.S. House Representatives just voted to ban many commonly-owned rifles and handguns in a new “assault weapons” ban. These types of firearms are utilized by millions of Americans for self-defense, sporting pursuits, and hunting.
These elected officials are ignoring established law and precedent, not to mention the Constitution, and enacting their own agenda: disarming responsible citizens. They care little for what is lawful and right, and instead seek to disarm the populace however they are able.
These officials are not stupid. They know full well what they are doing. They despise your natural rights and want to deprive you of them, while they themselves often take full advantage of the very rights they seek to deny you. They simply don’t care if what they’re doing is lawful or not.
We need to understand our enemy. It is good that we defeat them in the courts and through legislation. But they are showing that those victories will not stop them from assaulting our freedoms. They are ideologues bent on destroying the natural rights that make our country unique.
We must find our resolve to defy such tyrants and preserve our heritage as Americans. We must not lose momentum in the battle; we must do all we can to pass on the legacy of being a free American to our children. We must match and exceed the resolve of our enemies.
To win this fight, we can’t afford to have any responsible gun owner staying on the sidelines. There is much work to be done. Join us.
By Kim Stolfer, FOAC-ILLEA President
On Friday, July 22 US District Judge Raymond Moore, an Obama appointee, issued a Temporary Restraining Order against a Colorado towns (Superior) assault weapon ban.
Employing the test created in Bruen, he ruled the town’s ban is unconstitutional.
“The conduct regulated by this provision of the Amended Code, the right to possess, sell, or transfer illegal weapons, (which, as defined, include weapons commonly used by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes), is covered, at least in part, by the Second Amendment, and therefore that conduct is presumptively protected,” Moore wrote.
Judge Moore said he couldn’t identify historical precedent for the town’s ban, which was a key part of the Supreme Court’s reasoning in the Bruen case that found New York’s gun-carry regime unconstitutional.
“The Court is sympathetic to the Town’s stated reasoning,” Moore wrote. “However, the Court is unaware of historical precedent that would permit a governmental entity to entirely ban a type of weapon that is commonly used by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, whether in an individual’s home or in public.”
He ruled there was “a strong likelihood” the Plaintiffs that gun-rights groups “will be successful on the merits” in the case, which met the standard for a temporary restraining order against the law’s enforcement.
Superior’s ordinance, which had the backing of gun-control groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, banned anything meeting its definitions of “an assault weapon, large-capacity magazine, rapid-fire trigger activator, blackjack, gas gun, metallic knuckles, gravity knife or switchblade knife.”
By Kim Stolfer, FOAC-ILLEA President
I can remember a time when the Democrats were actually pro-gun but that time has long since passed. Beginning with the assault weapon ban in 1994, which included a sunset clause of 10 years, the polarization of both Pennsylvania politics and the national politics of demagoguery apparently knows no bounds.
At the end of the 10 years, multiple studies have shown that there was no effect to the banning of assault weapons. So, what was the net effect? A furtherance of the Democrats Jihad against the Bill of Rights and the basic freedoms of Americans!
Despite the claims of the President to the contrary, the CPRC study clearly shows the bias of the Rand Corporation towards assault weapon bans and gun control in general.
Fast forwarding to this year, the emotional handwringing over the Uvalde, Texas mass murder where nearly 400 police officers sat outside the classrooms for almost 2 hours caused Sen. John Cornyn and 14 of his colleagues to betray their oath of office and supported the Democrats in betraying theirs! Setting aside for the moment the natural desire to do something only makes it that much more egregious when all the revelations came out in the days and weeks after it happened that exposed the utter failure of law enforcement.
That leads to the current situation of the House of Representatives enacting an Assault Weapon Ban that is embodied in the information below:
Again, the Democrats vote in utter lockstep on gun control issues and have taken advantage of the Republicans natural desire to be liked. There can be no weakening or lessening of our opposition to attacks on the Bill of Rights. Even more so, the oath of office that each politician takes binds them to the Constitution, above all else. Something our legislative leaders seem to have forgotten in their zeal to maintain power and get reelected!
During the debate over the bill, Democrats said the rifles they want to ban are 'the weapon of choice for mass shooters,' which is not true: Most mass shooters use handguns. Democrats said the features targeted by the bill make rifles especially deadly, which also is not true: With or without those features, a rifle fires the same ammunition at the same rate with the same muzzle velocity.
Even while implying that the rifles covered by the ban are good for nothing but mass murder, Democrats emphasized that the bill would exempt the 24 million or so 'assault weapons' that Americans already own. They refused to grapple with the constitutional implications of banning guns that millions of people use for lawful purposes.
