TNCDL - Tennessee Citizens' Defense League

[molonlabetn]

As posted on http://www.packing.org/community/general/thread/?thread=22497

Tennessee Citizens Defense League

Given today the astonishing shooting at Virginia Tech, I have now become resolute in getting some of the silliness in our own carry laws in the state. I am of the opinion that if just ONE person were lawfully carrying in the Virginia tech Campus, the outcome would have been much different.

Virginia, Ohio, and now West Virginia all have very good organizations to help further and lobby for our RIGHT to defend ourselves.

I am looking to start just such an organization in our state, working to expand our rights, and finally get some common sense laws, including restaurant carry, campus carry, passage of the "emergency powers" legislation (HB1285), as well as the "castle doctrine."

I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE! If it is to have any chance of succeeding, I will need help. I can lobby, I can raise funds if needed. Having run for office in the past, I am somewhat well connected, but I will need help.

I have reserved the website www.tncdl.org to use as the website.

If there is a similar group already in place in the state, I and ultimately all of us, need to work with that group to make it a successful, singular voice in the state of Tennessee

pilottech

I know this idea was tossed around, here, in the past... Time to either jump behind it, or let it falter.

[Beltaine]

I feel the same way about the VT.edu incident.

Tell me what you need done, and I'll see what I am able to do to help.

[molonlabetn]

I am not the organizer of this new site/org... I am merely passing the information on.

I do intend to get involved, if possible from my locale.

[Beltaine]

Ahh, gotcha.

I work for a public school system and firearms related websites like packing.org tend to get caught by the internet filter. I'll look into it more when i get home

[TGO David]

Someone send that guy a link to TGO.

[molonlabetn]

Someone send that guy a link to TGO.

That was the first thing that I did.

[towerclimber37]

you know...If we got all the guys together to raffle off something..sold tickets via paypal.......we COULD raise money.

what would we raffle?

or we could just donate what we could!

are donations to pro gun political organizations tax deductible?

[tnroadrunner]

Is this not what the Tennessee Firearms Association is for and does?

[Marswolf]

Is this not what the Tennessee Firearms Association is for and does?

It should be, but in my experience it's a dud organization.

[molonlabetn]

you know...If we got all the guys together to raffle off something..sold tickets via paypal.......we COULD raise money.

what would we raffle?

or we could just donate what we could!

are donations to pro gun political organizations tax deductible?

Unfortunately, donations to political orgs are probably not tax-deductible (donations to the NRA aren't)... But donations to educational & charity orgs are tax deductible (donations to the NRA Foundation are tax deductible).

I'm not sure how legal 'raffles' are in this state... but if we sold 'shares' towards a charitable donation, and then held a separate gun giveaway (funded however was deemed necessary), that should be fine...

I would love to see us put together a team for the Celebrity Cancer Shoot... Let's see, 50 donations of $10 each would give us enough to fund the entry fee... 100 donations of that amount would give us enough to fund the entry fee and buy a decent rifle or handgun to give-away. We might even be able to get a gun-shop to donate, or significantly discount the gun. I'm sure that I could raise many donations from amongst the folks I know.

The Friend of the NRA banquets are another good place to devote some time & money...

[Guest Hyaloid]

As a relative newcomer to the firearm scene, and a 2004 transplant to TN, here's my impression:

I would love to have one UNIFIED voice for the 2nd amendment in TN. We have the TFA that touts itself as such, but IMHO, they seem rather anemic and inactive despite it's founder's dedication.

Then we have this site, alot of like-minded individuals, but not (at least not yet) politically active, and relatively speaking in it's infancy.

We have the big players (NRA/GOA), but what are they REALLY doing on a grassroots level in TN? Not much that I have seen, but they are really good at tooting their own horns so to speak.

What we need is a firebrand... a politically savvy, charismatic, knowledgable leader that can unify us Tennesseans on all fronts, and speak with one voice.

The trouble is how we get there? Do we attempt to modify existing organizations (TFA, TGO)? Do we start from scratch, and hope people don't see us as another sorry attempt (TCDL)? I don't have the answers, just the questions... but I'd like to get involved.

[molonlabetn]

The NRA is good at moving money around and lobbying... That's what they are good at.

The GOA and SAF are very dedicated and respectable, if mediocre, collectives... but neither really has a high profile impact in TN, though their presence is positive.

The TFA does not have enough participation... one guy can't do much if everyone else simply looks on.

I, for one, don't think that we need another separate organization to mimic these others. We need to get the people who care involved in ALL aspects of this interest, through each of these groups. That would bring these several organizations together into a cohesive unit. Presently, the many independent activities of each of these organizations do alot of good... there simply needs to be more involvement at the community level.

