Enemy at the Gate

by R. K. Campbell

October 4, 2006

There are times to get motivated, times to get angry, and times to do something! At present we are in all of the above times. What? We have a good, God fearing Republican President who supports gun rights! Things are going pretty good, thank you.

And you are getting too fat and happy.  I am not tired of the fight, I never will be but I am going to take a lesson from a good pastor and step on your toes. Some of us are tired of doing all of the work for you in the gun rights battle! A handful of hard working tireless freedom loving individuals have carried the torch for many years. When we suffer a debacle such as the election of the Clinton regime we all find ourselves motivated and checks come pouring in. There's nothing wrong with that, but steady growth is important, and in gun rights it is feast or famine. We go into the panic mode and fight. Then after the fight is won, we relax. That’s human nature but thank God the Second Amendment Foundation has the long term in view.

We cannot rely upon nationwide organizations such as the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation to do all of our work. That is like expecting Franklin Graham to do our local pastor's work. It is all important and the nationwide groups do great work, but they need support at the Grass Roots level. The South Carolina and North Carolina Grass Roots movements are examples. The consequences of poor gun rights records are best delivered at a local level. Recently, a national organization was indeed a great help in a time of great misdeeds. Take a hard look at what occurred in New Orleans. Yes, we have a good President and yes, our rights are secure. But are they? The New Orleans police chief ordered the confiscation of citizen's firearms to 'preserve order.' This is patently illegal and unconstitutional but it was done. Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation immediately filed a lawsuit to stop this action and the lawsuit was successful. The Chief was fired. But the fact remains: this debacle took place in a free country.

As for the real and present danger in New Orleans, I have no doubt that there was violence, and I am certain that citizens needed to be armed. But an Army General who was concerned mainly with saving lives and preserving order noted that he saw many people who were afraid of 'large groups of poor people' and who 'liked pointing guns'.

A group that quietly but effectively aided the citizens of New Orleans was the Southern Baptist Mission program. They served millions-- yes, millions--- of meals and found housing for thousands displaced by the storm. As for violence, the Baptist Mission reported, 'These are the sweetest people-- we had no trouble at all--" In light of the treatment by these people by the local police, I would prefer to take care of myself.

These same politicians attempted to disarm many of the police who came to help, and many simply gave up and went home. We could write a book about the debacle, but we will save that for later. What is legal now matters more than what is moral.  

There are large and small gun rights groups and often as not the smaller may move more quickly. If you associate with these groups and attend meetings such as the recent Gun Rights Policy Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, you will have a good idea of the proper means and measures with which to work. First, let me stress that we must make a good impression. The person with whom you discuss gun rights should not mind at all if you carry a concealed weapon in the same Wal-Mart as they do. If this person finds you angry, well, his opinion may differ. Do you come across as well informed? It is easy to preach to the choir, but converts require more education and dedication. Be wary of the emotions you generate in getting your point across.

I am not a radical and do not subscribe to conspiracy theories. Just the same, there are forces at work that are frightening. The President of the United States had told a friend of mine that there are forces at work we can only imagine- and terrorism is just one of these. There are those who believe in the collective right, not the individual right, and that a strong society will cure all ills, and this society is not one that will be friendly toward personal freedom. It is the old battle between liberalism and freedom, and it is being fought every day. Remember, the rights they discuss are sometimes misunderstood. Someone once said that civil rights are not granted at birth, they were earned by our countrymen.  To an extent this was true, but our Founding Fathers believed in the human rights granted by our Creator. The Constitution simply enumerates these pre-existing rights.

I think that an important step for all of us, and one that was reaffirmed at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, was to continue to adhere to the NATO standard. As one who sometimes ventures into 'mainstream' outdoors magazines, I think that this is a rule that many have abrogated, if indeed they have any interest in gun rights at all. A few elitist magazines have a few glossy gun reviews and little in the way of real hunting while making an argument for reasonable compromise. Watch out for those guys, they are more dangerous than gun control advocates! They attempt to mock established outdoors magazines such as Guns and Guns & Ammo, but when weighed in the balance they fall far short. Beware their creeping liberalism.   ( I suppose the far more realist and readable Boar Hunter Magazine would give them conniptions. )

The NATO standard is simply this- we will tolerate no encroachment on gun rights, period. No compromise. We will support .50 caliber rifle shooters, we will support concealed carry, we will support hunting, we will support compact handguns and resist all legislation intended to limit our rights, including bans on certain types of military type rifles.  We will stick together or hang separately. No compromise. No surrender!

It would take several publications to list the bad laws that are likely to be introduced during the next few years. The problems is that laws sometimes look good to the power brokers but would be completely unacceptable to most Americans. Remember, some of the sovereigns of the great People's Republics are not content to run New York City or Jersey City but wish to get involved in the affairs of the nation. Many of us believe that this is interfering with interstate commerce, one of the few powers specifically reserved for the federal government. But just the same, Mayor Bloomberg and others feel that they are beyond the law and wish to bend the constitution. Remember, Bloomberg is not the average politician but a self made billionaire. This alone must make us question his motives for venturing into politics.

At present, the situation is intense. I am as much in the loop as anyone, but don’t have all of the answers. Like most of you I am concerned with making a living, raising children properly, and getting a little rest from time to time. It is critical that we have full time individuals who are able to mobilize support and move quickly to preserve our rights. I would not have you waste your time and money if it wasn’t needed. The present fight is about our future and the future of America as we know it. It isn’t just about firearms. The present battle is about everything, including faith.  The Second Amendment Foundation goes above and beyond the call. They have waded into the morass of New Orleans and into the hostile third world nation known as the United Nations. We cannot lose this battle. Remember, we don’t have to make politicians see the light. They simply have to feel the heat. Make your presence count.

A project near and dear to the author is the Thomas Paine Project sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation. Your tax deductible contribution will be ear marked for the support of Second Amendment Projects supporting publications that inform the public. And while you are at it-- subscribe to GunWeek. Even the anti gunners subscribe to keep up with what we are doing, and I have seen the proof!

And I hope to see you at the next Gun Rights Policy Conference.

R. K. Campbell

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