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.