New York's Governor Cuomo, speaking on the subject of requiring NY gun owners to either register or acquire a state issued permit to possess assault weapons or otherwise have them confiscated said:
“I don’t think legitimate sportsmen are going to say, ‘I need an assault weapon to go hunting,’” and also said: “There is a balance here — I understand the rights of gun owners; I understand the rights of hunters.” (source)
As for that, this is what I would say to the governor:
First of all Governor Cuomo, with respect for your office, allow me to tell you that not only do you not understand the rights of both hunters and gun owners, you also do not understand Constitutional law because it guarantees that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed and nowhere does it mention hunting in relation to that right. In fact, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights do not say anything in them about the right to keep and bear arms in relation to hunting. What the Second Amendment says is that said right shall not be infringed because a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. In addition, Governor Cuomo, you do not understand current NY State law that has been on the books since 1994. Assault weapons are already illegal within NY State unless they were owned prior to the enactment of the law that restricts them.
As for so called legitimate sportsmen, when did it suddenly become only sportsman who have the right to keep and bear arms. The right to keep and bear arms and the liberty to exercise that right were never meant to be restricted to sportsman. The plain and simply undying truth of the matter is that our Founding Fathers enumerated the right to keep and bear arms so that it would never be overlooked so as to assure us the liberty to exercise that right to control an over imposing government. The architects of our government spelled it out, in about as plain and simple terms as they could, that said right assures the people that they will have the means to protect their rights and thus to overthrow, by way of armed revolution if need be, tyrannical governments and the despots who run them. That was the main purpose of their militia back then and was the main purpose of including the right to keep and bear arms within the Bill of Rights. It remains the main purpose of having an armed citizenry today.
Of course the citizens can and will utilize firearms for other pursuits, for which they are suited, such as self defense, sport shooting, sport and sustenance hunting, collecting and so forth but those activities were never at the heart of the reason for enumerating our right to keep and bear arms. For you to indicate otherwise either shows your near total ignorance of American history and Constitutional law and / or your arrogant disregard for the rights of the People. I believe it the latter and think it goes far beyond merely hinting at, what seems to be, your desire to rule by tyranny. If you want the Second Amendment to be construed as otherwise, and if you insist on violating that right and any other rights of the People, then I think you may well be surprised by what may come from those whose rights you will have attempted to abrogate.
All the best,
Glenn B
