The courts have ordered the Cuomo administration to relinquish all correspondence pertaining to the planning of a recent SAFE Act rally.
Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE) protested against the SAFE Act on April 1, 2014, and believed the Cuomo administration created a special law to “disarm” them of their signs, which were fashioned in the shape of firearms. SCOPE sought the records of correspondence leading up to the rally and acting state Supreme Court Justice Michael Melkonian ruled that the administration must hand them over.
During the rally, members of SCOPE carried with them signs that looked like replicas of “assault weapons.” Police confiscated two of the signs, one of which was made of wood, while the other was made of plastic.
Although warnings were posted prior to the rally that stated any signs that “appear to be a weapon including toy guns and other replicas are strictly prohibited,” SCOPE believes the seizure of the signs was a violation of their First Amendment rights, especially since they were “political messages and were clearly not firearms.”
Aside from the seizure of SCOPE’s signs, the 2014 rally was relatively benign, and in the end the signs were eventually returned to their owners.
And now that the Melkonian has ordered the release of correspondence, the gun rights group can learn the truth as to whether or not the Cuomo administration fabricated a law aimed at depriving them of their signs.
(This article was submitted by freelance writer Brent Rogers)