THIS is what activism looks like. What is our side doing?

[Ronald_55]

Got this today from Rep. Roe's office. Guess I got on the email list when I mailed him. 

I don't think you can use my link because it looks serialized. I would bet several are doing it. Make sure you get to answer it. I am sure they will twist it, but gotta get your opinion heard.

---------------

Dear Friend:  

As your Congressman, one of my highest honors is helping East Tennesseans. It's important I hear from you about the issues most important to you and your family, so please don't hesitate to contact me anytime. Please take a moment to answer the question below. 

Thank you for your time. I am honored to serve you in Congress.

Sincerely, 
Phil

In response to the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, there have been renewed calls for action in an effort to prevent future school shootings, and numerous proposals have been suggested by the President and other members of Congress. Which of the following measures that have been suggested do you support? (Choose all that apply)*

• Ban on certain types of firearms.
• Raising the age to buy semiautomatic firearms from 18 to 21 years old.
• Ending the sale of bump stocks.
• Expanding and strengthening background checks.
• Improving information sharing between federal agencies to prevent criminals or dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms.
• Allowing qualified teachers, such as a former Army ranger or law enforcement professional, to carry firearms on a volunteer basis.
• Improving school security and better controlling school access.
• Increasing access to counseling and mental health services.
• Enforcing the laws that are already on the books.
• Other

Choose Your Answer

 

[RED333]

1 hour ago, Ronald_55 said:

Choose Your Answer

I clicked the link and took the survey and it worked.

 

April 14th why that day. I have a nephew, his wife and their daughter coming in from Alaska.(He works on one of them boats you see on TV) I have not seen him in many years, never have meet his wife or daughter. Might not get another chance.

That said I will be at the State Capitol at 1pm CDT on Saturday April 14, 2018 to show my support for our 2nd Amendment rights and to support our Constitution. There if I can do this!  I want to see more there!

YALL HAVE BEEN CALLED OUT!!!

[n0rlf]

I would be happy to show. With a bunch of friends. 

[Ugly]

I'll be there as well. If you've never been to the capital, parking sucks. Plan accordingly and carpool when possible. 

With that said, I'm near Knoxville and could bring a few along. If no takers, I'll be on 2 wheels.

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

4 minutes ago, Ugly said:

I'll be there as well. If you've never been to the capital, parking sucks. Plan accordingly and carpool when possible. 

With that said, I'm near Knoxville and could bring a few along. If no takers, I'll be on 2 wheels.

 

I will gladly come along.

[Esko 270]

I'll come. 

[TripleGGG]

I did the survey also. I've been on a mission the last several months making calls, sending emails, letters and faxes. Calling out friends to do the same and report in when they had done it.

I fell down a flight of stairs and destroyed my ankle so I will not be able to attend. Still recovering.

[btq96r]

3 hours ago, volshayes said:

There is no way that "Parkland Survivors" put all of this together.  Putting an event like this together would take millions.  Security logistics, permits, and all of the staging in a Washington DC setting are unbelievably expensive.

So, why is this something only the anti-gun crowd can do?  The NRA's IRS Form 990 filed last September showed $36 million on hand after expenses.  What's stopping them from doing the same thing and getting pro-gun people walking the streets of DC and in swing states with adequate funding to support?  They manage to get an annual convention/trade show organized year after year, so you can't say they don't have the needed resources.

 

 

 

[MacGyver]

Seems like they could have the convention somewhere nearby headquarters in Virginia and supply a steady stream of buses down to the mall.  Ask vendors to support water stations / hot dog tents / whatever in addition to their booth at the show. Provide firearm literacy, education, talk with some representatives.  Plus, you’d get to see some memorials to boot...

[Dolomite_supafly]

4 hours ago, btq96r said:

So, why is this something only the anti-gun crowd can do?  The NRA's IRS Form 990 filed last September showed $36 million on hand after expenses.  What's stopping them from doing the same thing and getting pro-gun people walking the streets of DC and in swing states with adequate funding to support?  They manage to get an annual convention/trade show organized year after year, so you can't say they don't have the needed resources.

 

 

 

It is because they want it to look like we are going to loose our gun rights. It creates fear within the gun community and it is that fear that generates income for them. I can guarantee they are sending out mailers demanding even more money to fight. They have plenty of money on hand to put up a strong fight but they refuse to do it so it looks like we are going to loose our gun rights.

And the liberals do have something right, the NRA throws a lot of money at our representatives in Washington. Why would those in office not also benefit from this turmoil, they themselves have a hand in. I mean if the representatives we elected talk of restricting gun rights in comes the NRA to throw money at them. 

