We Will Never Forget

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. Is it more significant than the 9 that preceded? No, it is however, a decade, a standard of measure that represents a significant period of time in our history, not only the United States’ but every nation’s. The world has changed drastically over the past decade. Democratic nations have become aware of many of those who intend to harm them. We have all answered the call. United States soldiers have eliminated, amongst many others, the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks, OBL (we refrain from using his name as he does not deserve such recognition).

We cannot do enough to remember the 2,977 innocent people who died that day. Some were undoubtedly sitting at their desks or standing around the water cooler as usual. Some were flying to visit friends or flying to a distant business meeting. Some were rushing into the battered buildings to save others. The bravery of all these people cannot be matched, they were thrust into horrifying situations which cost their lives and we can never repay them for bearing that burden. These people will never be forgotten, they and their loved ones will remain in our prayers as the years continue to pass.

The tragic events thrust our great nation and its allies into a war, one which began long before the majority of Americans realized. This war resulted in the loss of 1,644 American soldiers and nearly 1,000 from our allies(the numbers will continue to rise). The men and women who died fighting against Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces did so as volunteers. They are volunteers willing to risk their lives not only to avenge the cowardly attacks on September 11th, but to prevent such attacks from happening again. We are forever in their debt as they have fought and died to keep our country safe.

We also pray for the thousands wounded in the attacks and in the consequent War on Terror. Some have been injured so badly they will never fully recover. Their strength and bravery to continue the fight is truly admired by us all.

As always, we remember our Special Forces brothers who gave all.
God Bless

-De Oppresso Liber

New York Gun Control

U.S. Court Rejects Challenge to State's Concealed Gun Law

New Yorkers do not have a constitutional right to carry a concealed handgun in public, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

In a case brought by four New Yorkers challenging the denial of "concealed carry" gun permits by four state judges, Southern District Judge Cathy Seibel said she found persuasive the reasoning of the Illinois' Court of Appeals in People v. Marin, 795 N.E.2d 958 (2003), that the overriding purpose of gun statutes should be to prevent innocent people from being victimized by gun violence.

As such, Judge Seibel ruled, that granting licenses to carry concealed firearms is a matter of discretion to be decided by state authorities and is not a right.

The plaintiffs contended that the defendants—Westchester County Judges Susan Cacace and Jeffrey A. Cohen, Westchester Acting Supreme Court Justice Robert K. Holdman and Bronx Supreme Court Justice Albert Lorenzo—arbitrarily denied them licenses to carry concealed handguns even though they did not fall under the categories proscribed by §400.00(2)(f) of New York Penal Law, such as felony offenders, people with a history of mental illnesses and minors.

The judges, who were represented by the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, argued that the "proper cause" provision of the state law served as a valid basis of the denial of gun permits and did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment guarantee of the right to bear arms.

Quoting Marin, Judge Seibel said, "The underlying activity of possessing or transporting an accessible and loaded weapon is itself dangerous and undesirable, regardless of the intent of the bearer since it may lead to the endangerment of public safety." Marin also held that transporting a loaded weapon on a public street "creates a volatile situation vulnerable to spontaneous lethal aggression in the event of road rage or any other disagreement or dispute."

"For all these reasons, I hold that the state has an important government interest in promoting public safety and preventing crime," Judge Seibel said in Kachalsky. v. Cacace, 10-cv-05413.

The judge found §400.00(2)(f), which provides for the carrying of a concealed handgun, requires that applicants show an "actual and articulable" need to possess their weapons "rather than merely speculative, potential, or even specious" grounds for self-defense.

"As crafted, the statute seeks to limit the use of handguns to self-defensive purposes…rather than for some other use that has not been recognized as falling within the protections of the Second Amendment," Judge Seibel wrote. "This purpose is furthered by the statute's directive that full-carry permits 'shall be' issued where there exists proper cause, rather than directing merely that permits 'may' be issued in such instances."

In the main, the concealed handgun permit statute appears to apply to those who legitimately need protection from harm, such as shopkeepers and merchants, bankers and even judges, "who may be the targets of criminal defendants or disgruntled litigants," the judge said. But the Legislature has left it up to those who grant licenses to carry concealed handguns to decide on a case-by-case basis, a process that sometimes entails the denial of permits for various reasons, Judge Seibel noted.

"Section 400.00(2)(f) may not be perfect, but it need not be to pass constitutional muster," she wrote. "Section 400.00(2)(f)'s limitations promote the government's strong interest in public safety and crime prevention, and are substantially related to it."

Judge Seibel's ruling "is a victory for New York state law, the United States Constitution, and families across New York who are rightfully concerned about the scourge of gun violence that all too often plagues our communities," Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement yesterday.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg similarly praised Judge Seibel for her ruling.

"Common-sense restrictions like the one the court upheld today do nothing to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans, but are essential to fighting gun crime on our streets," he said in a statement.

Mr. Bloomberg said the law is essential to both protect police officers and New Yorkers, "which can be done while respecting the Second Amendment."

Assistant Attorney General Monica Anne Connell represented the four judges.

Vincent Gelardi of Gelardi & Randazzo of Rye Brook was among the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, which included the Second Amendment Foundation, a gun-owners' rights group based in Alexandria, Va.

This article was written by Joel Stashenko for the New York Law Journal. Visit them here.

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Surviving Hurricane Irene

Another disaster struck Long Island, Hurricane Irene destroyed thousands of homes and vehicles. Again, Geico jumped into action to help their customers as quickly as possible. Geico is fully equiped to handle claims adjustments as fast as victims of the storm can bring them in.

Helping Geico in their effort to offer superior customer service yet again, Dominion Group is on site for the duration of the claims. The stakes are higher this time as customers have suffered substantial loses and losing their ability to drive is just icing on the cake at this point. Dominion Security Operatives are posted throughout the Geico claims event to ensure a safe environment for customers and employees.

To learn more about Dominion Group’s efforts, like our Facebook page.