MGA 2020 Playbook: Guide to Defeating HB4!

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  • NewTwo

    Member
    Jan 10, 2020
    55
    Why does it seem like the antis always win? What does the gun control side have that we lack?

    The answer is simple: they own the rhetoric. Our side has great entities like MSI to respond to their Giffords. But we have no response to Everytown, Moms Demand Action, etc. They come organized with busses, uniforms and most importantly, UNITY. They have an effective message that they never deviate from and hammer into the heads of our politicians. They may not be GOOD or CORRECT, but they are EFFECTIVE. They are the ones WE must address; they NEVER need to address us. With this hostile environment you might imagine that we would be on top of our game, churning out the best we have to offer. Last year I was at the Senate Building testifying against SB737 (as well as the slew of other crap they shoved into one hearing) and let me tell you, what I saw astounded me. On our side we had:

    -People who walked in late to signup for testimony, completely unaware of the cutoff time
    -People who had no intention of testifying and were there just to "show support," wasting their own time and depleting our numbers
    -People who assumed it would be a short affair and were unable to stay late, wasting their testimony
    -People who made up their testimony on the spot, stumbling and stuttering with no coherent points
    -People who clearly hadn't read the bill and made complaints that were not valid or were already addressed in the bill
    -People who used their ENTIRE testimony to complain about how testimony times had been reduced from 2 mins to 60 seconds
    -People who cited every pro-gun cliche in the book (2nd Amendment, "criminals don't follow laws," "the only thing that stops a bad guy...") to politicians who literally couldn't care less
    -People who cited statistics but couldn't produce a source when asked by the committee
    -People who said the exact same thing as the last guy, contributing nothing new and thus wasting their testimony

    I could go on. Now we are all just regular people and should be expected to make mistakes, but just ONE of their testimonies is worth A HUNDRED of ours. Every testimony lost or wasted sets us back miles. Is it unfair that we have a higher standard while the Moms get to spew their gish gallop? YES, but since when were any of these laws FAIR? Ultimately your seconds at the podium will be the ONLY impact you have on these bills. They will not read your emails nor answer your phone calls. They will more than likely wipe their arse with your written testimony. Your spiel is the only time a politician will truly have to FACE you and be held accountable for their bill.

    They cannot escape your confrontation, but they can IGNORE you if you make it easy for them. Thus this year I want to help us do things DIFFERENTLY, make it so they can't IGNORE us when we speak. The problem we have is we all show up as individuals; we're all there to speak for ourselves. What good are our numbers then if we cannot cobble together a meaningful message? Our presence alone is not enough, we need UNITY. Thus I present to you all our PLAYBOOK for this year. The key to our win is COORDINATION. We want a baseline set of rules/talking points that we can follow so we can prevent mistakes, avoid our most stagnant/meaningless arguments and come up with fresh, new and effective arguments that a Democratic politician is MORE LIKELY to be persuaded by. If last year is any indication, PERSUASION IS POSSIBLE. They could have rammed all the bills through last year if they really wanted to, deaths be damned; THEY CHOSE NOT TO. There is wiggle room, we just have to find it.

    My suggestions as a baseline set of rules for any gun bill is as follows:

    1) Be prepared, intend to stay the whole day. Don't be late to register your testimony. Doesn't matter when they say they start or how much time they promise you. That can all change on the day of as it has many times before. In 2019 we were downgraded to 60 seconds and were moved from noon to 8PM. Majority had left by then.

    2) Coordinate your testimony with those around you. Frankly, all of us saying "criminals don't follow the law" is unproductive. The power of a person is their unique viewpoint, so make sure you're not saying the EXACT same thing 20 others have said. This allows us all to surgically dismantle a bill by leaving no stone unturned. You can use your 90 seconds to dive deeply into a particular flaw you have issues with because you know someone else will cover another part you're concerned about. Every one of us doing this creates a series of insurmountable barriers that politicians are less able to filter out into their "canned arguments" brain bin. There will be many hours before testimony to do this. Instead of talking about cars or guns, talk about WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY.

