Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
A person I once worked with use to say, “That there is a kickin’ mule…. a real shame.” He would make this statement anytime he observed something “unfortunate”. For instance, watching a kid talk back to his parent, he would say, “That there is a kickin’ mule…. A real shame.”
One of the most sickening “kickin mules” I see today is how the government ceaselessly interferes with American’s ability to be self-sufficient. When I say self-sufficient, I am speaking, financially, ethically, religiously, sexually, morally, and of course regarding their ability to protect themselves and those that they love.
In 2023, especially under the Biden regime, we have rampant crime, disrespect for law and order, vitriol for “individual” freedom and choice, a currency that has been drastically devalued, an economy that is quite unstable, government agencies that harass the people, and a circus atmosphere in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg. What is worse, it is not a “fun for the whole family” circus atmosphere, it is more of an “evil freakshow circus” vibe.
Government sanctioned fear and indoctrination through national education programs have conditioned multiple generations of blindly obedient sheep and victims… all of whom are completely dependent upon government.
The “elected class” in government promote a type of bigotry against those who choose to be self-sufficient by holding them accountable for the very criminals that they (the elected class) empower. This bigotry and “us against them” mindset is perpetuated by the government encouraging “the sheep” to vilify those who are, unlike them, self-reliant.
That right there is a real “kickin’ mule.”
As we help educate and empower ALL of our fellow Americans to exercise ALL of their God given/natural born individual rights and help them to develop skillsets to fight off the wolves of society, we meet resistance from those who are “elected” to uphold the very Constitution(s) that guarantee our ability to exercise those rights.
That there is a despicable, evil, detestable, un-American, big f&%king kickin’ mule.
In defensive training, we teach that when you have multiple threats, you must deal with the most dangerous one; perhaps you might be physiologically forced to deal with the one that scares you the most. Stop the first one from attacking you, then move onto the next most dangerous or scarry threat. The BEST strategy is to see these kinds of attacks coming in the first place, by being “situationally aware” and do you best to remove yourself from the situation or avoid it all together.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Government, there is NO WAY for us to avoid it.
Citizens MIGHT be able to avoid or deter criminals. However, in many of the democratically controlled cities it is becoming harder and harder to do that. Our armed forces MAY be able to fend off foreign invaders. However, as there are millions of foreign invaders imbedded into our communities today, if even a fraction of those folks have evil intent…. we are in for a whole “team” of kickin’ mules. Unfortunately, these issues are unequivocally caused by the government… so as I said before, no matter how you slice it, we cannot avoid government.
It may seem that some of my cited examples are skirting outside of FOAC-ILLEA’s focus; but it is not. FOAC-ILLEA is Pennsylvania’s premier gun-rights organization, but we are PA’s premier anti-crime organization. As an organization, we often find ourselves fighting government on 2 fronts. The policies that many in government are OVERTLY pushing hinder, restrict, and obfuscate Pennsylvanian’s ability to exercise their rights that are protected by Article 1 Section 21 of the PA Constitution AND the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But ALSO, many in government are promoting policies that empower criminals, criminal endeavors, criminal activity, and a lawless society. WHY would someone do this on purpose??? Who are these people working for???
RIGHT NOW there are 26 anti-gun bills proposed in the PA Senate and 49 anti-gun bills proposed in the PA House. If you actually read these bills (and you can if you click on the links above) you will be hard pressed to see how ANY of them will do anything OTHER than limit, restrict, or abolish the rights of good honest Pennsylvanians. IN DOING SO, these bills empower the criminal elements in society and the tyrannical elected class that lurks inside our government. The ONLY logical interpretation of the intent from these so called “representatives of the people” is they want all of us to NOT be self-reliant but completely dependent upon the government.. Guess what…. THAT is totalitarianism.
Last year my family visited Washington D.C. I did write about it in the newsletter at the time. Seeing the words of Thomas Jefferson made me proud to be an American and at the same time I felt an anger and sadness knowing that RIGHT NOW there are very few in the halls of government that would echo his sentiment. Actually, many have said words that were quite the contrary.
If the marble carvings in D.C. were made today in 2023, it might read,
“I have sworn upon the alter of power, eternal hostility against every form of self-reliance and free thought of the mind of birthing-type and no-binary peoples.”
As “psudo-rediculous” as this fabricated quote may seem… actions speak louder than words and the actions of many in D.C. and Harrisburg echo the sentiment of my made-up quote.
