Why gun rallies are pointless

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    trailman

    Active Member
    Nov 15, 2011
    631
    Frederick
    Interesting take that may suggest a different approach. Food for thought.

    http://www.patrickhenrysociety.com/why-gun-rallies-pointless/



    Why Gun Rallies Are Pointless


    It’s spring, and that means it’s time for rally season. That’s when all the gun rallies get going for the year. In any given state, you can bet there will be at least two rallies at the state capitol, maybe another one in the (next) largest town, and maybe one more event before winter.

    They’re almost all the same; they have the same formula, the same stuff, the same attendees. The same speakers stand at the podium and say the same things–lofty things about rights and Founders, and defiant things about all the ways that the tyrannical law du jour will be defied. What changes? Nothing.

    Before you attempt to burn me at the stake, let me show you. Here’s an invite from an upcoming rally in a flyover state. I’ll take it section by section.

    Each year in the spring, Second Amendment advocates gather in the State Capitol Rotunda to “rally” the gun-rights grassroots base and lobby the legislature on gun-rights issues and pending legislation. Rally Day also offers an excellent opportunity for gun owners and pro-gun legislators to get better acquainted and forge stronger alliances.

    What does the word “rally” mean?
    •To call together for a common purpose; assemble.
    •To reassemble and restore to order.
    •To rouse or revive from inactivity or decline.

    So what do we know from the above paragraph?

    •This rally happens every spring. That means it is expected, it is routine. That is the kiss of death. Ineffective, boring, pointless.
    •Every time they have this rally, they do the same thing. In fact, this event is so routine, it’s even called Rally Day.
    •They claim that it’s an “excellent opportunity for gun owners and pro-gun legislators to get better acquainted and forge stronger alliances.” That’s PR-speak for schmooze.

    Here’s the question of the day: why do the gun owners not already know the pro-gun legislators? Do you, as a gun owner, need to be friends with your legislator? Do you need to share a meal with them and chitchat about gun-grabbers?

    I say no, you don’t. I would argue that you need to get across to them that if they do not vote correctly, they will be removed. You need to make them understand that if they do not do their job, you will ensure they don’t get another chance in that chair.

    Rally folks might counter with, “well, that’s how you get the point across, you gotta make connections and network, and show the legislators that you mean business.” My next question is, how well has that worked out for you? I mean, considering you need to have the same event every single year and all.

    The answer to my question is found in the very next paragraph.

    Recent Rally Days have seen pretty dismal attendance. Given the current political climate relative to gun laws, it is absolutely critical that we have a strong turnout this year. We must fill the rotunda like we did when we were fighting for Concealed Cary and the Castle Doctrine. We are under attack and can no longer afford to be complacent!

    Well, that’s awkward. Not only does no one show up to the Annual Gun Owner Feel-Good Picnic, but someone can’t spell concealed carry.

    They’re right about one thing–gun owners are under attack and “can no longer afford to be complacent.” At least they admit that they have been. The problem is what their idea of “non-complacency” looks like.

    Recent anti-gun marches and protests have drawn large crowds urging lawmakers to pass legislation restricting your Second Amendment rights. We must have a large turnout to counter those efforts to strip us of the hard-fought gains we have made in recent years. The anti-gun folks are well organized and well-funded. We must counteract their efforts by the grassroots action of individual gun owners.

    This literally translates to “If we get bigger crowds at rallies, we will beat the anti-gunners.” Read it carefully; that’s what they’re saying. “The anti-gunners have more money and better organization so we need you to show up to our rally and donate more money.”

    If you can (take a day of vacation if necessary – it’s that important!), please join us. You could even take your kids out of school for the day and let them have a great firsthand civics lesson they will never get in school. Bring your shooting buddy who wouldn’t ordinarily come out for such an event. Bottom line, we must all dig deep and give of our time to show up and stand up for our Second Amendment rights!

    I have a better idea. Instead of going to yet another rally to tell your legislators that you Really Mean It This Time And You Want To Keep Your Gun Rights, just like you did last year, and the year before, do something different. Do something unexpected.

    Spend that Saturday milling out an 80% lower. Reading a book on a topic you need to learn. Spend the gas money on parts for your lower. Spend the money you were going to use on a new rally t-shirt and go get more ammo. Go get Basics of Resistance and pick any of the ideas from the several lists the book has.

