Help NY2A Take Back the New York Senate from Democrat Gun Grabbers

Set Your Sights on Taking Back the New York Senate
Set Your Sights on Taking Back the New York Senate
New York 2nd Amendment Coalition
New York 2nd Amendment Coalition

New York – -(Ammoland.com)- After the SAFE Act was passed, many of us wanted to throw the bums out.

We wanted to roll up our sleeves, march into the state Capitol and drag Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers out by their ears.

But of course, this is the United States of America and Third World behavior like that is frowned upon. So, that leaves us with the ballot box.

But on Election Day, it won’t be possible for us to boot out ALL of those who voted for the SAFE Act.

New York State is systemically corrupt. For decades, state government has been run as a criminal syndicate. Attempts at reigning in the corruption have themselves been corrupted, as we have seen with the Moreland Commission.

Many lawmakers have pandered and gerrymandered themselves into comfortable incumbency.

Too many of them see the photo op with oversized checks as the measure of their success. Like pigs at the trough, lawmakers such as Sen. Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have raided public coffers to buy their districts.

The reality is, it is nearly impossible to mount serious challenges to the most entrenched lawmakers, who own local political committees and have seven-figure campaign accounts.

Another reality is that although there may be four million gun owners in the state, there are also millions of New Yorkers – including in Upstate and Long Island – who are too easily manipulated by fearmongering.

The state Democrat machine knows this and has adopted gun control and support for the SAFE Act as part of its official platform. The pied pipers of Albany and New York City lead whole regiments of voters into dependable voting blocs with this and other nonsense. So where does that leave the grassroots fight against the SAFE Act?

New Yorkers enraged by the SAFE Act are, for the most part, not of the political donor class.

The money flowing into Albany largely comes from New York City millionaires, political elitists, corporate interests and unions. A simple look at Cuomo’s campaign filings will show his money comes from Hollywood, Madison Avenue and Wall Street – not Main Street.

And with many New Yorkers struggling to simply keep their households afloat, campaign contributions may be seen as a luxury. Fundraising was always going to be our biggest hurdle.

Money is speech. It’s often been said that if every gun owner in the state ponied up $10 or $20, the effort to fight the SAFE Act would get a tremendous boost. But the fact is, anti-SAFE Act groups and politicians running on an anti-SAFE Act platform have not seen anything close to that.

That’s reality.

Although we won’t be able to vote out all of the lawmakers who voted for the SAFE Act, it is within our power to vote out enough to make a difference. We do this by triage. We carefully select those races where our limited resources will have the most impact.

“If a battle cannot be won, do not fight it.” – Sun Tzu

That essentially rules out spending money on Assembly races. The Assembly is a lost cause for Republicans in this state. The Democrat majority – which traditionally rubber stamps all anti-gun bills – is unassailable.

Therefore, our strategy is to put the state Senate in Republican hands. Our tactics include the guerrilla campaign against Cuomo we have waged since Day One. They also include NY2A Victory Fund – an independent expenditure campaign committee authorized by the state Board of Elections.

This type of expenditure committee allows us to legally raise and spend money directly on the 2014 election cycle. But we need your help today.

Although NY2A is a non-partisan organization, we recognize that hope for gun rights and the defeat of the SAFE Act lay squarely with Rob Astorino and a true Republican majority in the state Senate. For many years, a Republican majority fended off gun control legislation, such as microstamping and an enhanced assault weapons ban.

Although it was a handful of Republicans in the Senate that ultimately allowed the SAFE Act to pass, these quislings – led by Skelos – can be brushed to the side. They must be.

The Republicans lost the majority in 2008 for the first time in 40 years, but turmoil followed when the legislature reconvened in 2009 under hapless (and eventually indicted) Democrat leadership.

This prevented any forward movement on gun control in the ensuing years. The Republicans – in a 2012 power sharing agreement with the Independent Democratic Conference, regained nominal control of the Senate. But behind the scenes, there were likely deals made between Cuomo and Skelos. Deals that included approval of the SAFE Act.

It is vital a true Republican majority be seated in the Senate this January. Although we are very hopeful Astorino will come from behind and beat Cuomo on Nov. 4 2014, there are no guarantees.

If he is elected, his promise to repeal the SAFE Act will become much easier to fulfill with a Republican majority. If he is unsuccessful, a Republican majority will be able to block extremist gun control bills. It is a fact the gun grabbers are not done with us yet. SAFE Act II is on the horizon. ***

Set Your Sights on 30K in 30 Days
Set Your Sights on 30K in 30 Days

We have identified three Senate races on which we will be focusing. They include Senate Districts 41, 46 and 55. 

* District 41
That seat is held by Sen. Terry Gipson, an unabashed SAFE Act supporter. He is being challenged by Sue Serino, a veteran local representative who is in touch with the needs of her constituents. Serino has vowed to fight against the SAFE Act. The district includes parts of Dutchess and Putnam counties.

* District 46
Although Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk was not yet seated in the state Senate when the SAFE Act was passed due to a court battle over the 2012 results, she is on record as supporting the SAFE Act and would have likely cast vote in favor of it. Tkacyzk’s challenger, George Amedore, lost to her by just 18 votes in 2012. The district includes all or parts of Albany, Greene, Montgomery, Schenectady and Ulster counties.

* District 55
Sen. Ted O’Brien has called the SAFE Act reasonable and said it “is working.” Of course we know better. That’s why we are supporting Rich Funke, a former Rochester area TV newscaster, in his bid to unseat O’Brien, who voted for the SAFE Act. The district includes parts of Monroe and Ontario counties.

To select these districts, we analyzed voter enrollment statistics, previous election results, incumbent voting records, public statements made by the incumbents and strength of the opposition.

Our goal is to raise $30,000 in the next 30 days.

This amount, combined with what we have raised through your generous support so far, when applied to these three races, will have not only a tangible impact but a decisive one.

Our methodology for victory includes a new generation frontal assault involving digital marketing, as well as time-tested traditional methods. WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

Donate to the NY2A Victory Fund today!

Best Regards,
Jake Palmateer NY2A Victory Fund