    3) Seriously, rehearse your testimony to yourself. I know we're not all public speakers but "uhs" and "ums" can and will destroy you when all you have is 90 seconds. IT GOES FAST, DO NOT WASTE IT. Speak with confidence, maybe quicken your normal cadence a little. Every second counts so BE SURE of exactly what you want said. Jot down a script if you have to just so you stay on track.

    4) AVOID STALE ARGUMENTS. Politicians have heard "unconstitutional, shall not be infringed, criminals don't follow laws, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun..., etc." thousands of times. "Think of the children/we have to do something!" doesn't work on us, so do you honestly think that our equivalent will work on them??? If they CARED AT ALL about those things, WE WOULDN'T BE THERE. For all our sakes, come up with something new and innovative. We want to surprise them and get their attention. Quoting the 2nd Amendment verbatim is the surest way to get them to ignore you.

    5) If you provide a statistic, know the source. Seriously, way too many people looked like idiots when they were asked where they got a stat from and they could not respond. Numbers without sources are essentially meaningless. Don't trap yourself.


    The following arguments/tactics will all apply specifically to HB4, which I believe is the worst we have this session. All the others could easily die in committee, but they've been trying this one for years. If we lose on universal background checks, we're NEVER going back. This is the LAST step before they LICENSE ALL GUNS, so give it the attention it deserves.

    1) DON'T GIVE THEM REVISION AMMO. In order to win, the whole premise of the bill must be flawed. If your biggest issue with the bill is that it doesn't exempt checks from certain scenarios, guess what? They'll happily revise it and then say "All good to you now!" and pass the new version. Your argument must attack the fundamentals of the bill that can't be altered rather than the nitpicks that they can alter to make it more "acceptable."

    2) "WE WILL NOT COMPLY" IS NOT AN ARGUMENT. Even if some of us don't, most will. Therefore it's a statement with no power behind it. If you want to give it power, make sure to explain beforehand WHY it would be too inconvenient to follow. Then you can finish with "THEREFORE, WE WILL NOT COMPLY." Frame it as "YOU GAVE ME NO BETTER CHOICE BUT TO NOT COMPLY."

    3) We know FFLs will jack up their transfer fees to make bank if this passes. Doesn't matter if you know a kitchen FFL that does all your transfers for free; most of us don't have such a luxury and will be paying $70+ per transfer. You know what liberal politicians hate? EMPOWERING CORPORATIONS! Frame HB4 as a bill that gives a background check MONOPOLY to gun stores. You really think the "reasonable fee" clause will be enforced? TELL THEM YOU KNOW THEY WON'T ENFORCE IT. Tell them that they're putting profits > safety. Take a page from their own book, DEMAND that they MANDATE FREE CHECKS or HARD CAP the price at something affordable, $20 max, hell you could even get them to $5 or $10. Tell them how simple a 4473 is and how FAST the check takes. Tell them that nobody deserves to PROFIT SO MUCH from AN EASY TO PERFORM and MANDATORY CHECK that is NECESSARY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY (ACCORDING TO THEM, MAKE THEM OWN THAT). If they tell you they won't/can't, then you can accuse them of forcing your hand to NOT COMPLY FOR THE SAKE OF A PRIVATE CORPORATION'S PROFIT! THIS IS NOT A LIE, TELL THEM HOW COSTLY TRANSFERS ARE IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY WILL BE SHOCKED!

    4) FFLs are inconvenient. They are few and far between. They are often closed on evenings, weekends and some weekdays. GUESS WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO BE FREE TO DO OUR TRANSFERS? EXACTLY THE TIMES THE FFLs ARE CLOSED! FFL hours are probably worse than the post office and banks combined, tell them as much. This bill decimates long distance sales in the state, gifts to friends, temporary loans if your friend goes elsewhere, low price sales, etc. Tell them how a $50 fee on a $200 Ruger 10/22 will be 1/4 of the price of the gun itself. TELL THEM THESE INCONVENIENCES ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH. DEMAND that they establish an alternative that is AVAILABLE 24/7 AND FREE. Will this take time and money for the state? GREAT, that makes them less willing to try any sort of UBC bill.

