Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
This edition of the FOAC-ILLEA newsletter is going to be somewhat thematic and a slight departure from normal editions. This edition of the FOAC-ILLEA newsletter is primarily going to be a celebration of our past President and founder, Kim Stolfer.
We lost Kim on April 15, 2023.
Kim has been fighting cancer for some time and it finally got him. But if you knew Kim, you know that he fought it hard right up to the end.
I want to take time to share some of my “Kim” stories. There will also be some antidotes and statements from other board members and FOAC-ILLEA members as we celebrate the opportunity to have spent time with such a great man.
I first met Kim at a Tea Party event at Bushy Run Battlefield in 2010. I was pushing my son Augie around in a stroller and walked past the FOAC tent and Kim asked me if I had registered to vote. I of course replied in the positive. We engaged in conversation. In classic Kim fashion, he asked questions and steered the conversation to collect more information about me. I had only been back in Pennsylvania for a few months. I recently moved back home from living in California for almost 14 years. We talked for quite some time and he ultimately asked me, “what are you going to do to make our country better for your son?” In the days follow my first "Kim encounter", I could not shake that question…. What am I going to do?
I became involved with the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League in around 2011 or 2012. Kim would, from time to time, come to the meetings and give spirited and passionate legislative reports. I recall feeling overwhelmed by the volume of “proposed tyranny” (legislation) that Kim reported on. He would raise his voice and say, “what are you going to do to stop them?” This AGAIN hit me pretty hard… I was convinced that he was talking directly to me.
As anyone that knew him could attest, I was able to contact Kim and speak for hours (at almost ANY hour) about the law, legislation, legislators, facts, data, and anything “gun” related. He was a wealth of knowledge and always had an answer for ANY of my questions.
Kim was an impressive subject matter expert.
In 2016, I was contacted to be on a panel for a WQED program called, “THINK: Living with Guns”. This was not my first time on camera, nor was this my first time engaging in debate. However, this was the first time I was going to be on camera representing something bigger than myself; law abiding gun owners.
I contacted Kim and he coached me for a solid day over the phone. He let me know how the conversation would begin, the “got-ya’s” that the interviewer was going to throw at me to trap me into promoting his narrative. Kim’s coaching was invaluable.
Later that year, Kim asked me to RSO an event for Rep. Jeff Pyle. Jeff held an annual machine gun event where he would celebrate liberty “one trigger burst at a time”. This event gave me the opportunity to sit down with Kim and discuss my future as a positive Pro-Liberty advocate. It was a motivational discussion. Later that day, I got to see Kim smile and hear him giggle when he shot Tannerite with a 50 BMG rifle.
CLICK HERE to watch a video of Kim and a 50 BMG vs Tannerite
I had the tremenodus honor of interviewing Kim on my show.
CLICK HERE to see the episode with Kim
Over the years, I have had countless phone calls with Kim. We have had what seems to have been a MILLION email and text conversations, and I have attended a fair number of seminars, committee meetings, rallies, and speaking engagements with Kim.
I had the honor to recognize Kim at the Trigger Pressers Union Instructor Conference. I also had the honor to present Kim an award on behalf of the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League. Kim and I co-authored MANY press releases, newsletters and a few published articles. I am humbled to have been able to collaborate with him.
Kim’s guidance, advice, occasional conflict, support, and love will ALWAYS be cherished by me.
How fortunate for me, and for all of us, that God put us on this Earth at the same time Kim Stolfer walked upon it.
The following collage consists of just a few personal pictures that I wanted to share… moments that I had the opportunity to share with Kim and other Patriots.
By Jim Stoker, FOAC-ILLEA President
Originally sent to the membership on April 15, 2023
It is with the deepest of sorrows that our organization must announce the death of our founder and President Emeritus, Kim Stolfer. Kim has been the most ardent and premier 2nd Amendment warrior in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over thirty years, and the author of several key pieces of legislation that keep law abiding Pennsylvanian’s safe today. He has been a patriot, a champion, and a mentor to all of us in the 2nd Amendment community for decades. The man was a legend and will be sorely missed in the fight. The world lost a great man, and the Lord gained a great soul. Semper Fi …
Yours In Liberty
Kim Stolfer ObituaryKim Stolfer, age 68, of South Fayette passed away on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at home surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer.
Born November 7, 1954 in Pittsburgh, Kim was raised by his late mother, Charlotte (Moser) Stolfer. Kim was a 1972 graduate of Carlynton High School in Carnegie.