When confronted by that reality, Republicans noted, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D–N.Y.) said 'the problem is that they are in common use.' Rep. David Cicilline (D–R.I.), the bill's sponsor, likewise had no patience for Second Amendment arguments, saying, 'Spare me the BS about constitutional rights.'
Every Democrat presidential nominee since 1984 went to law school (although Gore did not graduate – Biden (no surprise) was at the bottom of his class). Every Democrat vice presidential nominee since 1976, except for Lloyd Bentsen, went to law school. Barack Obama was a lawyer. Michelle Obama was a lawyer. Hillary Clinton was a lawyer. Bill Clinton was a lawyer. John Edwards is a lawyer. Elizabeth Edwards was a lawyer. Look at leaders of the Democrat Party in Congress: Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is a lawyer. Former Senator Harry Reid was a lawyer.
The Republican Party is different. President Trump is a businessman. President Bush 1 and 2 were businessmen. Vice President Cheney was a businessman. President Eisenhower was a 5 star General. The leaders of the Republican Revolution: Newt Gingrich was a history professor. Tom Delay was an exterminator. Dick Armey was an economist. Ex-House Minority Leader John Boehner was a plastics manufacturer. The former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is a heart surgeon. Who was the last Republican president who was a lawyer? Gerald Ford, who left office 31 years ago and who barely won the Republican nomination as a sitting president, running against actor Ronald Reagan in 1976. The Republican Party is made up of real people doing real work, who are often the targets of lawyers. This is very interesting. I had never thought about it this way before.
The Democrat Party is made up of lawyers. Democrats mock and scorn men who create wealth, like Trump, Bush, and Cheney, or who heal the sick like Frist, or who immerse themselves in history like Gingrich. The Lawyers Party sees these sorts of people, who provide goods and services that people want, as the enemies of America. And, so, in the eyes of the Lawyers Party, we have seen the procession of official enemies grow. Against whom do Hillary and Obama rail? Pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, hospitals, manufacturers, fast food restaurant chains, large retail businesses, bankers, and anyone producing anything of value in our nation.
This is the natural consequence of viewing everything through the eyes of lawyers. Lawyers solve problems by successfully representing their clients, which, in this case should be the American people. Lawyers seek to have new laws passed, they seek to win lawsuits, they press appellate courts to overturn precedent, and lawyers always parse language to favor their side. Confined to the narrow practice of law, that is fine. But it is an awful way to govern a great nation.
Where are the polls at? Let’s take a look at just one of the three polls that show a drop-in support since the Uvalde Texas mass murder. Support for the measures has now fallen below 50 percent, according to a poll from Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday. That represents a slight drop from the previous all-time low for the policy set in Quinnipiac’s June poll. It is the third survey from a prominent pollster to identify a drop in support for a ban after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24th.
ARs seem to be following a similar path to handguns. Pistols have long been the leading category of firearms used in most mass shootings and other murders. In 1959, Gallup found 59 percent of Americans favored a ban on handguns. Now, the number is down to 27 percent and hasn’t been above 40 percent in nearly 30 years.
So, in the end, it is up to us (each individual citizen) to cast aside the disinformation in the media and wrest control from the powerbrokers around us and determine our fate.
By Kim Stolfer, FOAC-ILLEA President
Once respected as an organization dedicated to justice and the law, some fear the bureau is now nothing more than a political arm of the Democrat Party. And at least one member of Congress has had enough.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a statement revealing that “multiple FBI whistleblowers, including those in senior positions, are raising the alarm about tampering by senior FBI and Justice Department officials in politically sensitive investigations ranging from election and campaign finance probes across multiple election cycles to investigative activity involving derogatory information on Hunter Biden’s financial and foreign business activities.”
Now, Grassley is pressing Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to further investigate the Bidens.
“Director Wray, I am deeply concerned that the FBI and that the Department of Justice have become thoroughly politicized,” Cruz said. “Now, that’s fairly remarkable that the Betsy Ross flag, in the FBI’s indication, is indicative of militia violent extremism because among other people who’ve been publicly alongside the Betsy Ross flag we have President Barack Obama — who was sworn in directly underneath two Betsy Ross flags,” Cruz noted with visual aids showing the Obama inauguration. “It’s not just President Obama,” he added. “We also have president Biden, who was sworn in under Betsy Ross flags.”
“What are y'all doing?” Cruz marveled. “This makes no sense.”
Clearly, something must be done. We need to trust that the FBI and DOJ are fighting to uphold the Rule of Law, whether involving Democrats or Republicans. But right now Americans are rightly losing trust in the FBI.