    5) SUGGEST AN ALTERNATIVE. Look, our politicians aren't necessarily evil, they just see an issue that looks like a serious flaw in the law. It's not that they're dead set on their solution, but IT'S ALL THEY KNOW HOW TO DO! If we give them something better that they never thought of, they're likely to roll with it. Ideally, we'd want nothing, but as gun owners, we should have SOMETHING that would be better than HB4. None of us want to sell to felons, but what they propose is far too inconvenient and ineffective. My personal fantasy proposal has always been a Swiss-like system where you could use your phone to scan the barcode on the back of a driver's license (like they do for age verification anywhere these days) which could confirm whether someone is legit and not barred from owning a firearm. No serial number registration, no hassle, available 24/7 and free. Useful for alot of other things, not just gun transfers. Not half bad, right? I bet if you suggested it to them they'd be on board too. Is it gonna take money, time and effort on the state's part? Great! Tell them this is the ONLY alternative THAT MAKES SENSE and that you will ONLY ACCEPT THIS ALTERNATIVE and that IF THE STATE REALLY CARED, THEY'D INVEST THOSE RESOURCES because THERE IS NO PRICE TO SAFETY. Tell them HB4 is a waste of resources in comparison.

    6) PLAY TO THEIR POLITICIAN'S EGO, COUNTER THE "WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING" MENTALITY. This bill is low-hanging fruit that they're pursuing to act like they did something. ROAST THEM FOR THIS! Tell them that how useless this bill is in addressing whatever problems they think it will solve. Tell them how states with UBCs still have mass shootings (Garlic Festival, Jersey City just to name some). Ask them if they know how many crimes are actually committed because of this (virtually none). Roast them for avoiding things that would actually make a dent in gun homicides like the marijuana legalization bill they threw out this year for "being too complicated." Roast them on the HQL, which has not yet reduced handgun deaths after 6 years. Roast them on the red flag laws they passed which led to the nation's very first death in their enforcement. Ask them if they're proud of that record. Ask them if they're satisfied following the same failed policies that other states have already tried out. Ask them how long we have to wait for results while people die. REMIND THEM of their own failed policies like the bullet casing database which was so bad THEY REPEALED IT after costing $6 million and never solving a single crime. Tell them this bill is as useless as that trash. Tell them that you care about gun homicides, that you care about finding real solutions but what they're proposing is absolutely INEFFECTIVE and INSANE! Tell them you know we'll be back next year when the bill doesn't do anything it intended to do. Ask them if they feel good always being back here to "solve the problem." Tell them they only have one chance to do it right and that HB4 isn't it.

    The LAST thing a politician wants to be seen as is useless and ineffectual. We tell them every year that these bills won't make a difference, but we say it like we know it. EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY WE KNOW IT. No more "criminals don't follow laws," HIT THEIR HEARTS AND EGOS. ASK THEM THESE QUESTIONS THAT PUT THE BLAME SQUARELY ON THEM AND MAKE THEM FEEL ASHAMED FOR CONTINUING WITH SHODDY BILLS LIKE THIS. Tell them they could do better, they could be innovative, DO IT THE "MARYLAND WAY," the new way that actually works because as gun owners, we actually know the issues. Emphasize how anti-policies have gotten stale. Ask them to revisit old legislation and/or put a sunset on new legislation so we can study what works and what doesn't. Make them fear passing HB4 not because of us, but because it'll make THEM look foolish, even to their anti-gun constituency.

    7) PLAY TO THE CROWD. While we cannot comment during each other's testimony, WE CAN STILL ACT DURING IT! Remember, you are not just speaking to the committee, you are speaking to EVERYONE! USE US TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! Ask questions to all of us! A whole room raising their hands in agreement/disagreement with something is more powerful than you think! DISPLAY OUR UNITY! Hell, you can even get the antis to raise their hands in agreement when you ask them things like "do you agree a background check should be free if it's mandated" or "don't you wish we could get along, that we could find a better solution than HB4." This is how we REINFORCE each other. I will personally be trying this out. I hope you will all help me out when I do, as well as anyone else who tries.