Perhaps it is time to start following the money and embarrassing those in power who take NRA money but do nothing to help gun owners. What are all these A+ NRA rated legislators doing for gun owners? 

We have a super majority and our gun rights are being stripped away faster than ever before. Remind me again how our representatives are representing those who elected them. They are only representing their own interests.

 

[Sunfish]

Part of this looks like a trap to me. The left has surely anticipated our every move and if the media shows up they will label us and take everything said and done out of context and it's likely to be victory for them at our expense. If you could figure how to get some accurate air time and printed word out there it would go a long way. The first thing the left does is involve the media and pass out literature. The NRA better be lining up a media campaign on steroids with some of the millions and get the ILA off their ass and on the move      

[bersaguy]

19 hours ago, Grand Torino said:

I like it...If it actually happens I'll go.

On a side note I'd like to know what the left does for a living. They have left wing zealots to fund these events and ever sometimes pay people to attend. Most pro gun people actually work for a living and weekday events may be tough to attend.

Do leftists not work or if they do do they just say the hell with it? And then if the employer says something are they called racist or baby killers? I'm serious...I'd like to know.

David is or course right. Standing by and complaining does nothing. I guess the right needs more "community organizers". There must be a class in college for this right?

Something needs to happen because there is no discussing things with a turnip. Others said we may end up stripped of our Second Amendment rights down the road but one thing is for sure. It ain't gonna be pretty.

I'm going to if this actually happens!!!

[Moped]

I was able to take the survey.

 

I also would be happy to go to a Pro 2A rally and have traveled to Nashville in the past for such things. 

[volshayes]

On 3/26/2018 at 10:02 PM, btq96r said:

So, why is this something only the anti-gun crowd can do?  The NRA's IRS Form 990 filed last September showed $36 million on hand after expenses.  What's stopping them from doing the same thing and getting pro-gun people walking the streets of DC and in swing states with adequate funding to support?  They manage to get an annual convention/trade show organized year after year, so you can't say they don't have the needed resources.

 

 

 

Don't know the answer to that one.  I can only guess.  Soros and Bloomberg have billions at their disposal, and the NRA does not have cash like that on hand.  Maybe they want to use their funds in a more targeted approach.  Would it be better for them to fund a march, or use the money as they do right now?  I don't know the answer to that.  I would hope they have people on staff that know best how to use their funds.

[Whisper]

I'll be going to the rally in Nashville on April 14.

As regards a massive pro-gun rally in DC sponsored by the NRA, there are many arguments against this.

It's expensive, and will cost our side much more than it does our opponents.  They get hours of free and uncritical media coverage -- Gannett boasted about how their various newspapers collaborated to cover anti-gun activities as widely as possible.  Media coverage of the anti-gun rally was totally supportive; coverage of a pro-gun rally would consist mainly of trying to interview participants and trip them up and get them to say something stupid.  Coverage of the anti-gun rally focused on finding telegenic young people who've had media training; coverage of our rally would consist of finding an inarticulate 300-pound guy in overalls and a ZZ Top beard and a MAGA hat to speak for our point of view.

The NRA spends its limited funds supporting pro-gun candidates (some of whom, as Dolomite_supafly correctly notes, do nothing in return, and some of whom, like Fla. Gov. Rick Scott, are traitors) and opposing anti-gunners.  Rallies catch the TV crews, but the near-total absence of honest news media means an NRA rally in Washington would not get unbiased coverage.  Politicians pay attention to the news media, but in the end, the vast majority of them care for nothing except money and votes.  That's where the NRA should focus its efforts.

Cheers,

Whisper

 

[Someotherguy]

39 minutes ago, Whisper said:

I'll be going to the rally in Nashville on April 14.

As regards a massive pro-gun rally in DC sponsored by the NRA, there are many arguments against this.

It's expensive, and will cost our side much more than it does our opponents.  They get hours of free and uncritical media coverage -- Gannett boasted about how their various newspapers collaborated to cover anti-gun activities as widely as possible.  Media coverage of the anti-gun rally was totally supportive; coverage of a pro-gun rally would consist mainly of trying to interview participants and trip them up and get them to say something stupid.  Coverage of the anti-gun rally focused on finding telegenic young people who've had media training; coverage of our rally would consist of finding an inarticulate 300-pound guy in overalls and a ZZ Top beard and a MAGA hat to speak for our point of view.

