From the Firearms Coalition

Gun Law News has posted this notice from the Firearms Coalition:

Action demands counter-action and the Brady’s latest campaign needs to be answered. Gun rights activists have proven over and over again that they can overwhelm politicians with calls, letters, and e-mails and we need to be doing so right now.

Even though the American people have made it pretty clear that they are not interested in seeing additional restrictions on firearms, and the politicians from both sides of the aisle in Washington are reticent to make calls for new gun control measures, the threat remains. Many – if not most – politicians have an inclination toward government control, including government control of firearms. The only thing holding these tendencies in check is the well-founded belief that taking action in support of gun control is political suicide.

Sarah Brady is mounting a relentless fundraising and activism campaign based around the theme, “What are you going to do about gun violence in America?” She is challenging supporters to take action by asking politicians that question and by making a contribution to her organization ($32 in honor of the 32 dead in Blacksburg). Sarah says the campaign is working. She claims that more than 50,000 calls and e-mails have been sent to political leaders since the tragic events at Virginia Tech last week, asking them, “What are YOU going to do about gun violence?” The anti-gun, mainstream media has stepped up to do their part, inviting Jim and Sarah, and their key staffers to appear on the major news/talk programs and providing them with the opportunity to try to make the senseless murders in Blacksburg into a rallying call for gun restrictions.

If supporters of liberty sit in silence or try to appease the gun-haters, the politicians might conclude that the American people are ready to support more erosion of our civil rights. The only way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to keep the politicians on notice that support for gun control equals early retirement. Sarah Brady’s 50,000 contacts is barely a ripple compared to the waves of messages the gun rights community can deliver. Such a deluge needs to occur right now.

Politicians need to hear loud and clear that GunVoters will not tolerate any further encroachment and would like to see repeal of the existing restrictions. Senators and Representatives need to understand that “compromise” legislation like Carolyn McCarthy’s H.R.297 will not be excused even if NRA gives them a green light. The “servants of the people” need to hear from you today in a clear, unambiguous way that any and all legislation to expand or enhance gun control efforts will result in adverse consequences in the next election.

What are YOU doing to defend liberty and protect gun rights?

Take action and demand action! Never depend on the other guy to do the work for you.

Send messages to your elected officials today.

Copy this Alert to every pro-liberty forum and web site you can find.

Make a contribution to the Firearms Coalition, subscribe to our newsletter, and encourage others to do the same.

The tide toward gun control seems to be changing in our favor, but that can be reversed in a moment if rights activists drop their guard. Complacency is our greatest enemy.

Send Sarah Brady a clear and resounding answer to her question, “What are you going to do…?” Show her and the waffling politicians what true citizen activism is all about.

Yours for the Second Amendment,

Jeff

Jeff Knox
Director of Operations
The Firearms Coalition
Neal Knox Associates
Box 3313
Manassas, VA 20108
www.FirearmsCoalition.org

Fighting the soft war is not easy, but it is necessary. We need to keep reminding our "Representatives" that they in fact are OUR Representatives and that they answer to us. Call, write and fax your local, state and federal representatives and let them know that you will not stand for further restrictions on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Write informed letters without threats, just let them know where you stand on the issue.

One thing that I have found helpful is an internet fax account. They are relatively inexpensive and will allow you to send faxes from your computer. I understand that faxes are much more effective than email, and faster than snail mail. Phone calls are also very persuasive.

Spend a bit of time this weekend protecting our rights. Pen a letter and get it to your rep's.

For more ideas on how to fight for your Second Amendment rights, go here.

What We Can Do...

Tilting at Windmills

There are times that I am humbled by other people's abilities, and this is one of them. This past "Blog of The Week" featured Kevin of The Smallest Minority. The post I highlighted was The Other Side. In this post Kevin dissected an editorial written by an Emergency Room Physician from Philadelphia, and he did a very good job of it.

The Doctor emailed a response to Kevin's comments that was short and full of fluff. Kevin's answer is a work of art and an education in how to represent our side in the gun control debate.

You can read it here.

Fighting For Our Second Amendment Rights!

It has been awhile since I have had the time to do much reading on the gun forums listed on my sidebar. With work, family and researching for this blog, I just kind of run out of time in the day. So earlier today after the family that had stayed over Christmas night left, I spent some time on the gun boards, getting caught up and just in general seeing what all was going on. I found several things that interested me enough to comment upon here, but one thread in particular had a subject that is very important.