    In 2019, I had not prepared anything. I cobbled my testimony together during the hearings, the whole time thinking "what have we not said, what are the senators actually looking for." I proceeded to spit out the fastest speech of my life. After the hearing I was approached by one of the senators. She was curious about the things I had said. That 10 minutes I had alone with her is why I made this playbook. A previously disinterested politician was interested in what OUR SIDE had to say. That is something we should all strive to achieve this Wednesday. We CAN change their minds, we just have to give them something NEW. I look forward to seeing you all there.

    I hope I didn't come off as too preachy, I'm just trying to help. Let me know what you think. If you all have anything to add, please do.
     

    jefflac02

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2016
    547
    A little preachy. Very direct. But spot on. The challenge with those who support liberty, freedom and individualism is the fact that they believe and truly acting as an individual.

    As you stated, the Moms can be herded like lemmings because they have no independent thought and can be bought for a t shirt and free coffee.

    I personally do not see them as effective, but more as a mouthpiece for a talking point and useful idiots who can scream and throw a tantrum to get their way.

    Politicians unfortunately for the most part respond to that. My personal opinion is that most politicians on the left in this state are evil and do want total power and control. The only way to achieve that objective is to disarm the population by vilifying guns as scary black objects who will kill your babies in their sleep.

    Put forth enough hurdles and the populace will become numb to the need over time.

    Your call to action is very powerful and I thank you for putting forth the effort. Now it’s up to us as individuals to heed the call. It’s going to be a tough road this year. We can’t go down without a fight. See you Wednesday in Annapolis. Jeff


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    AACO_Salami

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Feb 12, 2019
    56
    To your point #4, that's the idea. They know they will have a hard row to hoe taking guns away all at once. If they can make purchasing a gun less affordable and more inconvenient that is a great way to infringe in an under the radar manner. That's the entire purpose of mandatory gun locks, UBCs, and bills like Baltimore countys burdensome regulation on gun stores.

    If they can't ban you from buying a gun, they'll make it as hard as possible for you to buy one.
     
    Why does it seem like the antis always win? What does the gun control side have that we lack?

    They have the majority.

    Great points, great post, & great plan on the subject but you are asking for allot of random people to come together and collaborate on the spot and not trip over each other, waist time, misquote facts or sources because the 15 people prior already covered everything they had prepared and now have to figure out something on the fly. For public speaking that may well be very intimidating to the speaker if not used to it. This sir is the equivalent of herding cats and will not change without leadership and guidance, maybe you should start a group with some of the people you meet there so that it can be organized and presented better prior to showing up if you have people showing up you already have a base to work from. Maybe call around and work with some FFL's to the same point that way everyone could show up with different faces and stats to achieve your goal. Honestly it would likely be easier to vote them out than change their minds in my opinion, I don't think they make the laws on ignorance of the effects or what they are achieving with them but mostly if not solely for the agenda.
     

    Vic

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2010
    1,453
    Whiteford, MD
    One thing I didn't see in your paper is this, Moms and other anti organizations are being paid to coordinate their attacks. Bloomberg and others are paying for these people to do what they do. They have a single point of focus brought about by a million dollar organization who does their organization for them. Most of this stuff on their side isn't grass roots but being manipulated by big money. I think your points are valid, think about it, but we are a grass roots organization.

    So how do people get hold of you to help organize they way you think it should be done? Sounds like you want to do the right thing and volunteer to coordinate future activities.
    V
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    For HB0004, the House Judiciary committee has reduced the time for oral testimony to 90 seconds from its typical 3 minutes.
     

    trailman

    Active Member
    Nov 15, 2011
    631
    Frederick
    They have the majority.

    And they can do what they want as exhibited in the 2013 ban, and they don't really care what you think. No amount of protest or testifying my MSI or anyone else is going to change their minds. The only way to get them out of office is by hook or crook.

    I have friends up and down the Shenandoah, VA is a powder keg. Maybe we should follow their example when it blows.
     

