Tomorrow, New York State’s new ammunition registration / tax scheme will be in full effect.
This is part of the gun control law that Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law last year, and it mandates that everyone in the state submit to a New York government background check every time they buy ammo!
In addition to the actual background check, the new law will impose a $2.50 tax on every ammunition transaction.
So, if anyone walks into buy a box of 50 .22LR shells, they’ll pay a tax of almost 50%!
Worse, the State of New York will know exactly which New Yorkers are gun owners . . . and how many rounds of ammo they own.
This is blatantly unconstitutional. 100%. And that was before last year’s Bruen decision. Post Bruen, this is nothing more than a middle finger from Kathy Hochul to gun owners.
And I’m proud as hell to announce that we’re working with our state affiliate — the NY State Firearms Association — to return the gesture: by the end of the day on Wednesday, we will have filed a lawsuit against Hochul in Federal Court!
HELP US DRAG KATHY HOCHUL INTO COURT!
We have no other choice.
The New York legislature is run by a criminal horde of Communists who would love to disarm every New Yorker — they’ll never overturn this law on their own in Albany.
The only venue for this battle is Federal Court. And that’s where we are filing our lawsuit! But we need your help!
Please read this update for all the details of this new law, as well as our legal strategy for overturning it in court — even if that means going back to the United State Supreme Court!
A by-product of the gun control law Hochul signed into law last year, the new ammunition background check process:
- Makes you a criminal for buying ammunition in New York State from anyone unless you go through a background check with the State Police, first.
This means that Kathy Hochul knows which New Yorkers are gun owners and, very likely, how many rounds of ammo they own!
- Forces you to pay a tax of $2.50 each time you go to buy ammunition. If you buy a single box of .22LR, that tax could raise the cost of the purchase by almost 50%!
The courts have held since the 1960’s that forcing someone to pay a tax to exercise a constitutional right is illegal.
- Requires a background check on muzzleloaders, even though the ATF has repeatedly said that these are not firearms in a legal sense and does not require them to be tracked.
When is the last time you’ve heard of a criminal committing a violent crime with a muzzleloader? This is absurd.
- Will very likely force a background check on the sale of black powder. This is not confirmed as of this writing, but it seems very likely, and retailers are bracing for it.
The next time you hear a politician say that “all they want to do is regulate assault weapons,” remember this!
In short, this is Kathy Hochul’s attempt to register, track and trace every single gun owner in New York State! She wants to know what guns they own, how many rounds of ammo they possess, and she plans to tax the hell out of them when ammo is bought!
Obviously this is unconstitutional, help us stop her in court.
HELP US DRAG KATHY HOCHUL INTO COURT!
Last year’s Bruen decision made it clear that ANY current or future gun control laws needed to show a ‘historical precedent’ or they would immediately be deemed unconstitutional.
There is ZERO historical precedent for registering people who buy ammunition. And that goes doubly true for requiring gun owners to pay a tax to the government for the ‘privilege!’
So in the lead up to the implementation of this new law, we’ve been lining up plaintiffs and hiring a nationally known law firm to hit the ground running the day this tyrannical law took effect!
Our plan is to file this suit in the Western District of New York for a variety of reasons, so all three of our plaintiffs are from that part of the state.
Our lead plaintiff’s name can’t be released until Wednesday night, on the advice of our lawyers. But when you’ll see who this person is you’ll be as happy as I am.
What I can tell you is that one of the lead plaintiffs is New York State Assemblyman David DiPietro. DiPietro represents Wyoming County and portions of Erie County and heads the Assembly’s 2nd Amendment caucus!
In addition to lining up solid plaintiffs, it was important to us that we have a kick-a$$ law firm lined up, too. That’s why we hired Barr and Klein PLLC.
Barr and Klein, based in Washington D.C., specializes in 2nd Amendment litigation. This is what these guys do. Gun rights organizations across the country have used them to bring tyrants like Kathy Hochul to heel for a long time.
But they don’t work for free. And I need help to unleash these guys.
HELP US DRAG KATHY HOCHUL INTO COURT!
Our total budget for the District Court phase of this lawsuit is just over $100,000. That’s broken down as follows:
*** $20,000 for client intake. This is where our lawyers screen potential plaintiffs to guard against any surprises during depositions that could derail our case.
*** $50,000 to draft and file the actual lawsuit. This is the nuts and bolts of the lawsuit, and includes the affidavits of the plaintiffs detailing the impact of this new law.
*** $35,000 to prepare the preliminary injunction. If this injunction is granted, the entire law will be suspended pending the outcome of our lawsuit.
But this is just the first phase of the legal fees I know we’ll be facing.
There will almost certainly be oral arguments held in Rochester or Buffalo where our lawyers will go head-to-head with Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Tish James.
We’ll need to cover travel fees for our legal team, possibly expert witnesses, and more. It’s going to add up.
And we haven’t even factored in the Circuit Court and possible Supreme Court appellate phase of this lawsuit.
But we don’t have a choice. If we sit back and throw up our hands, it won’t be long before New Yorkers don’t have ANY Second Amendment freedoms left! We cannot let that happen!
We need to stand and fight RIGHT NOW!
For today, I’ve approved a budget of $100,000. I’ve got $47,500 of that on hand, allocated for this purpose. And another NYSFA member from Ulster County just called in a gift of $2,500.
But I need to raise another $50,000 immediately!
HELP US DRAG KATHY HOCHUL INTO COURT!
Can you help with a donation of $100, $250, or even $500?
I know I’m asking for a lot. But we’re in a fight and we need your help now more than ever!
If $100 or more isn’t possible, please dig deep and consider $75, $50, $25 or at least $17.76. We’re going to send a message to Kathy Hochul in Federal Court, but we need your help to do it!
Please make a generous donation TODAY!
For America,
Chris Dorr, President
American Firearms Association
P.S. Kathy Hochul’s blatantly unconstitutional ammo background check law takes effect Wednesday — and that’s the day we intend to drop a massive lawsuit to vacate this law in Federal District Court!
Read the letter above for all the details, then stand with us by making a donation of $250, $100, $75, $50 $25 or at least $17.76 to help us fully fund our legal defense fund!