At the young age of 19 Kim became a Marine sending money home to his then juvenile sister Rose to help care for their then ailing mother. The Marine Corps vocational test scores showed his aptitude in verbal skills, organizational skills, and problem-solving, so they put him through aircraft and powerplant mechanic school and he was assigned as a crew chief on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Like many veterans, war molded him from his late teen years into adulthood, and he saw and did more than he ever said. Kim was crew chief of the last American helicopter to leave Vietnam. Due to a communications error, military personnel and civilians were left behind at the American Embassy in Saigon after the “official” last helicopter departed with the Ambassador. Kim’s CH-47 evacuated those left behind as Saigon fell in South Vietnam.
Following his military service Kim went on to work and serve his country as a body and fender repairman for the United States Postal Service. He retired in 2009 as shop keeper after 30 years of service.
Kim found a love for shooting sports through Greater Pittsburgh Trap & Skeet Club, where he participated in recreational and competition shooting including IPSC practical pistol, rifle and shotgun. He co-founded Shooters Active in Firearms Education (S.A.F.E.) and became active throughout the Pennsylvania region teaching NRA-certified firearms safety and concealed carry classes through various sportsman’s clubs and police departments.
Kim was a founding member of both the Greater Pittsburgh Trap & Skeet Club and the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League (ACSL) club’s legislative affairs branch, which got him involved in leadership positions in the Allegheny County Sportsmen‘s League (ACSL) and the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Association (PSA). His efforts evolved into Firearms Owners Against Crime (FOAC-ILLEA).
Kim took his oath to defend the Constitution seriously and was an effective adversary of elected officials and government employees who violate their oaths. He was a well-spoken advocate for personal freedoms as well as for holding criminals accountable. Kim wrote and or co-authored, dozens of pieces of statewide legislation over the years, many of which are now current law, including the Castle Doctrine law and Preemption Enhancement law.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 36 years, Michelle (Pozzi) Stolfer; his son, Jason Stolfer; his step-son, Michael (Emily) Pozzi; his granddaughters, Paige and Gabriella Pozzi; his beloved sister, Rose (Mike) Johnson; his niece and nephew, Samantha (John) Rothka and Paul (Jennifer) Milavec; and many loved great nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends and patriots at Thomas-Little Funeral Home, 305 Main St., Imperial, PA on Wednesday, April 19th from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. and on Thursday, April 20th from 12-2 p.m. A service to honor and remember Kim’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.
The family would like to express their thanks for the wonderful help and care given by Gallagher Hospice. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, allies, and patriots. We are all diminished by his passing.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to FOAC-ILLEA https://foac-illea.org/ in memory of Kim’s life and legacy.
To view the recording of the memorial service click here.
By Ed Bogats, Jr., FOAC-ILLEA Board Member
I am deeply saddened by the loss of a friend, patriot and true leader of the cause in preserving the rights of all in the 2nd amendment and self-preservation against the tyranny of our government. Kim was a friend first, a comrade in arms and a true mentor to me. I learned so much from this man and am forever grateful. Such energy and enthusiasm he displayed even up to the end. I will always cherish our conversations about the “Rule of Law” and how self-serving politicians, judges and district attorneys circumvented the law to fit their political agendas and ambitions. Having served 42 plus years in law enforcement, which has been a great career for me, I appreciated Kim’s support for the men and women of law enforcement and his recognition based upon true life experience in the military and his support for the men and women of our wonderful armed forces. I will be truly grateful of this man for as long as I live and beyond. We should all honor this man as the foundation of our fight and preservation of the right to protect our loved ones through the enforcement of the second amendment. In The Highest of Regard and Respect.
By Stephen LaSpina, FOAC-ILLEA Board Member
Marine. Patriot. Activist. There are many words that could be used to describe our founder, Kim Stolfer. But if you forced me to select only one, I would choose “passionate.”
As a newer addition to the Board of Directors, I did not know Kim as well or for as many years as others. But when I first joined FOAC in that capacity, Kim and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone discussing various topics relating to Second Amendment issues and activism.
It did not take long for me to see that Kim lived and breathed this stuff; it truly was his passion. He was always neck-deep in current fights for freedom, yet he was also looking ahead at battles to come that were on the horizon.