    Dogmeat

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 5, 2013
    4,640
    Montgomery County, MD
    Remind me...how many seconds are allotted each 2A supporter to make a cogent argument?

    I've always wondered if it would be possible for a string of people from our side to bring forth a cogent argument by having each read from the same script during their allotted time, then pass the paper to the next person in line.

    Probably not effective, but when only given 60 seconds or less, and 10+ is eaten up by stating Name, Location, etc, there just isn't much left other then to say...

    Leave Me Alone...You Guys Suck! :sad20:
     

    Raineman

    On the 3rd box
    Dec 27, 2008
    3,542
    Eldersburg
    Why not just field multiple “expert panels” instead of just 1 or 2? The expert panels get more time, and you could coordinate the testimony into a specific point, with one handing off to the other. Who determines who is an expert panel anyway? Just make some.

    They are oppressing our ability to voice our points anyway with their rule changes, so change it up using their own rules
     

    on_the_rox

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 16, 2009
    1,695
    Whiteford, MD
    I like some of your thoughts but I'm going to just say this and it's going to be unpopular.

    The legislators on the other side do not care what you have to say. They do not care about your testimony. It doesn't matter how compelling it is or how right you are. I saw it in 2013 when we brought enough people to shut down admittance to the legislature for fire code reasons. In the end they are going to do what hey are going to do.

    I'm not saying to not show up. I'm not saying to not testify. I'm not saying don't call and or email. There is a chance it may help in some way.

    Honestly the most effective fight I've seen is by the Patriot Picket. They shook up the other side. They organized. They provided a common message. My bet is on that kind of grass roots movement being our best hope. I would follow them and their leadership as they have proven themselves.

    The other side doesn't care about you and what you want. They do care when you start to push them like the Patriot Picket does.

    I would encourage you to look more into what they are doing this year.

    Just my thoughts.
     

    NewTwo

    Member
    Jan 10, 2020
    55
    Hey all, thanks for the feedback. I totally agree with you all that this is whole thing can be viewed as an exercise in frustration. Given everything that has happened in this state, I too felt that we were going to become another New Jersey. However, the 2019 session really opened up my eyes to what is actually possible from our side. People forget just how precarious our situation was that year. We were hot off the heels of the Capital Gazette shooting, Maryland's first "proper" mass shooting. Literally happened down the road from the General Assembly. Was committed with a shotgun by a man with no priors. MGA went absolutely NUCLEAR since NONE of the existing laws could have combated what occurred. They brought out everything: long gun licensing with no HQL exemption, 1 month gun rationing, UBCs, HBAR ban, home manufacture/3D print ban, etc. During testimony we had to face down Gazette employees who escaped the shooting, whose tears could easily wash away a thousand of our testimonies. They dispersed us by introducing equal bills in both houses. They cut down our testimony time. They shoved all the bills into one hearing. They drained us by forcing us to stay late. We had nowhere near the numbers that we did back in 2013. We were for all intents and purposes, absolutely screwed.

    And yet here we are. Those bills were killed. You can say they bit off more than they could chew. You can say we had some mysterious allies in the Democratic party. You can say it was all because Busch died. Point is, they hesitated. Despite the fact that they had everything going for them + unbeatable majority, they decided it wasn't worth it. And where are they now? Those bills haven't reared their ugly head this session. How did we go from 2013 where everything passed, to 2019 where nothing passed? I can only conclude that we have SOME effect on these politicians. They CAN be talked to (even if just a little, that's all we need). We DO matter and I want people to SEE that rather than resort to the same dejected defeatism that plagues 2A advocates everywhere. Maryland is NOT a lost cause. There are states like CA, NY, and NJ which certainly are and they've earned their right to give up. But us? We still have our chance.

