TFA makes Jimmy Nafeh the issue for 2008

[Warbird]

Interesting question. Let's see if I can take a swing at it.

1) TFA would argue it IS relevant right now and will point to various legislative successes over the years including an influential role in TN passing the carry permit law. However, let's play devil's advocate here and assume they are not relevant.

2) As any NRA member can tell you, in terms of relevance, "size matters." Membership numbers speak. I have no idea how many are members of TFA, but I would assume that if the number went WAY up, the chances of being heard would increase. (Size makes legislators notice and size brings money, which makes everyone notice.)

3) So, if size brings relevance (defined as ability to make an impact both in terms of financial resources available and number of members), how do we increase size?

4) There are close to 200,000 "natural" members of TFA out there -everyone in TN with a carry permit. There are many tens of thousands more people who are NRA members but not TFA members. There are probably hundreds of thousands of firearm owners/users in TN who are not members of NRA/TFA. There we have 3 audiences to target -1 very easy to access, another somewhat harder, and a third quite hard to reach.

So, given #4 above, how to we grow TFA?

a) TFA embarks on a fundraising campaign to raise enough money to send a membership appeal to all permit holders in the state. (I'm guessing MANY permit holders have no idea TFA exists.) A nice mail piece to a universe that size will run about 50 cents per. There's about $95,000.00.*

Also, don't forget to give every trainer in the state TFA membership materials to give to students.

With revenue raised by a) above, the next step is to target NRA members who are not TFA members. NRA will not be handing over its member roster anytime soon, so we have to work around that:

i) TFA takes out an ad in all NRA magazines. NRA can target an ad in their mags to a specific audience (ie everyone in TN -the members in TN see the ad, members elsewhere see something else)

ii) TFA appears at every NRA event in the state (Friends of NRA banquets, state conference, etc.)

iii) TFA enters into an agreement with TNSSA (NRA State Affiliate for TN) to reach out to TNSSA members (attend annual meeting, shoots, advertise on their website, etc, letter to members, etc.)

c) With revenues and increased size from the campaign to this point, TFA should have the ability to reach out state-wide (newspaper ads, local cable tv ads, etc) and hire additional staff needed to make a difference on capitol hill and make that third target audience take notice.

d) Don't forget the little things. Such as a banner ad on TGO, flyers at every gun club, range, and store, presence on every website TN shooters might visit, etc.

*How does TFA raise the $95k?

1) Appeal to firearms manufacturers and related firms located in TN. (Ronnie Barrett can write that check out of petty cash if he wanted to.)

2) Appeal to current TFA members. (If there are 500 members and everyone gave 20 bucks, there's 10k. If there are 1000 members and every one gave 25 bucks, there's 25k, and so on.)

3) It has some of the 95k on hand already, so subtract that from the total required.

4) Raffle off a really neat gun. (Legally, of course, no need to revisit that old thread!) Say Barrett offers a rifle. You think there are 100 people in the state willing to put up $100.00 for a chance at it? There's another 10k.

5) Let's say you do all this and you only get $45k. Well, you mail to half the permit list. Which half? The half that does not already hold membership in TFA, that lives in affluent counties, etc. Then as more $ comes in, you hit the rest of the list.

So, there's my marketing plan. It would take a couple of years to make happen. In the end, a stronger organization would emerge. The current economy does not help, so it might take longer. In the end you have done what you can to make citizens of TN take notice. After that, you start looking at results on the hill to keep the $ coming in.

Finally, as TFA grows, it would have to grow as an organization -creating a board of directors to set policy, holding membership meetings, making sure members have a voice in the way things go. It can't be perceived as one man's quest to change TN law. It has to be seen as a grass-roots movement of thousands of people -a wide variety of people.

John Harris runs TFA on the side of a busy law practice. He can't do it alone. If we feel TFA has a relevant mission and a valuable purpose, we should all pitch in.

Full disclosure: I let my TFA membership expire. I have issues with some of John Harris' personal political views, which should be no great surprise to anyone here who has read my posts. I have to get over the idea that my member dues help support a political agenda I don't always agree with. Once I make that happen, I'll be back in the fold. (The best way to speed up that process would be to convince me that TFA's agenda is not just John's agenda, but rather the agenda of the membership of TFA.)

Sorry for a long thread hijack.

Len it wouldn't have to be anywhere near $95000 even w/ reply devices if you do it right.

[Guest Len]

True enough. But I was aiming high. I'm working on a campaign now where we are currently designing our mail plan. We're budgeting much less than 95k for over 100k pieces of mail. Amazing what a good mail house can do for you...

Len it wouldn't have to be anywhere near $95000 even w/ reply devices if you do it right.

[Guest jwp]

And if you knew anything about politics in Nashville.....

Are you saying that my long standing suite at the Hermitage doesn't afford me enough credit?

Many others would like to differ with you on that.

[saintsfanbrian]

Warbird,

Just one request. Go ahead and finish off that signature line:

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel or envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery - Winston Churchill

[The Rabbi]

Warbird,

Just one request. Go ahead and finish off that signature line:

He should also add the attribution to Churchill (assuming that is who said it), as the rabbis teach: Whoever repeats a thing in the name of the one who said it brings redemption to the world.

[saintsfanbrian]

Here is the link to where it is attributed to Churchill.

http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/2907

[Warbird]

Warbird,

Just one request. Go ahead and finish off that signature line:

Yes I need to. I have a picture of Churchill on my office wall with the quote. Great quote, Churchill was not short of great quotes that's for certain.

[saintsfanbrian]

Nor was Ronald Reagan.

[Guest ProguninTN]

The day Naifeh is removed from power, is the day that pro-gun bills will pass. Although, we need the right governor, or enough votes for an override.

[Tim Nunan]

<!--StartFragment -->http://www.tngop.org/wordpress/2008/07/09/speaker-naifeh-lied-about-having-gun-permit/#more-190

The word is spreading.

[Guest nraforlife]

<!--StartFragment -->http://www.tngop.org/wordpress/2008/07/09/speaker-naifeh-lied-about-having-gun-permit/#more-190

The word is spreading.

Yes but.... Is The Tennessean or the News Sentinel writing about this? Are any local TV stations doing an expose on it?

The gun community is getting the word but most knew what a lying gasbag Naifeh is.

[Guest GLOCKGUY]

my Representative said that alot of them are getting tired of him. so we will see what happens next year