The Tioga County committee of SCOPE (Shooters Committee on Political Education) held a regular monthly meeting on April 13 in the Legislative Conference Room of the Tioga County Office Building located at 256 Main St. in Owego, N.Y.
SCOPE, a 501(c)3 organization founded 50 years ago in New York State (NYS), is dedicated to informing people of their firearms rights under the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
The Tioga County SCOPE committee, comprised today of about 20 members, was formed in April 2015. Tioga County SCOPE Chairman, Glenn Hopler, Secretary Mike Roberts and Treasurer, Barb Roberts, are working to acquire official chapter status. Currently, there are SCOPE chapters in a majority of the 62 counties statewide.
Also attending the April meeting was Joe Sempolinski, district director for Congressman Tom Reed (R-23). Reed’s district comprises 11 counties, including Tioga.
Sempolinski commented, “The Second Amendment is a fundamental constitutional right, and is intrinsic to a free society.”
Echoing that thought is a statement on Reed’s website, reed.house.gov, “We care about defending the Second Amendment and remain committed to guaranteeing Constitutional freedoms for every American citizen including law abiding gun owners.”
SCOPE is focused on the repeal of the NY SAFE Act, which contains a number of firearms regulations. The NYS Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, commonly known as the NY SAFE Act, is a gun regulation law. The legislation was written following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.; however the way the law was passed received harsh criticism by a good number of elected officials, organizations and the public. Several thousand protestors swarmed the state capitol in Albany on Jan. 19, 2013, just days after the law passed, citing that the law was “rushed through” by the state legislature.
When asked if the NY SAFE Act includes any aspects that they can agree with, SCOPE-Tioga members replied no, and object the law, which, “Was unfairly passed in the middle of the night.”
Barb Roberts added, “All other rights hinge on the right to bear arms. Law abiding citizens should not have to give up rights.”
Ways in which SCOPE, a 100 percent membership funded organization, are working to accomplish preserving Second Amendment rights is by; keeping members informed of legislation that affects Second Amendment rights, attending shooting sport events to increase awareness, educating anti-gun politicians, and supporting pro-Second Amendment politicians, among other efforts.
According to Hopler, SCOPE’s focus differs from other organizations such as the NYS Rifle and Pistol Association.
“We are more of a grassroots organization, and work from the ground up,” Hopler shared, and added, “We focus on education.”
Part of that education includes efforts to encourage the public to vote for politicians who support Second Amendment rights.
Barb Roberts explained, “Many people believe that they have nothing to worry about. In order for their rights to remain, they need to get out and vote.”
Tioga County SCOPE meets on the second Wednesday of each month and welcomes new members. For more information, contact Glenn Hopler at (607) 625-3463 or via email to scopetioga@stny.rr.com.
Additional information can be found at www.SCOPEny.org, or find SCOPE on Facebook.
