Joe Kopacz wants you to know he’s not the enemy.
And it’s time to talk.
Mr. Kopacz is the new chair of the Schoharie County SCOPE--the Shooters Committee on Political Action--formed nationally in 1965 as a way to connect with lawmakers on pro-2nd Amendment legislation: gun laws.
Their problem, Mr. Kopacz said, is “We’re all talking to ourselves. We’re not talking about the real problems and so when there’s a shooting, we’re all thrown in the same bucket.
“And I understand the feeling that we need to do something. But the laws that are getting passed...they don’t address the problem. They’re domestic. They’re mental health. It’s just easier and cheaper to make gun-owners the villains. And the laws, it doesn’t look like they’re working.”
No, they’re not.
A grandmother and her grandson were shot and killed Friday in a Florida Publix; the shooter. Timothy Wall, then killed himself.
Mr. Wall, and the victims don’t appear to be related, police said, but according to his family, he had a history of untreated mental health issues and was making threats on Facebook.
It’s less clear what was behind shooting in Cleveland, Ohio Saturday--three were killed and at least six others injured.
Or one, also Saturday, in Austin, Texas, where at least 14 people were shot, most of them police said innocent bystanders, in what appears to be a dispute between two men.
There were also shootings and fatal shootings over the weekend in Dallas, Savannah, Georgia and Chicago.
Don’t think that responsible owners of legal guns take any of them lightly, Mr. Kopacz said, but the best way to make those numbers go down is with facts—and then action.
“What we need to do is get more specific with the facts,” he said.
“Were the guns legal? Was it a domestic or family situation? Was it gang or drugs? Was it pre-meditated or suicide? All of those things are part of much bigger problems--and we’re not addressing them.”
The bigger problem, he argues, are mental health issues and the social, economic, and family stresses often behind them, all places he’d like to see more attention--and more money spent.
It’s also important, Mr. Kopacz said, to put things in perspective when the news breaks over shootings somewhere else.
“Here, in Schoharie County, firearms are a tool,” he said. “They’re not assault weapons. We use them for hunting, protecting livestock, sport.
“We’re not Albany and we’re not the enemy. We don’t have a problem regulating ourselves. We want responsible citizens to have firearms.”
And there’s more.
Until DEC moved hunter-safety training all-online, local volunteers spent their weekends teaching youngsters the same kind of basics the NRA has been promoting for decades through its Eddie Eagle gun safety program, he said.
Mr. Kopacz admitted the first steps toward “de-vilifying” responsible owners of legal guns may be the hardest:
Instead of just reading the headlines on Facebook, he’d said he’d like people to put a little time into researching the specifics behind every shooting, understanding the facts, and then sharing what they learn.
He’d like to see people like himself and what he’s trying to do cast in a more positive light.
And he’d like people to talk--and listen--respectfully to each other.
“If you have a question, something you don’t understand, call me,” he said. “I’ll never shut anyone out. Let’s talk. Let’s listen.”
SCOPE’s meetings are always open to the public.
The next meeting is this Thursday, June 17, 7pm, at the Middleburgh Rod & Gun Club.
For more information or questions, contact Mr. Kopacz at (518) 813-7024.