    Do something…anything…besides the same things you’ve been doing. Because what the rally crowd is doing isn’t working anymore.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    The rallies work best as an introduction on how to lobby IMO, and as a recruiting tool, not as the complete and total sum of our efforts, they are a tool, not a goal. Ultimately it comes down to doing work to kick out unfriendly politicians, and elect better ones, not merely threatening to do so. most any pro-gun person with any sense already knows who they will vote for, so just speaking to ourselves doesn't do anything. We just need to get as many pro-gun folk off the couch as we can to convincing others to vote for pro-gun reps, to expose anti-rights practices, ideas, and proposals, and oppose existing and future infringements publicly. IMO range days, meetups, dinners, expos and "fun" stuff does a good job of that where a lot of new folk don't really want to start their 1st day as a pro-gun advocate protesting or listening to a speech.
     

    TexDefender

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 28, 2017
    1,572
    I don't think rallies are pointless. This is just another tool in the tool box. To be effective requires a lot of different things to be productive, any single approach is simplely not as effective. We as gun owners need to write our elected officials, call our elected officials, testify before committees/commissions, lobby our elected officials, recruit more individuals to our cause, establish and maintain an effective PR program, and protest. We need and must bring as much pressure to bear as possible. As the individual above stated range days, meetups, dinners, expos and "fun" stuff does a good job of bring in these individuals. Today's youth, beyond our own families are not as inclined to shall we say go "outdoors". Without new gun enthusiast to understand clearly the need for the 2nd Amendment and the use of firearms, things will only get tougher.
     
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    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    He had me going, until the next to last paragraph .

    Do somthing different. Shake things up. Don't fall into same old same old complacency. Cool .

    But then his idea of doing somthing is .... To do nothing instead .

    How about make individual or small group visits Throughout the legislative season . Communicate with the Critters year round . Formally participate in Hearing process . Quick reactions to unfolding events with high profile small to medium groups. Or even , gasp !, signs.
     

    trailman

    Active Member
    Nov 15, 2011
    631
    Frederick
    When I used to do lobbying I found the most effective way to move politicians is money and votes, the rest is just noise...
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    We actually know the going rate in lollipops to buy legislators , they're actually quite reasonable .
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,176
    Mt Airy
    This is why I stopped going to 2A Tuesdays. It IS the same speakers, same messages, same outcome each time. If some new people show up, then cool. But that rarely happened. I like the more "necessary " rallies, like the 2013 rally and the Get Rack Out Of Jail rally. They have more meaning, and better results.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    People do what they have and want to do. That's fine. I was just talking to a Capitol Cop friend of mine yesterday. He sees rally after rally, year after year. He said it's a shame because the legislators couldn't give a fvck less about who is outside doing what.
     

    Rack&Roll

    R.I.P
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    22,304
    Bunkerville, MD
    I think the article cited in the OP is total horsesh*t and could have just as well be written by an ANTI troll.

    Get-togethers....ANY get-togethers...provide the best chances for people to make personal connections for continued activism.

    The best example is our Patriot Picket foray in the March For Our Lives Rally last month.

    Our crew of about 40 people basically “invaded” an area with hundreds of thousands of opponents. The folks we asked to help with our security were a separate team—the Maryland Militia. Our alliance with them, and trust in them in that chaotic and abusive environment, was forged through ATTENDANCE AT RALLIES just like the one described by the whining piss-ant in the article.

    That writer has no clue about the value of meetups, period—and likely because he is a coward Keyboardist who just gets off on being oppositional.
     

    Rack&Roll

    R.I.P
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    22,304
    Bunkerville, MD
    Below, a couple of pictures to illustrate the value of trusting the person on either side of you.

    The first pic: our folks can concentrate on dialogue while our Maryland Militia overwatch in underway at last month’s Anti-Gun March For Our Lives.

    The second pic: the New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey militias “ring-fence” me (wearing the orange security vest) while I challenge ANTIFA protesters who have invaded our Mother Of All Rallies last summer with a bullhorn—a violation of our Mall Permit.
     

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    Schipperke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 19, 2013
    18,540
    When I used to do lobbying I found the most effective way to move politicians is money and votes, the rest is just noise...

    This is why I stopped going to 2A Tuesdays. It IS the same speakers, same messages, same outcome each time. If some new people show up, then cool. But that rarely happened. I like the more "necessary " rallies, like the 2013 rally and the Get Rack Out Of Jail rally. They have more meaning, and better results.

    People do what they have and want to do. That's fine. I was just talking to a Capitol Cop friend of mine yesterday. He sees rally after rally, year after year. He said it's a shame because the legislators couldn't give a fvck less about who is outside doing what.

    ^ That.