How do we go about making sure that our Second Amendment freedoms are not further infringed upon by the upcoming congress? How do we keep our successes in place (such as the sunset of the AWB), and prevent future failures (such as the .50BMG ban in CA)?

This thread on WarRifles.com linked to an article found on the Buckeye Firearms Association site.

15 Ways To Fight For Our Second Amendment Rights

By Chris Chumita

The fight to keep our Second Amendment rights has had some impressive victories lately. In the past few years, we have seen more states begin to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms, the repeal of the “Clinton Assault Rifle Ban,” and the recent passage of the “Lawful Commerce In Arms Act.”

Despite these victories, now is not the time for us to become complacent about our Second Amendment rights. In fact, it is under attack in ways that we have only feared. For example, we have seen the passage of an “Assault Rifle Ban” in Columbus, Ohio, a voter approved gun ban in San Francisco, and the confiscation of firearms from law abiding citizens during a natural disaster in Louisiana.

Now, more than ever, we have to fight to protect out Second Amendment rights. Below are 15 easy things that you can do to help. You do not have to do all 15 to join the fight, but if everyone could just do one of them, it would help gun owners everywhere.

1. Join The NRA (If you don't like the NRA, just skip this step):

The NRA (National Rifle Association) is without question, the most powerful pro-Second Amendment organization. I think that it would be safe to say that if it weren’t for them, we would have lost our Second Amendment rights a long time ago. The NRA has been there for every national Second Amendment victory for over the last 100 years. With over 4 million members, they are a consistently ranked the most powerful lobbying organization in Washington. The politicians in Washington DC know that when the NRA speaks, they are speaking for over 4 million people. So if you are not a NRA member, join today. If you are a member, renew it today. Better yet, become a life member. If you are financially able to do so, donate to the ILA (Institute of Legislative Affairs) and the PVF (Political Victory Fund). Personally, a majority of my donations go to the NRA. Make it a goal to sign up three new NRA members a year. During the holiday season, remember that NRA memberships make great gifts. In a way, you are giving them the gift of freedom. In addition to their political work, the NRA provides firearms education and publishes several excellent magazines. The magazines are a great way to get someone who does not support the NRA to learn what they really stand for.

2. Support Other National Second Amendment Organizations:

There are several other Second Amendment organizations that deserve our support. These organizations may have a slightly different approach than the NRA, but they are fighting for the same goal. These organizations include the Second Amendment Foundation and the USCCA (United States Concealed Carry Association). However, some people argue that the NRA and other Second Amendment organizations compromise too much. That is one of the reasons I would recommend also supporting a “No Compromise” Second Amendment organization. These organizations generally refuse to surrender any of our Second Amendment rights for any reason. If you want to support a “No Compromise” organization, I would recommend the “GOA (Gun Owners Of America). You can investigate the different organizations by visiting their websites.

3. Support “Special Interest” Second Amendment Organizations:

Sometimes, it can be very hard to get some people to listen to pro-Second Amendment organizations. Many people blindly assume that the NRA, GOA, and other organizations are just crazy gun nuts. However, they might listen to a “Special Interest” Second Amendment organization before they would listen to the NRA or GOA. Many of these organizations are based on minority status, or some other special interest. In most cases, you can join one of the “Special Interest” Second Amendment organizations even if you are not a minority or fall into whatever special category they represent. For example, I am not Jewish, but I support the JPFO (Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership). The JPFO is a “No Compromise” organization that tries to make people understand that gun control often leads to genocide. I also support the LEAA (Law Enforcement Alliance of America). The LEAA is a police based organization that supports the Second Amendment for police officers and citizens. They were instrumental in getting the National Carry For Police passed. There are women based organizations such as the Second Amendment Sisters and the Liberty Belles. One organization that people are surprised to learn about is the Pink Pistols. They are a pro-Second Amendment homosexual organization.

