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
GunWeek
PO 488 Buffalo NY 14209
www.gunweek.com
|
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Second Amendment Foundation
12500 NE Tenth Place
Bellvue Wa. 98005
Phone (425) 454-7012
www.saf.org |
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