Even in the midst of all his health challenges during recent years, Kim would not be home from the hospital or medical appointments for a full hour before diving back into FOAC activities. It was his life’s work and mission. Nothing dissuaded his fervor. He was truly a force to be reckoned with.
With Kim’s passing, we have lost a tremendous advocate for liberty. But he left an enduring legacy along with a roadmap for the rest of us to follow. I think I speak for each board member when I say we are more resolute than ever to continue the mission and reach of FOAC-ILLEA in light of the life and impact of Kim Stolfer.
In his defense of freedom, Kim truly lived out the creed of the US Marines: “Semper Fidelis.” Always faithful. May we each strive to do the same and follow in his footsteps.
I was with Kim on Wednesday, hugging him, holding his hand, as I had done many times during his liver transplant. We prayed together and he affirmed his faith in Christ. I was honored to be his firearms training student and his friend. May the Lord heal and rest him now. Thank you for carrying on his legacy.
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He has been such a fine patriot for all of these years and gave so much of his time to save our constitutional liberties. We cannot let his accomplishments ever get diminished by our efforts going forward to maintain our rights.
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I'm thankful he received good Hospice care. I was a hospice chaplain for 15 years with a different agency. The man who helped equipped me in ministry training; (His) family were missionaries in South Viet Nam during that time and he was on that embassy rooftop helping to load people into Kim's helicopter...At times it is a small world we live in.
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It is with deep sadness that I read of Kim's passing. Over the years I would call Kim with a legal question and he always had time to break it down so this redneck could understand it. Kim was never too busy to answer my questions and we developed a rapport over the years. May God grant his family strength and guidance in the coming days.
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My condolences for such a wonderful Patriot and great servant of our Nation. God Speed, Marine. Post at Heaven’s gate.
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My life is richer having known Kim Stolfer.
Here is a picture taken when Castle Doctrine was passed in Harrisburg! Best smile I’ve ever seen on Kim’s face! – from Harry Sills
Castle Doctrine signed June 28,2011!! Hardly any of us original guys left active. What a great day for Pennsylvania! –
from Harry Sills
The April FOAC-ILLEA MEETING will be held VIRTUALLY on April 27th, 2023. That's next Thursday evening at 1930 hrs (7:30 PM). We will have several topics to discuss. We have some legal things out there to consider and potential fund raisers. An email blast will go out the day of the meeting to give links and log in information.
The news posting committee is looking for volunteers. If you can offer a few hours a week to help with adding news stories to the website and social media, please email info@foac-illea.
FOAC-ILLEA presents Concealed Carry Seminars with Pro-Liberty Elected Officials, works with County Sheriffs at Satellite License to Carry Events, provides information tables at Gun Shows, and organizes for Pro-2A Rallies, gun bashes, and special events. To see the most up-to-date schedule of FOAC-ILLEA events and meetings, CLICK HERE.
FOAC-ILLEA Education Team at McDonald Sportsmen’s Club with PA Rep. Josh Kail
Jim Stoker and Klint Macro with Edgar Antillon, Co-Founder of Guns For Everyone at the 3rd Annual Gun Makers Match.
By Jim Stoker, FOAC-ILLEA President
Decades of service. Decades of experience. Decades of activism. There’s simply no replacing a dear, dear friend who has been called away from us too early. Kim Stolfer was a man amongst boys in the halls of Harrisburg and will forever have his name emblazoned upon the history of Article I, Section 21 in the annals of Pennsylvania legislation. Everyone in this organization knows what Kim’s contribution to the world has been, and the legacy he has left us all.
I cannot begin to impart upon anyone the feelings and thoughts that have gone through my mind since his phone call to me on December 6th, 2022. This icon of our community, the only President FOAC has ever had, was stepping down. On top of that, he was asking me to be his successor. An unprecedented event that was a sad day for everyone in the Commonwealth because it meant the retirement of a tireless defender of our Constitution and our natural rights. How could this happen? I don’t know the statutes the way he does, or the bill numbers the way he would recite them. Despite three years of shadowing him in the halls of the capitol I don’t have the relationships he has with these politicians... how can this happen?
I remember his words to me when I once again voiced my dismay at his departing… “I chose you for a reason. I’m not wrong.” Kim was a tower of strength in this fight. He would say he was NEVER wrong. His relentless faith in me matches his stubbornness in almost all things, and I could not disrespect the man by telling him no. When someone has spent thirty years building their beliefs into a living, breathing movement across the state, and they look to you with a wink and knowing smile, not asking, but telling you to take over, how on earth do you say no?