Texas Senator John Cornyn added an important point: “The rank-and-file FBI agents — all 38,000 of them — I think are honorable people, but there’s been a rot that was created in the agency that I am not sure Director Wray has fully gotten rid of.”
Read More: https://patriotpost.us/articles/90335
By Klint Macro FOAC-ILLEA 2nd VP
Senator Arthur Haywood III is not known for his support of the 2A or Article 1 Section 21 of the PA Constitution. I have had multiple conversations with him over the years and it is safe to say that although our conversations were respectful and civil, we are not in alignment on the issue of firearms and the individual citizen’s right to self-defense.
In Senator Haywood’s most recent newsletter, he addresses “gun violence” by cleaning up “blight” through a beautification initiative. I found this to be an interesting approach, especially from someone who generally focuses on the “gun” over the “violence” when addressing crime in the Commonwealth. According to his newsletter, “blight increases gun violence in neighborhoods”.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “Blight” as:
something that frustrates plans or hopes
something that impairs or destroys
a deteriorated condition
I find Senator Haywood’s solution to be admirable. I have personally observed that a clean and orderly environment generally promotes respect and decorum. As an added benefit, cleaner neighborhoods are certainly safer from a public heath standpoint too. Maybe Senator Haywood is on to something?
The City of Philadelphia is one of the most violent places in Pennsylvania and perhaps the nation. The Philly government has proven to be very good at creating bureaucratic quagmires, empowering criminals, promoting lawlessness, and over taxing and restricting their citizens.
Anti-gun politicians often attach the word, “gun” to the word “violence” so that they can promote a narrative that the gun is the problem and or the catalyst to the violence. Perhaps Senator Haywood’s article is an attempt to capitalize on a valuable trash clean-up program as way to promote an anti-gun narrative. On the other hand, perhaps Senator Haywood recognizes that a solution to violence in our communities starts with developing a sense of respect, pride, and “community” with in our communities. If the latter is the case, I applaud his efforts.
The November election will afford us an excellent opportunity to clean up a lot of “blight” in our local, state, and federal governments. This “governmental blight” is most certainly frustrating the hopes and plans of law-abiding Pennsylvanians, it impairs and destroys freedoms, and most clearly promotes the deteriorating condition that has become our state and our nation. Let’s clean up our government. ONLY vote for those that will support your individual rights and the rights of ALL Americans. Vote for those that seek to empower the citizenry NOT restrict them. Vote ONLY for those that have a track record of holding criminals and other elected officials accountable.
Perhaps we can take a page out of Senator Haywood’s book and do some cleaning up in November.
By Kim Stolfer, FOAC-ILLEA President
Democrat Murder Capitals-This topic is truly sad. Murder is the horrific act of stealing life. Its effects are scarring to families and communities. As long as there is sin in this world, there will be murder. But the willful policies that Democrats have put in place in their cities are encouraging this particular type of crime to fester and grow.
According to Crime Analytics, a website that keeps track of crime statistics, the cities with populations of 200,000 or more with the most murders per capita are New Orleans, Baltimore, Birmingham, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.
Of the top 31 cities cited by Crime Analytics, only four are run by Republican mayors. That means that about 87% of the murder capitals are run by Democrats. (The percentages should be even more polarized because Las Vegas’s mayor was originally a Democrat who changed parties because the wokesters left him behind. And, really, should Virginia Beach even count?) Mind you, this murder rate is only per capita. Unsurprisingly, the city with the most murders overall is Chicago. This is a major factor in so many businesses — and sports teams — leaving that city.
What does this all point to? It’s what we have been talking about again and again — Democrat-run cities, especially those that are more in the progressive “woke” camp, champion policies that encourage crime, not dissuade it.
How do they do this? They have in large part verbally denounced their law enforcement and/or fiscally handicapped them. Mayors like London Breed of San Francisco were big proponents of the “defund police” movement, which got a lot of traction after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a few reckless police. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defunded the Chicago police force in 2020, only to quickly realize what a huge mistake that was. She refunded it in 2021.
Vilifying police both by word and deed has also led to a decrease in recruitment numbers. After all, who in their right mind would put their life on the line for a community led by these voices that tell them they are racists and corrupt to the core?
Where you have Democrat mayors you also have Democrat district attorneys who are what infamous socialist billionaire George Soros calls “reform-minded.” That means these prosecutors are uninterested in going after criminals and bringing justice to victims. They are, however, interested in upending the law enforcement system that they see as systemically racist. It’s worth pointing out that the vast majority of these Democrat mayors are black. If there was systemic racism, would they even have been elected?
The surging crime and horrific loss of life at the hands of murderers is a tragic consequence both of sin but also of removing deterrents and boundaries in the law — largely thanks to poor governance. This particular data set is an indictment of those policies and the tragic consequences on their communities.