4. Support Your Local Second Amendment Organizations:

Many people fail to realize the importance of state level organizations. Because of their nature, they are usually more in touch with the grassroots than the big national organizations. Their power is derived from their ability to organize many individuals, like yourself to deliver a unified message to the legislature. They are also effective in taking many individual suggestions to national organizations like the NRA, who can lend immense political pressure. It is not a one or the other- you need to be involved in several organizations today. A good state organization will work together with the NRA. Unfortunately, the state and local organizations are easily neglected, because the national organizations can seem to take a greater precedence. Sometimes, the national organizations are often too busy on the national level to fight at the local and state levels. This is where your state or local organization comes in. Find out who your local organizations are and support them. For example, I have recently become active with the Buckeye Firearms Association. They are an Ohio-based organization that is solely concerned with the interests of Ohio’s gun owners. The local organizations are always in the need of volunteers to hand out information, make phone calls, or campaign for local pro-Second Amendment politicians, and other activities. Campaigning for a pro-gun candidate is probably the area where the local or state level organizations need the most help. Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, states, “If you have a person who is willing to go to the statehouse and fight for your rights for two years, you owe that person two days of your time for his/her campaign. Everyone is busy, but you make time for the important things. This is important. Contact your NRA EVC or a good statewide organization and help their endorsed candidates. Your help gives power to the organization, and builds respect in the legislature. Each new person makes a difference."

5. Contact Your Local, State, and National Representatives:

Write to your local, state, and national representatives and let them know how you feel about the Second Amendment. Send them a letter thanking them or asking for their support. If they are against the Second Amendment, write them a letter to ask them why. Challenge them. Frame your argument in terms of why are you against my (or my wife/sister/mother/grandfather’s) right to defend ourselves from a killer/rapist? Discuss the benefits of gun ownership by giving them the facts, and use that information to discredit the anti-gun arguments. However, make sure that you are polite and DO NOT make any threats. All gun owners should consider campaigning for pro-Second Amendment candidates and vote on election day!

6. Get your Concealed Handgun License:

It may have a different name in the state that you live in, but it’s vitally important to get as many law-abiding citizens to get their CHLs as we can. If you support the Second Amendment, you should get your CHL even if you never plan on carrying a firearm. It’s sad to say, but it’s a numbers game. The more people who have the permits, the more powerful our voices become. In the rare circumstance that a CHL-holder commits a crime with a firearm, the media most likely make it sound like every CHL-holder is a future felon. The more law-abiding CHL-holders we have, the easier it becomes to show that the criminals are a rare exception. If you do decide to get your CHL, make sure you do it legally, and get the proper training.

7. Buy A Gun:

If you can afford it, help keep a firearm company in business by buying a new gun (or three) this year. Whenever you buy a gun, make sure that you know how to use it, and how to properly store it.

8. Support Your Local Shooting Ranges:

It is one of my dreams to own a shooting range. During my research, I was amazed to learn how expensive they are to build, maintain, and to manage the day to day operations. It is amazing that the commercial ranges make enough money to stay in business and still make a small profit. One thing to think about is how many shooting ranges in your area have closed due to financial reasons, lawsuits, or eminent domain. We need to help keep commercial ranges open for the future of the Second Amendment. It may be cheaper to legally shoot on private land, but don’t forget about us unfortunate people who live in the city. The commercial ranges are often the only place for us to shoot. Good places to shoot are getting harder to find. If you find one, help keep it in business.

9. Support Your Local Gun Store:

This may be the most surprising of all of my suggestions. Instead of saving money by buying a gun on the Internet, buy them at a local “mom and pop” gun store. Granted the stores can’t meet the prices of an internet gun warehouse, but they give you the opportunity to handle firearms. They are also great places to “talk guns” and be surrounded by like minded people Hopefully, their customer service will make up for the extra money that you spent on the item. However, the gun stores have to take some responsibility here too. Too often, firearm businesses employ way too many “Ex Navy Seal Commandos” who chase away more customers than they keep. Employees and owners must be sensitive to the customer who is interested in learning about guns and becoming a gun owner. Too many times, gun store employees tend to make “rookie” gun enthusiasts feel incompetent and are unwilling to educate these potential customers in a friendly, welcoming manner. If a customer is treated right, they are often loyal. For example, I continue to buy all of my guns at the same small gun store. I still buy off of them despite the fact that I can buy them cheaper on line. They have a customer for life, because they treated me great when I bought my first gun. Keeping good stores in business helps us recruit new gun owners which are crucial in protecting our Second Amendment rights.

10. Support Gun Shows:

You don’t know what you are missing if you haven’t been to a gun show. They are often packed with table after table of guns, and other gun related merchandise. They are a great place to try to find a rare firearm, and to look at a large number of firearms that you don’t get to see everyday. If you have been paying attention to the fight for our Second Amendment rights, you know that gun shows are under attack. Some counties and cities are banning them or doing their best to make it an unpleasant experience for attendees. Start supporting the gun shows in your area or they will become a thing of the past. You may also bump into a pro-gun legislator. Is there a better time to talk to him/her about Second Amendment issues?