Someone needs to organize this... and the individual organizations need to lose their pride, so that they can help each other. I am a member of all of these organizations, I don't need them all telling me how great they are, I need the job to get done, and to be given the opportunity to help.

I would love to someday see an NRA flyer promoting an SAF/GOA/TFA/TGO fundraiser.

This'll only work if we come together... not build more divided 'clicks'. I don't hold any solutions, I'm just another one with an opinion, questions, and a desire to do my part.

[TGO David]

It would be great if TFA and TGO could somehow work together to improve the impact of both groups.

[molonlabetn]

It would be great if TFA and TGO could somehow work together to improve the impact of both groups.

That would be a good question/offer to be posed Thursday, then... I'll try to take some good notes, or even record, the TFA meeting. Hopefully we can make this less of a question of "What can we do?", and more a question of "What will we do?". But we gotta start somewhere.

[saintsfanbrian]

I just sent message to the TFA for more information on a Memphis chapter. Who knows.

[TGO David]

That would be a good question/offer to be posed Thursday, then... I'll try to take some good notes, or even record, the TFA meeting. Hopefully we can make this less of a question of "What can we do?", and more a question of "What will we do?". But we gotta start somewhere.

I'm glad you mentioned that. I need to try to attend.

[molonlabetn]

I sent Mr. Harris an e-mail asking him to confirm the meeting. It didn't sound like he had any doubt, but in the interest of certainty I'm sure those who will be driving a long ways want to be sure (like me). I'll post any response I receive.

[kckndrgn]

I just sent message to the TFA for more information on a Memphis chapter. Who knows.

Saints, I just checked the calendar at RangeUSA, TFA will be meeting there this Thursday (4/19) from 7:00 - 9pm.

Please do forward any information from TFA to the board.

[tnroadrunner]

I just received an email from appstraining@bellsouth.net verifing if I was going to the meeting on Thursday. Of course I said yes I would be there.

[saintsfanbrian]

I might be able to make that. I am in class so I might not. I guess I should have checked there first. If I can't make this months, I will try next month.

[molonlabetn]

TFA meeting time has been changed to 7pm per e-mail received from John Harris. Otherwise, it is a 'go' as-planned.

C'ya'll there who can make it!

[Guest Len]

Bump for molonlabeTN -agreed on all points. (Except for odd taste in political parties !)

I suggested TGO and TFA get together and chat on some other thread somewhere, and I think the Thur meeting (I will be there if someone would tell me the TIME of the meeting!!) would be a natural place to start the conversation. MolonlabeTN is right -we need one concerted effort -whether that is one organization or several working together. And this organization needs an agenda, a voice, volunteers and enough $ to make it work. It is amazing what volunteer labor can get done. Seems like TFA is all John Harris lobbying on capitol hill. Valuable, but that's not all that needs to be done.

We need to set our (combined, agreed upon) priorities, build human and financial resources, become educated in what we are doing, then go out and make things happen. This wont happen overnight, but it can happen.

Finally, public opinion of shooters needs to be polished some. We can do this via the ACS Charity Shoot and similiar events and actions. There's an organization called "Good Gun Foundation" http://www.goodgun.org/. Their idea is to promote a positive image of guns and responsible gun owners to stimulate polticial and cultural change. I like this idea, but they dont seem very active at least outside of Arizona.

[Guest Len]

Tungsten, if you go, bring business cards! I'll have TGO flyers printed. (I dont have a working color printer, so they will be b&w.)

-Len

I'm glad you mentioned that. I need to try to attend.

[TGO David]

7pm is going to make it difficult. That's a good 3 hrs after I get off work, but I also live 30 mins away ... so it's not like I care to drive home and then drive back. ARGH!!!

I'll see what I can do.

[Marswolf]

The GOA and SAF are very dedicated and respectable, if mediocre, collectives...

I need to sidetrack a little on this one. GOA has some credibility problems. Google: Executive Director Larry Pratt racist.

Here are a couple of places to start:

http://informe-onu.blogspot.com/2007/04/el-documento-larry-pratt.html

http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.pe-q.htm#pratt

We can start another topic if we need to discuss this. I'd just as soon let you read and see for yourself.

Back on topic, I don't have a lot of expectation that the TFA will develop into much more than it is now. Harris is just too busy, I guess, to get the group better organized. And he is the TFA. I quit paying much attention to them when Harris wasn't able to even schedule a state convention several years ago. Some local chapters have good meetings, but that doesn't translate into significant political pressure. I'm not slamming the group, but think it is time to move on to a group that can be more active.

Having said that, the guy who is trying to found the Tennessee Citizens Defense League, sounds desperate. His tone is sincere desire to get a good group started, but it doesn't sound like he has the organizational skills. Just reading between the lines.

If we have to help these groups bootstrap, we might as well do it with our own organization.