Read More: https://patriotpost.us/articles/90333
FBI Director Found It 'Deeply Disturbing' the Way Hunter Biden Allegations Were Handled
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) grilled Wray on whether or not Hunter Biden’s drawn salary could constitute an intelligence risk, to which the FBI Director agreed.
“If the FBI received information that foreign persons had evidence of improper or unlawful financial payments to elected officials or other politically-exposed persons, would that pose a national security concern?” Grassley asked.
Wray responded by saying “Well I think the kind of conduct you’re describing is typically something that very closely, through our efforts at malign foreign influence, it starts to shade into a blend of what we call malign foreign influence with potential public corruption. And it’s something we take seriously.”
The CIA's hidden knowledge about the true nature of reality.
This is our post from Truth Social and it deals with the nature of reality and thought. It is provocative and thought provoking. Enjoy!
https://www.bitchute.com/video/oyhrqtZ2Rl1z/
Experts Warn Manchin's Spending Bill Will Make Inflation Worse
Several Republicans are sounding the alarm on Democrats proposed “Inflation Reduction Act,” claiming that it will only make the nation’s economy worse, and experts are ringing that to be true.
Contrary to its name, over 200 economists are arguing that the “Inflation Reduction Act” will actually burden the U.S., making the economy worse off than it is now.
In a letter to the House and Senate leadership, experts said that the U.S. economy is already at a “dangerous crossroad” and passing the bill would put the country in serious risk.
The Hidden Cost of the Medal of Honor (MOH)
Before the death of Desmond Doss (USA, MOH), whose heroic story was accurately portrayed in the feature film “Hacksaw Ridge,” he put his artifacts, including his Medal of Honor, in our hands to preserve in a fitting future location honoring all his fellow recipients. He embodied the character of all recipients, and he knew that we would honor them, particularly by way of educating young people, which was Desmond’s passion.
https://patriotpost.us/alexander/90317
Law Enforcement Heads Up: From a Friendly LEO in Louisiana-Burdens of NICS
So, I saw a dispatch for deputies to a CCW class facility and FFL dealer. Notes said 'NICS denial'.
2018 Louisiana revised statute 14:95.1.3 E(1)
If a person is reported ineligible to purchase firearms by NICS, the licensed dealer shall report the denial to the sheriff of the parish in which the attempted purchase occurred and to the Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System (LAVNS).
Note: LAVNS is for domestic violence.
So, if you get denied, your name goes in the domestic violence database, even if you've never been charged with a domestic crime. And NICS can deny based on traffic warrants, which is odd because about half a million people in this state currently have remaining traffic warrants due to courts being shut down during covid- rather than holding trials, the state elected to revoke the suspect's license and issue a bench warrant.
Guess what happens when I pull them over? Hey man, you can't drive and I'm taking your license. You have traffic warrants. They're not gonna cut you a new court date, so you gotta call the court and sort it out. Without driving. And I have to cite you for driving under suspension even though you had no idea, because that's how you get your license back. So covid cost you even more money now. Sorry, pal. Good luck!
To view the complete list of FOAC-ILLEA Events visit the website.
FOAC-ILLEA Gun Bash Tikets will be availble SOON. Stand by for a Gun Bash Ticket Announcement.
A Call For Volunteers
FOAC-ILLEA volunteer Kevin Jackson is looking for folks to help at FOAC-ILLEA booth at the Washington County Gun Show at the Washington County Fairgrounds on September 24-25th. If you volunteer, you will get free admission and the ability to schedule personal time to walk the floor and enjoy the show. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Kevin directly at 412-302-3544.
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Firearms Owners Against Crime Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Educational Action is constantly having dialog with elected officials in an effort to educate them about the law, firearms safety, gun ownership, self-defense, and Article 1 Section 21 of the PA Constitution. FOAC-ILLEA holds the feet of elected officials to the fire when it comes to upholding the Constitution and protecting the rights and liberties of ALL Pennsylvanians.
FOAC-ILLEA is actively engaged in the Courts to fight tyrants, stand up for Citizens, and help to establish court precedent that will help the cause of Liberty for generations.
We are working together with other like minder organizations to pursue the same causes together, as together we are stronger than apart.
FOAC-ILLEA is an all-volunteer organization, and we operate on donations from people who believe in the cause of Liberty. We are always looking for those that will donate their time, talent, and treasure.
If you are in a position to donate to help us continue the fight for Liberty, please do so today!
Stay Armed and Be Well Regulated!
Yours in Liberty,
Klint Macro
2nd VP FOAC-ILLEA