I’ve spent many a four-hour car ride with Kim siphoning what I could of his methods, more than his numbers. Countless hours of discussion and sometimes debate, even arguments over things like mail server capabilities or how to handle disputes amongst our best and brightest volunteers in the organization. Figuring out how to make my leadership style adapt to not only Kim’s vision, but what you, the membership, expect of a man trying to take the reigns and not wreck the ship.
But in the end, it came down to short visits with my mentor and very, very dear friend as he spent his last days with his family. It came down to telling him short stories of where FOAC was headed and what we were doing to turn what he’d handed to us into the vision he had for us. It came down to one man showing another that he was loved for who he was, not just what he’d accomplished, and a guarantee that his legacy would flourish long after he’d left us. During those days of short visits, it helped MY soul to see him smiling upon me and hear words he struggled through his pain to share… “sounds like you have everything well in hand” he’d say with a smile. Words that filled me with pride and sorrow at the same time. But seeing the relief in his eyes and the joy in his smile made the visits worth every second. Shaking his hand as I would leave, I could see some of the stress of worrying about his baby (FOAC) melt away from his shoulders and know that I had done the right thing.
The night of his funeral service, Bob Canova, Kevin Jackson, Lisha Mihalko and I went to Greene County and taught a concealed carry seminar for residents there. It seemed to us to be the best way to pay homage to the man we all owed so much to. When asked by the host if we should cancel the event, I’d laughed and said Kim would stand right up and kick my behind if I cancelled. No better way to honor his memory than with a seminar teaching Americans about their rights and responsibilities as firearm owners. A moment of silence for Kim seemed not enough, and when we got to the slide I’d put in of Kim at the signing of Castle Doctrine, I paused a moment to reflect exactly what it meant to all of us… Gone but not forgotten. Honored eternally.
My closing thoughts are best summed up in a post I put on my Facebook feed a few days ago:
Continuing on and engaging in the fight IS what Kim would do… and it is the right thing to be done!
Onward and upward!
Stay Armed and Be Well Regulated!
Yours In Liberty,
Klint Macro
FOAC-ILLEA 1st VP
FOAC-ILLEA is continuing to fight for the hearts and minds of our fellow Pennsylvanians to promote individual liberties and freedoms. We are steadfast and resolute and dedicated to protecting our Constitution and advancing the cause of the 2nd Amendment and Article 1 Section 21 of the PA Constitution.
FOAC-ILLEA’s educational efforts are expanding across the Commonwealth. FOAC-ILLEA volunteers are teaching more concealed carry classes each month and additional virtual education events are forthcoming.
FOAC-ILLEA is continuing to fight in the courts. Whether this means new litigation to challenge local tyrants, fight the bureaucrats that make it harder for Pennsylvanians to exercise their most basic rights, or the funding of amicus briefs to support others who are already involved in court battles, we are actively helping to establish case law that will help advance the cause of liberty.
FOAC-ILLEA volunteers research proposed legislation, consult with experts, and offer advice to elected officials about legislation as well as educate the public on the strength or folly of legislation that could have lasting positive or negative effects upon our liberty and the liberty of our children.
I urge you to help me spread the word about FOAC-ILLEA. Share this newsletter and the website with your sphere of influence. Get a fellow gun owner to join FOAC-ILLEA.
Contact your Legislators HERE.
Read previous newsletters HERE.
The FOAC-ILLEA website is a wealth of information. Track current legislation, contact legislators and elected officials, look up gun laws, read easy to understand synopsis’ on stand your ground, castle doctrine, and legal use of force. Keep up to date with current gun related news. There is all this and more on the FOAC-ILLEA website.
Get involved!
If you have read this entire newsletter and made it here to this statement… you are already interested and vested.
Donate your time, your talents, or your treasure. VOTE pro-2A and get your friends to vote pro-2A as well. Become a member and get your friends to become a member. If you are already a member, consider “upping your membership” to a higher level. Join us at the gun bash; purchase a ticket. Volunteer to help at the bash. Volunteer to join a committee to send emails, write letters, make phone calls… NOW IS THE TIME TO DO. DON’T PUT IT OFF. “We the People” have been sitting on the sidelines too long.
An Armed and Educated Citizenry is the true check and balance in our Constitutional Republic and the ultimate homeland security!