Foundation for a Safer NY: Improve Our Safety Laws
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Who we are:
We the People are a group of citizens who are tired of government officials who, through well-intentioned but misguided laws, negatively affect the safety of our communities. For nearly 100 years New York lawmakers have promised the public that the weapons laws they passed would make New Yorkers safe. They haven’t.
We the People are taking back the reins by working with our fellow citizens to keep our communities safe. By empowering the individual to make their own decisions; ensuring our government works for the people and fighting to defend our inalienable rights we believe that all New Yorkers will be safer as a result.
We've been in touch with several 2A attorneys and are confident that we can win this case. We're waiting to see how some cases shake out and we'll be selecting legal counsel based on the outcome of those pending cases.
Issues we are suing in regards to:
- Removing the requirement to have a pistol permit to possess handguns in the home (All of NYS)
- Removing the requirement to have a rifle/shotgun permit to possess in the home and for other sporting purposes (NYC)
- Remove the registration requirement for handguns and rifles/shotguns in NY, while keeping background checks in place
- Standard magazine capacity limits on pistols, rifles and shotguns (All of NYS)
- Out-of-state permits not being valid in NYS/NYC
- Purchase rationing (NYC)
- Two pistol limit (NYC)
- Removing the Affidavit of Co-Habitant requirement (NYC)
- FDNY ammo limitations in NYC (200 rounds)
Unreasonable Permit Wait Times:
New York State has demonstrated time and time again that they can’t be trusted to process permit applications and amendments in a timely manner. Some areas of New York have up to a two-year wait time.
“Giambalvo v. Suffolk County (E.D. NY): Lawsuit filed challenging Suffolk County's gun permit policies and practices in light of Bruen, claims that "the wait time to be assigned to an 'investigator' is approximately 2 years." Rob Romano (@2aupdates), 2022
Concerns With Stored Registration Data:
Having a database of our citizens and their property/firearms doesn’t make us safer or prevent crimes. In fact, having such a database makes the chances of some bad actor accessing it and using it for malicious purposes much greater. In 2012 The Journal News published an online, interactive map showing the addresses of all gun owners in Westchester and Rockland counties.
No database can be kept secure by the government as evidenced by another breach, this time in California.
California gun owners' personal data exposure is more extensive than previously known
Registration of firearms violates the second amendment and infringes on our property rights. We all deserve to have our data kept safe. If the government can’t do that then they shouldn’t be allowed to keep it.
Onerous Registration Schemes:
Across the state, purchasing a handgun requires one to go to their local police department (or designated department), which may result in a loss of work/multiple days of pay. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to forfeit significant amounts of their living wages to exercise their constitutional rights. Low-income citizens are especially affected by this kind of registration scheme.
These burdensome, complex and expensive processes force New Yorkers to rely on police agencies for protection. Protection that those agencies are not obligated to provide.
The U.S. Judicial system has affirmed multiple times that the police have no obligation to protect you as an individual in the event of a violent crime.
In New York City Joseph Lozito was attacked by a knife-wielding man on an NYC subway with two NYPD officers present in the same train car.
The NYPD officers stood by and watched as Lozito grappled with his attacker. Lozito received seven stab wounds as police stood feet away and watched him fight for his life. Lozito somehow managed to wrestle his attacker to the ground. Then, once the fighting was over, did the two NYPD officers approach and arrest the attacker. At no point during the assault did the NYPD officers make any effort to confront, distract or subdue the attacker.
Lozito took the NYPD to court over their inaction but it was decided in the New York State Supreme Court that the NYPD had "no special duty" to protect Lozito. If New York police agencies are under no obligation to protect its citizens then we can’t rely on them to protect us in our times of need.
NYPost: “City says cops had no duty to protect subway hero who subdued killer"
Similar rulings and legal affirmations that the police have no obligation to protect you have been issued in:
Castle Rock v Gonzales (2005)
DeShaney v Winnebago County (1989)
Conclusion:
New Yorkers deserve the right to decide for themselves whether they would like to keep and bear to protect their lives and property. This lawsuit will address the many shortcomings identified in the multitude of New York State gun laws while keeping common-sense background checks in place.
We the People would greatly appreciate your help with this lawsuit. At the advice of our counsel, we are looking to raise $15,000. This should cover the lawsuit up to the Supreme Court of the United States if it comes to that.
Any money left over will be documented and made publicly available. A small portion of it will be used in creating a formal organization, funding local events across our state, and funding future lawsuits.
Your donations are not tax deductible, as we are not a 501(c)3
Fundraising team (4)
A Concerned Citizen
Organizer
New York, NY
Nyguns Mods
Team member
Concerned New Yorker
Team member
Mark van Lieshout
Team member