Last week, Steve Aldstadt, president of The Shooters Committee On Political Education (SCOPE), was the keynote speaker at the Sportsmen's Awareness Day in Albany. What he had to say impressed many. I thought it prudent to share it with readers, many of whom are sportsmen and women concerned about the almost constant efforts to infringe on their Second Amendment and other Constitutional rights.

I am Stephen Aldstadt, president of SCOPE, The Shooters Committee On Political Education. I’m glad you all joined us today to help educate our legislators on the meaning, the purpose, and the importance of preserving our right to Keep and Bear Arms here in New York.

A little history lesson is in order here if you will indulge me for just a few minutes.

Unlike any other nation, the United States was conceived on the notion that the power comes from the people and is granted to the government who are bound to work in the interest and by the consent of the governed. To that end, the founding fathers crafted a document; The Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution laid out a foundation for a government with limited powers. It spelled out exactly what powers were to be granted to the federal government, by the people.

The people looked at the framework, the constitution, and said this is good, but it is not enough. What recourse is there in the event that the government goes beyond the constitution and begins to usurp powers that are not granted to them? Another document was needed, a document that more clearly defined the limits of governmental power, a document that clearly defined and recognized the inalienable rights of the people. And so the Bill of Rights was crafted and the first ten Amendments to the Constitution were adopted.

They were crafted and listed in order of importance.

The First Amendment reads as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

Or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

But what if the government does not abide by the law? What if it does in fact abridge our speech, our press, our religion? What if the government forbids us from peaceable assembly and will hear no grievances? What guarantee is there that the power will remain in the hands of the people, that they will remain free men and not be ruled without their consent?

That’s why we have rule number 2, the Second Amendment:

A well regulated militia (All able-bodied citizens, well trained and possessing their own arms and ammunition) Being necessary to the security of a FREE state (A free state where individual citizens live with liberty)

The Right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!

This document does not grant the right of people to own a gun, it recognizes that the people have the right to keep and bear arms, and declares that that right shall not be infringed upon.