The first part of recovery is to recognize and acknowledge the sickness. We are sick as a nation. We are no longer Americans. We are a collection of tribes under the rule of the same government. Government has facilitated a society of separate, unequal, fractionalized herds of US’s and THEM’s. Divide and conquer has been the tactic of tyrants for 1000’s of years.
To this, I personally say, F&%K THAT.
FOAC-ILLEA will continue to educate and empower ALL PENNSYLVANIANS to exercise their own individual rights and liberties. We will continue to educate our members and any American we can bend the ear of, to fight for ALL American’s ability and opportunity to freely exercise their individual rights and liberties if they choose to do so, so that they can live and protect their own families and personal happiness pursuits.
This has been the ethos of our country since before the founding of it. It is about time we actively remind those in government who claim to represent us of this fact and enforce the will of liberty upon those who seek to hinder liberty.
Details may evolve and change over time. But every country, organization, methodology, belief structure is based upon founding principles: ethos. We must NOT abandon our ethos of individual liberty for the sake of the theatre of “safety” or for the benefit of the elected class.
With all this said, there are still many in Pennsylvania government who are doing the right thing, and actively fighting to uphold the Constitution(s) and protect the individuals’ rights and liberties. But is ask you…
DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS STAND WHEN IT COMES TO THESE ISSUES?
If you don’t…. then that is a real kickin’ mule! That is a real shame.
Contact your elected officials and let them know where you stand. Click on this link and type in your zip code and you can find the contact info for all of your elected officials. Figure out where they stand and respond appropriately. Those elected representatives that believe in the free exercise of individual liberty and fight to protect it, should be helped, encouraged, and thanked. Those that believe in more government control and less individual self-sufficiency should be removed from office. We have a reset opportunity this fall. It is called an election.
“We The People” have the ultimate power in our Constitutional Republic. Don’t forget that, and don’t let others forget it either. ESPECIALLY those in elected office.
With power comes responsibility. YOU have a responsibility to ensure we the people keep the power we have and take the power back that has been lost. This is not an easy task, but we owe it to our progeny to ensure that when we are dead and gone, they will not be subjects to the elected class.
An Armed and Educated Citizenry is the true check and balance in our Constitutional Republic and the ultimate homeland security! YOU have the power. Stay frosty, be measured, and doggedly resolved. Act accordingly.
By Jim Stoker, FOAC-ILLEA President
The future is in our hands. The future is in YOUR hands. If nothing else, this year has taught us a lesson in consequences. The consequences of not being active enough. The consequences of not being outspoken enough. The consequences of not leading enough.
You see, when I assumed the reigns of this organization from our dearly departed Kim, the world had just changed on us all, and not for the better. For the first time in well over a decade, the anti- Constitution crowd had won the House of Representatives here in Pennsylvania. An anti-Constitution flood had been building for years behind a wall of pro-Constitution committees, and those committees had kept the floodgates closed in Harrisburg. 2023 has changed all of that... the gates have opened.
The pro-Constitution crowd is still fighting. They’re fighting from a MINORITY stance that leaves us scrambling to address would-be violations of our rights with white papers and public speaking. Leaves us spending funding trying to combat the push on our legislators to instill tyrannical laws burdening all of us with violations of our natural right to self-defense. It leaves me stunned at the sheer stupidity of some of the violations these would be tyrants trying to tear down our Constitution are intent on pushing through the legislature to the governor’s desk. It leaves me furious that so many men and women who have pledged an oath to defend our Constitutions have instead attacked it repeatedly.
So how is that in YOUR hands? The Pennsylvania sportsman’s worst enemy is... the Pennsylvania sportsman. We need to activate our friends and like-minded citizens to get to the polls and vote. We need to forget objections to mail in ballots and embrace the weapon of our enemy. We can’t expect to win elections voting for thirteen hours when the enemy votes for sixty days. We need to open each other’s eyes and wake those amongst us who are sleeping waiting for someone else to do it.
If each one of us gets one inactive sportsman to vote that otherwise wouldn’t, we win the House back and soon the Governorship as well. It’s time we all stopped sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to step up, and get it done. If you’ve ever wondered what YOU can do to help in the fight against tyranny, it’s time to step up. Reach out to me or a board member and declare your interest in making a difference. We’re putting together teams and districts to begin our counterassault to defend all that is dear to us. We’re a Constitutional Republic, and this Republic needs us objective oriented and well regulated. Now more than ever...
The gun bash ticket sales are under way! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A GUN BASH TICKET. They can be purchased on the FOAC-ILLEA website. The gun bash is a tremendously great time of food and fellowship with some of the finest guns available in a bash! Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to pick yours up TODAY!
