New York City’s offer to host the 2012 Olympics raises an interesting point:

The Olympics includes shooting events. To get medals in these events, a

person has to spend years, starting at a young age, practicing with

firearms. New York City does everything it can to make this ABSOLUTELY

IMPOSSIBLE for the city’s youngsters. So, though to a lesser extent, does

New York State.

One person on top of this is Alan Chwick, a leading campaigner on 2nd

Amendment rights in Nassau County (NY), next door to my own county. Here

(with his permission) is Alan’s letter to the NY State Senate.

08/16/2004
NYS Senator Skelos
Albany, NY
Senator Skelos,
As you can see by the letter below, I am vehemently opposed to NYS & NYC
hosting the 2012 Olympics. As you can additionally see, I have contacted the
USOC and several members of the IOC.
I now read that you are going, with NYC Mayor Bloomberg, to Athens to appeal
to the IOC for NYC to host the 2012 games. As you know, and have voted upon
(S608), there is still the problem with A1530
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A01530 (companion to S608
http://www.senate.state.ny.us/ ). Until this bill passes the NYS Assembly,
NYC & NYS are inhospitable to our own, and other, participants in the
Shooting Venue.
The Shooting Venue is the Olympic’s second largest venue. It is hypocritical
for NYS & NYC to consider hosting this venue here, as NYS & NYC have gone
out of their way to destroy this sport at all levels within the state.
Consider the facts that NYC will have NO juniors participating in any rifle
events and NYS will have NO juniors participating in any pistol events.
It will be a sad day for the Shooting venue if NYS & NYC hosts the 2012
Olympics under the current Penal Law conditions.
I urge you to speak to your counterparts in the NYS Assembly and have A1530
acted upon quickly, as the NYS community needs time to create Olympic grade
competitors. Currently, A1530 is in the Assembly Codes Committee, chaired by
NYS Assemblyman Lentol. There was overwhelming support for the companion
bill (S608, passed 60:1) in the Senate and I am sure that, except for the
NYC contingent, the same is true for A1530.
Please, this is the right thing to do and our juniors deserve the
opportunity to tryout and possibly participate.
Alan Chwick