    I don't want that hope to be a blind optimism either. I want us to equip ourselves with the best testimony our side can offer. Let's be real, voting them out is a fantasy. And as much as I love Patriot Picket, we can't ALL be Patriot Picket. It's just not feasible for most. Inevitably there will come a day when their presence is not enough and we will be the last ones left to guard what's ours. When that time comes, we're going to need fresh 2A arguments that hit harder than what we normally deliver. These Democratic politicians are all we have to work with, so if we want to have any effect we have to craft our arguments around how THEY think. They hate guns because they're used in countless Baltimore homicides and most recently against their own city-folk. They hate us because our age-old tactic has been to sit on our hands and proclaim "a criminal by definition doesn't follow the law" or "it's a mental health problem" with no specifics provided. Given the choice of doing anything vs. doing nothing, are we honestly surprised that they chose to do what they did? Mass shootings and Baltimore are a STAIN on all Maryland politicians. They would honestly do ANYTHING to fix them. They're desperate, they've thrown everything they know how to do at it and it still doesn't make a dent in the problem. Our goal this session should be to OWN THE SOLUTIONS. The ones that take REAL EFFORT on their part, the ones they kept IGNORING because we made it too easy for them. They have a SUNK COST MENTALITY with gun control policy. They've invested so much on it and they think doubling down is the ONLY thing they can do; they have a constituency that howls for it and a million interest groups that reinforce it. Our goal then should be to let them know that IT'S OKAY to TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT instead of making life WORSE for us.

    But that's enough of my spiel. I've left alot uncovered, the rest I'll save for Wednesday itself. This is a relatively slow year; Virginia will undoubtedly embolden them. If we can't change the course now, what chance do we stand next time? All I ask from you guys is to try and think out of the box this year. We've got the best people, I'm sure we can do it.
     

    Allen65

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 29, 2013
    7,063
    Anne Arundel County
    .
    .
    .
    But that's enough of my spiel. I've left alot uncovered, the rest I'll save for Wednesday itself. This is a relatively slow year; Virginia will undoubtedly embolden them. If we can't change the course now, what chance do we stand next time? All I ask from you guys is to try and think out of the box this year. We've got the best people, I'm sure we can do it.

    Lots of good stuff in that post.

    But I disagree with you about VA. The antis grossly underestimated the size, vehemence, and widespread distribution of opposition to their efforts. Northam, Saslaw, etc. genuinely believed the echo chambers they live in represented the whole state, which would welcome their efforts to get rid of evil gunz and Darth NRA, throwing flowers in their paths on the way to the dais to exhort the VA General Assembly to pass legislation that does everything just short of outlawing private ownership of firearms outright.

    We're seeing the results of that unexpected resistance in some of the outright immature legislation being thrown out by junior members of the Assembly, bills like the defacto ban on NRA's range, and the threat to instantly fire any local LE who question their efforts.

    What may have most surprised the antis is that the leaderless, truly grass-roots nature of the opposition. I know several antis who believe that if the NRA HQ was swallowed in a sinkhole tomorrow, all opposition to gun bans would evaporate. The pro-2A movement seems to be taking its inspiration, even if it doesn't realize it, from the Hong Kong resistance against the CCP. Lack of centralized leadership deprives the antis of someone to demagogue and attack.

    The outcome in VA is still very much in doubt. The Party owns the House, but their margin in the Senate is slim enough that turning a few non-urban D senators can thwart passage of bills. The NSYRPA case is still fermenting at SCOTUS, VA courts have lots of non-Progressive judges who can issue injunctions against new laws, and then there's the WWNC Movement. Lots of moving parts to keep track of.

    VA is still purple, and the D's arrogant, and occasionally childish, behavior is going to cost them dearly in the next election there, at least if the Rs can actually find candidates to run against them. For now what's needed is a holding action to prevent permanent damage to otherwise lawful firearms owners before that next election can happen.

    MD is different. While we can mitigate some of the worst of the anti's efforts with testimony and lobbying, the Party's supermajority in both houses, the stacking of the judiciary by the Party over decades, the lack of enumerated 2A protections in the MD State Constitution, and the demographics of the state, mean that we'll be on the defensive for the foreseeable future. The only realistic path forward back to reclaim rights we've already lost in MD is through SCOTUS action.
     
    Last edited:

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    I've seen the " cordination " of the demanding mommies in testifying , and I'm glad that they do , and we don't . They all literally read from the same piece of paper , over & over, one after the other .