    Demonstrations have minimal effect politically unless the demonstrators are seen as representing the majority of votes. When a handfull of counter demonstrators show, it brings unintended consequence optically by the disparity of activists on each side, now emboldening the scheduled majority of demonstrators.

    Small counter demonstrators then project (rightly or wrongly) which group/party has support by numbers of bodies out demonstrating. This goes back as far as the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Small counter protests are ripe for media spin and derision as well. They naturally get media attention via the everyone loves watching a train wreck. The counter protests, often physical at Trump rallies I think is just another reason Trump voters became so motivated. You get a few hundred thousand leftists with a few hundred on the right busting in on their noise, it does the same, just motivates the Leftists, not the Right.

    In general I don't think people on the Right are much in to demonstrations typically because conservatives are not collectivists, but individuals. They look for solutions outside of government, not from government. Demonstrations tend to be bitch fests, and maybe human nature draws big crowds to bitch fests and that explains why the Left can get big turnout.
     

    zoostation

    , ,
    Moderator
    Jan 28, 2007
    22,857
    Abingdon
    Got to love people like that blogger who bust balls on what others are doing and can't even really back up with they're saying with any evidence, just a long rambling rant. It sounds typical to me of so many people who seem to say if I don't get every single thing I want what I'm doing isn't working. It's a childish and short-sighted way of looking at things and bad advice IMHO.

    Personally I wouldn't want to see what House Bill 1302 would look like right now if it weren't for our own local protesters.
     

    Rack&Roll

    R.I.P
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    22,304
    Bunkerville, MD
    Our side gets traction in the debates when we peacefully demonstrate.

    BUT HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE:

    The ANTI side can show up with no concerns, worries or connection to the persons surrounding them because they will never be at risk of violence or abuse from us.

    Our side HAS TO KNOW who is standing with them because of the Left’s tendency to get abusive and violent—with thrown objects coming at you from 360 degrees. Rallies are meetups to form partnerships.
     

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    Rack&Roll

    R.I.P
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    22,304
    Bunkerville, MD
    A word to the Surrender Monkeys:

    Not interested in your gratitude, now or later, for our activism.

    The only handshakes that count are from our fellow activists after jobs well done.
     

    DaveP

    Active Member
    Jan 27, 2013
    630
    St. Marys county
    People do what they have and want to do. That's fine. I was just talking to a Capitol Cop friend of mine yesterday. He sees rally after rally, year after year. He said it's a shame because the legislators couldn't give a fvck less about who is outside doing what.


    Maybe next rally should be at a legislator's front door. THAT ought to get their attention!
     

    Aventus

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Sep 5, 2016
    778
    I know I’m relatively new here, but I’m totally disappointed in how the OP has been treated. Trailman made a great point and posted a solid article that should be discussed. There are no trolls here, the post wasn’t a rant, this isn’t some left-wing jagoff in disguise. It was a solid point to the old cliché, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

    Kit Perez isn’t just some blogger. Many would argue that Kit has earned her bona fides in the counterintelligence and libertarian community and is a solid voice against a tyrannical government. If you haven’t read her book, “Basics of Resistance”, it’s a decent read for many in this group.

    If we slap down people in our own camp for exercising their 1A because we don’t agree how to secure the 2A, then that’s hypocrisy. I always found hypocrisy to chase away the best people which are always needed to reach our goals.

    I tip my hat to anyone willing to put their butt on the line for these 2A events. You’re the ones getting screamed at, arrested, standing in the cold and rain and worse. Anyone willing to do that demands respect from all those benefiting from their struggles.

    With that said, I agree with TexDefender, “this is just another tool in the tool box”. The writing is on the wall and the tidal wave is coming. A handful of Socialists/Globalists and outside governments are pouring hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars into the 2A fight. Ask yourself, why are they doing that? Then ask if a rally or threatening politicians to vote them out of office is going to overcome this 2A attack???? If you believe that, I got a bridge to sell you.

    If we don’t come up with a better approach, the 2A will continue to be chipped away. If Hillary was in office instead of Trump, gun confiscation plans would already be in place throughout America. If Trump loses in 2 years or Pence in 6, we will be facing 2A threats like never seen before. Which means we don’t have the time to spare to keep doing the same old, same old and continue to lose ground.

    None of us may have the answers as individuals (I don't) but as a group, we might find the right formula. If this isn’t going to be discussed here, on this forum, then where??? If there is a better place for this discussion, then someone please point me in that direction because that’s where I want to contribute and learn. I don’t believe there is a better place however. I look forward to meeting many folks here at the pig roast! Peace
     
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