If you would be willing to volunteer and help with the Gun Bash, we can use extra man and woman power! We need more volunteers to help. If you can donate your time, please contact FOAC-ILLEA Secretary/Treasurer Dale Brackin 412-913-1057.
Originally published by NSSF
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to stay a lower court’s decision to enjoin the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Frame or Receiver Final Rule. This means the Biden administration will be allowed to enforce the Final Rule while the case continues to be argued in the courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision that the rule may likely be unconstitutional and remanded the case to a lower court which previously invalidated the Final Rule. The Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed to the Supreme Court and the Court issued their ruling to allow the Final Rule to be enforced even as it is being challenged. The regulation will be in effect while the 5th Circuit considers the case — and potentially the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, if such a writ is timely sought. NSSF urges all member companies to immerse themselves with the Frame or Receiver Final Rule and adhere to all laws and regulations while the case continues to be heard.
To read more about this, click here
FOAC-ILLEA President Jim Stoker with PA Rep. Val Gaydos at a recent Town Hall Meeting.
Re-printed from FOAC-ILLEA Email Blast on August 6, 2023
By FOAC-ILLEA President Jim Stoker
Ladies and gentlemen, some of you have asked through the years for more information on the Commonwealth v. Goslin case that is a part of our organization's history working with Attorney Joshua Prince. I spent some time pouring over the notes on hand, Josh's own writings, and the transcripts of the trial/hearings involved to write a summation of those perspectives and put together a piece on the matter for everyone. Unfortunately, this case is misunderstood by some District Attorneys and ignored by others. Please see the attached paper and add it to your records for reference should the need ever arise. This paper was reviewed by Joshua Prince, Esq. as well just for accuracy's sake, and is critical in understanding that lawfully carrying a firearm for self-defense IS a lawful purpose in bringing a firearm onto school property according to Pennsylvania law.
Another case worthy of reference for such matters is Bolden v. Chartiers Valley School District which explains why unintentionally bringing a firearm onto school property is not a violation of §912, and worthy of note. As our organization had no involvement in that matter, we will leave that one without a position paper until such time as one may be necessary.
CLICK HERE to download the Goslin Position Paper
By Salam Fantohi, 8/10/2023
Tracking crime statistics – and more importantly, whether or not crime is rising or falling in the United States – is getting harder to do. That’s because nearly a third of America’s cities are no longer reporting crime statistics to the FBI.
This is more than just a problem for policymakers looking for data to address the cities most in need of assistance. It also means that some policymakers are demanding bad policy because they’re relying on incomplete data.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
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.
As a professional Defensive, firearm, and safety instructor, I see so many of my fellow Americans misallocate their defensive budgets on things that might possibly be needed but may not probably be needed.
I know plenty of people who carry a handgun to defend themselves and their family, they have a good holster and belt, extra mags, a blade, flashlight, maybe even a med kit, a house full of other firearms, body armor, a flame thrower, 1000’s of rounds of ammunition and they claim they cannot afford to pay for a good defensive class. Really?
I also know of plenty of people that have a pistol, lots of ammo, and range access, that take classes, but they rarely carry their firearm when they are out and about with their families.
I know others who train and carry religiously but when they come home, they unload their gun and lock it in a “2 to the left 1 to the right” fireproof safe.
I have been wearing glasses since I was in 6th grade. Over the years, as my eyes have weakened and my prescription has strengthened, I have come to the realization that without my glasses I am no better than Mr. Magoo. For those that don’t know… Mr. Magoo was a character that did not see very well and this led to lots of mis-haps.
Over the years I have heavily invested in my family first responder defensive infrastructure.
Recently, my glasses got knocked off my face and I quickly realized that without my glasses all of my “tools” would be relatively useless. I teach my students to never shoot at shapes and shadows, but without my glasses, EVERYTHING I saw was shapes and shadows.
I decided then to bight the financial bullet and get Lasik. For about $4500 I have remedied the problem of not being able to see without glasses. I decided, I would pause spending money on my antique battle rifle collection. I chose to invest in repairing my eyesight so that I will have the ability to fully utilize the tools and infrastructure I have previously invested in to protect myself and my family.
I believe it is 100% probable that if I need to defend my family, I will need to SEE. I feel that correcting my eyesight was the best allocation of my defensive budget I could have made.
Be sure to allocate your defensive budget wisely. Invest first in those things that are most PROBABLE before you spend time, effort, and energy on those things that are possible. Afterall, your family’s life may depend upon it.
Stay Frosty, Armed, and Be Well Regulated!
Klint Macro
FOAC-ILLEA 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!