11. Share Your Gun Magazines

I am a compulsive reader and I often horde my old magazines. Every once in awhile (to keep the fiancée happy) I end up throwing away a bunch of my old Second Amendment, and gun related magazines. After dumping my last batch I thought of a better way to dispose of them. How about leaving them in the waiting room of various places that you visit? Hopefully, someone will thumb through a copy of a magazine like Concealed Carry Magazine and it will spark an interest. If the magazine is from a subscription, don’t forget to cut off your personal information before leaving it behind. Another way to share your magazines is to donate a subscription to the library. Some Libraries will gladly accept subscriptions to magazines. If yours does, donate a subscription to Concealed Carry Magazine, the various NRA magazines, or another gun related magazine such as “Guns and Ammo.”

12. Advertise Your Right:

Buy and wear some outfits that tell others that you support the Second Amendment. The NRA has a great selection of high quality clothing. However, you should be careful not to wear any pro-Second Amendment clothing that has what can be perceived to be sexist, racist, or threatening. Avoid T-Shirts that have sayings such as “Trespassers Will be Shot, Survivors Will Be Shot Again” or similar messages. They may funny to some, but they do nothing but add to the violent gun owner stereotype.

13. Write To Your Local Papers:

Don’t let anti-gun biases go unchallenged. Write a letter to the editor when ever you see an anti-gun article or bias. Also, write letters to the editor explaining the benefits of CCW laws and the Second Amendment.

14. Stay Informed:

There are too many gun owners who do nothing to help fight for our Second Amendment rights. Before you can act, you have to know what is going on. Probably the best magazine to be informed of what is going with the Second Amendment politics is the NRA magazine “America’s First Freedom.” In addition, read magazines such as Concealed Carry, Combat Handguns, and American Handgunner. Frequent pro-gun websites such as Packing.org, and Keepandbeararms.com. Don’t forget to listen to the NRA news show, Cam & Company, on Sirius Satellite radio. Cam & Company can also be heard on line at NRAnews.com. And, of course, subscribe to Buckeye Firearms News. All of these will help keep you informed of the different firearms, accessories, tactics, and other safety information.

15. Introduce Someone To The Shooting Sports.

Make it a yearly goal to introduce at least 3 people to the shooting sports and firearms every year. The most important area to concentrate is women and children. Women only make up a small percentage of shooters. Women are now the fastest growing segment of gun ownership. Educate the women in your life about using a gun for self-defense. It may save their life. Also, going to the range can be a great bonding experience for you and your significant other. I really enjoy the time I spend on the range with my fiancée (even if she can almost outshoot me after only 3 trips to the range). In addition to women, we need to teach children about their Second Amendment rights. I don’t think I need to explain how the schools and media are brain washing our children to be anti-gun. I know it’s an over used cliché, but the children are our future. One of the best ways to secure our Second Amendment rights for the future is to introduce firearms and shooting to children at an early age. Supervised trips to the range help teach marksmanship and responsibility.

Every gun owner should be doing as many of these suggestions as possible. Many do all of them, and more. Decide what you are capable of doing and start expanding your involvement from there. The anti-gunners do not have the power to beat us, but we are fighting back from losses suffered as a result of our complacency in the past.

It’s up to each of us to never again give up ground to those who would disarm us. We only have to look to the events that happened a few months ago to see that we have to worry about losing our Second Amendment rights. I was horrified when I saw the reports of the gun confiscation in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and the passage of the handgun ban in San Francisco. Litigation may have stopped the gun confiscations in Louisiana, but we can’t forget that it happened. If it happened there, it can happen in your home town. Its time to get serous about your Second Amendment rights before it’s too late.

I personally do not strongly agree with step 1. Although I am a member of the NRA, they do compromise on Second Amendment issues for political gain and have become too large a bureaucracy to be passionate. They are a good organization for introducing folks to firearms and shooting, but can not be counted upon when push comes to shove. Steps 2 and 3 mention other organizations that are more focused upon the Second Amendment that are worth supporting, and I have organizations that I am a member of listed on the sidebar.

Firearms owners have the potential to be the largest voting block in the United States. If all firearms owners would take this list to heart, and become active in fighting the soft war to secure our freedoms, then we would be an unstoppable political force, even in California. Yes, it is time to get serious, it is time to write those letters to your representatives, your political parties and your newspapers letting them know your thoughts about upcoming legislation and the Second Amendment.