    Now more than ever we need to be dynamic in our testimony . No not jumping around like an action movie , but tailor our Testimony in reaction to previous testimony .

    The side in Support of a Bill testifies first , so usually the anti's go first . They will speak a lot of crap . We need refute their points , and call out their bogus facts . That's why MGA has wifi , so we can fact check their lies with UCR , etc .

    For presenting our side , we have truth, justice , and near unlimited facts on our side , and thereby lots of potential talking points .

    Listen to all the previous ( our side) testimony . A good point not yet mentioned ? You bring it up . A good point started , but time limited ? Pick up and continue . Or come at it from different angle . Or any time you can relate personal experiences of yourself or your family , that's great .

    Sure have something written , or outlined, or notes just in case , but don't be married to it , if it's not the best move at that moment .

    I always have extra copies of my written testimony , but it's been rare for me to actually use it in oral testimony .
     

    daNattyFatty

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 27, 2009
    3,908
    Bel Air, MD
    I like some of your thoughts but I'm going to just say this and it's going to be unpopular.

    The legislators on the other side do not care what you have to say. They do not care about your testimony. It doesn't matter how compelling it is or how right you are. I saw it in 2013 when we brought enough people to shut down admittance to the legislature for fire code reasons. In the end they are going to do what hey are going to do.

    I'm not saying to not show up. I'm not saying to not testify. I'm not saying don't call and or email. There is a chance it may help in some way.

    Honestly the most effective fight I've seen is by the Patriot Picket. They shook up the other side. They organized. They provided a common message. My bet is on that kind of grass roots movement being our best hope. I would follow them and their leadership as they have proven themselves.

    The other side doesn't care about you and what you want. They do care when you start to push them like the Patriot Picket does.

    I would encourage you to look more into what they are doing this year.

    Just my thoughts.



    I do agree that the legislators don’t care what we have to say. That said, our efforts/pressure need to be multi-pronged.

    As someone else posted, VA is turning out to be a powder keg. How the legislators, .gov and media react, in addition to the overall result of Lobby Day and whatever demonstration goes along with it, will be studied (by both sides) and we should find ways to shape our tactics. If things go positively for the 2A side, it very well could be a “blood in the water” moment. Couple that with favorable court rulings on various issues, and things can change.

    Pie in the sky? Maybe. But we’re also not at the cartridge box, yet.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     

    knovotny

    Active Member
    Feb 5, 2013
    980
    Aberdeen, MD
    Please, please, please! People READ the bill. This is not a LQL bill! All over Facebook I am hearing so many false things about this bill! Before you submit written testimony, or give oral testimony, KNOW what this bill is! They will laugh, literally, if you stand up there and talk about an LQL. Also, please share the word on social media!
     

    BeoBill

    Crank in the Third Row
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 3, 2013
    27,058
    南馬里蘭州鮑伊
    One thing I didn't see in your paper is this, Moms and other anti organizations are being paid to coordinate their attacks. Bloomberg and others are paying for these people to do what they do. They have a single point of focus brought about by a million dollar organization who does their organization for them. Most of this stuff on their side isn't grass roots but being manipulated by big money. I think your points are valid, think about it, but we are a grass roots organization.

    So how do people get hold of you to help organize they way you think it should be done? Sounds like you want to do the right thing and volunteer to coordinate future activities.
    V

    Moms especially are better organized than the MSP. Their speakers/witnesses are given the "Talking Points" specifically crafted and tested/verified for the target venue and audience. Their sheeple are available on demand and not only organized, but regimented. And most importantly, they have Bloomberg's nearly infinite resources behind them:
    • A well paid propaganda writing source
    • A national source of red-shirted sheeple to smother the opposition
    • A selection of professionally printed sign material
    • A cadre of friendly local politicians, well paid in "contributions" for job security.
    • A national media organization to publicize whatever of the above necessary to maintain traction.
    I'm not saying it's impossible to prevail. We do need to find and exploit their vulnerabilities. This fight is a mix of law and PR, with the emphasis on PR.
     

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