The NRA spends its limited funds supporting pro-gun candidates (some of whom, as Dolomite_supafly correctly notes, do nothing in return, and some of whom, like Fla. Gov. Rick Scott, are traitors) and opposing anti-gunners.  Rallies catch the TV crews, but the near-total absence of honest news media means an NRA rally in Washington would not get unbiased coverage.  Politicians pay attention to the news media, but in the end, the vast majority of them care for nothing except money and votes.  That's where the NRA should focus its efforts.

Cheers,

Whisper

 

I could not agree more with the media part of this...We can hold a thousand huge rally's all over the country, and not one single national network, and most local big city networks would present them in a positive light..Not that most of the folks at the rally's wouldn't be just normal 2nd A supporters, but more that the media won't show them, they will find and interview every single nutjob group within the rally/s and show them, clad in old military gear, waving flags, waving AR15's around, while screaming death to liberals..

 

We won't see one bit of positive coverage out of this..

Edited March 28, 2018 by Someotherguy

[peejman]

@Whisper @Someotherguy

Do you think these photos adequately represent the opinion of everyone who attended the protests?  

https://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/106805-former-scotus-justice-calls-for-2nd-amendment-to-be-repealed/?do=findComment&comment=1485290

 

[Whisper]

Not everyone.  Like most large political rallies, this one probably contained a certain percentage of True Believers, but a larger group of Useful Idiots.

Cheers,

Whisper

[Erik88]

58 minutes ago, peejman said:

@Whisper @Someotherguy

Do you think these photos adequately represent the opinion of everyone who attended the protests?  

https://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/106805-former-scotus-justice-calls-for-2nd-amendment-to-be-repealed/?do=findComment&comment=1485290

 

No. But I did watch a video of a woman who was comparing the AR-15 to nuclear weapons. 

[peejman]

Ok. Just illustrating that the spin can, and does, go both ways. And I don't necessarily disagree that there won't be much positive coverage of such an event. 

Edited March 28, 2018 by peejman

[Someotherguy]

2 hours ago, peejman said:

@Whisper @Someotherguy

Do you think these photos adequately represent the opinion of everyone who attended the protests?  

https://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/106805-former-scotus-justice-calls-for-2nd-amendment-to-be-repealed/?do=findComment&comment=1485290

 

Honestly, at this point in the game, I just don't know anymore..

[peejman]

If the NRA won't/can't fund sending a bunch of people to these rallies, then how about they send a bunch of the outspoken Parkland students and their families to the NRA annual meeting?  

Are they willing to have honest discussion or are they only willing to shout from their bully pulpit? As anyone who's done much public speaking will attest, the audience makes all the difference in the world. I don't mean to present a hostile crowd, just that simply knowing your opinions aren't popular changes things.  

Set up meetings with a variety of "gun people".  Competitive shooters, law enforcement, hunters, ...  Let them see that we're not the blood thirsty monsters they've been told about, just a bunch of (relatively) normal people who love our country and happen to enjoy firearms as a hobby and/or vocation.  

[Whisper]

24 minutes ago, peejman said:

If the NRA won't/can't fund sending a bunch of people to these rallies, then how about they send a bunch of the outspoken Parkland students and their families to the NRA annual meeting?  

You're making the mistake of thinking that the outspoken Parkland students and their families are interested in facts and in hearing contrary opinions.  There is no evidence to support such a theory.  The most outspoken ones are launching careers as full-time leftist crusaders.  You will never see or hear of any of them being involved in an honest discussion.

[SWCUMBERLAND]

Unfortunately

55 minutes ago, Whisper said:

You're making the mistake of thinking that the outspoken Parkland students and their families are interested in facts and in hearing contrary opinions.  There is no evidence to support such a theory.  The most outspoken ones are launching careers as full-time leftist crusaders.  You will never see or hear of any of them being involved in an honest discussion.

Totally accurate... and disgusting, as the media's focus for the next while will be these latest can-do-no-wrong darlings, with their foul mouths and parroting mannerisms. What tiny deviation from these will be as minimal and made to look as extremist as possible, if not ginned up out of whole cloth.

Newly here to the state, more than a few have said to me "This crap don't fly here in Tennessee."  I hope they are right. And it does seem likely...here. One could wish for it to be broader in scope.

SWC

 

[peejman]

1 hour ago, Whisper said:

You're making the mistake of thinking that the outspoken Parkland students and their families are interested in facts and in hearing contrary opinions.  There is no evidence to support such a theory.  The most outspoken ones are launching careers as full-time leftist crusaders.  You will never see or hear of any of them being involved in an honest discussion.

No arguement. But the point should be made, and remade as many times as necessary.... We're trying to engage in open, rational discussion. If you won't come to the table, who's the one being intolerant?