The War on Guns: United States vs. Fincher

The War on Guns: United States vs. Fincher

David Cordera over at The War on Guns has an excellent post on this potential landmark case:

This is an important development in the renewed wars on guns and on We the People by our government. As such, every gun rights activist should be informed as to the particulars of the case, and, importantly, to its history.

Go visit The War on Guns and read David's article. The go to the blog United States vs. Fincher for updates this important case.

How to Be a More Effective Advocate for Freedom

John Ross, the author of Unintended Consequences, wrote an article awhile back titled "Mistakes We Make in the Gun Culture". In this article he presents a primer for debating gun rights with the anti's. More and more editorials are being written by the gun control crowd, many of them sophomoric. The Internet has opened the avenues of communication up to the point where we can instantly provide feedback on these articles by commenting directly or by blogging. The mindset John illustrates in this article is one effective way of getting our point across.

One of the biggest mistakes that freedom advocates make is we often fail to take the moral high ground on freedom issues, and we let our enemies define the terms. This is a huge mistake. Never forget: We are in the right on this issue. We are on the side of the Founding Fathers. They are on the side of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and every other leader of an oppressive, totalitarian regime.


Let me give some common examples I’ve often heard when Second Amendment advocates debate gun control supporters:

THEY SAY: “We’d be better off if no one had guns.”

WE SAY: “You can never succeed at that, criminals will always get guns.” (FLAW: the implication here is that if you could succeed at eliminating all guns, it would be a reasonable plan.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “So, you want to institute a system where the weak and elderly are at the mercy of the strong, the lone are at the mercy of the gang. You want to give violent criminals a government guarantee that citizens are disarmed. Sorry, that’s unacceptable. Better we should require every citizen to carry a gun.”


THEY SAY: “Those assault rifles have no sporting purpose. You don’t need a 30-round magazine for hunting deer--they’re only for killing people.”

WE SAY: “I compete in DCM High Power with my AR-15. You need a large-capacity magazine for their course of fire. My SKS is a fine deer rifle, and I’ve never done anything to give my government reason not to trust me blah blah blah.” (FLAW: You have implicitly conceded that it is OK to ban any gun with no sporting use. And eventually they can replace your sporting arms with arcade-game substitutes.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Your claim that ‘they’re only for killing people’ is imprecise. A gas chamber or electric chair is designed for killing people, and these devices obviously serve different functions than guns. To be precise, a high-capacity, military-type rifle or handgun is designed for conflict. When I need to protect myself and my freedom, I want the most reliable, most durable, highest-capacity weapon possible. The only thing hunting and target shooting have to do with freedom is that they’re good practice.”


THEY SAY: “If we pass this License-To-Carry law, it will be like the Wild West, with shootouts all the time for fender-benders, in bars, etc. We need to keep guns off the streets. If doing so saves just one life, it will be worth it.”

WE SAY: “Studies have shown blah blah blah” (FLAW: You have implied that if studies showed License-To-Carry laws equaled more heat-of-passion shootings, Right-To-Carry should be illegal.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Although no state has experienced what you are describing, that’s not important. What is important is our freedom. If saving lives is more important than the Constitution, why don’t we throw out the Fifth Amendment? We have the technology to administer an annual truth serum session to the entire population. We’d catch the criminals and mistaken arrest would be a thing of the past. How does that sound?”


THEY SAY: “I don’t see what the big deal is about a five day waiting period.”

WE SAY: “It doesn’t do any good, criminals don’t wait five days, it’s a waste of resources blah blah blah.” (FLAW: You have implied that if waiting periods did reduce crime, they would be a good idea.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Shall we apply your logic to the First Amendment along with the Second? How about a 24-hour cooling-off period with a government review board before the news is reported? Wouldn’t that prevent lives from being ruined, e.g. Richard Jewell? And the fact that this law applies to people who already own a handgun tells me that it’s not about crime prevention, it’s about harassment. Personally, I want to live in a free society, not a ‘safe’ one with the government as chief nanny.”


THEY SAY: “In 1776, citizens had muskets. No one ever envisioned these deadly AK-47s. I suppose you think we should all have Atomic bombs.”

WE SAY: “Uh, well, uh...”

WE SHOULD SAY: “Actually, the Founders discussed this very issue--it’s in the Federalist Papers. They wanted the citizens to have the same guns as were the issue weapons of soldiers in a modern infantry. Soldiers in 1776 each had muskets, but not the large field pieces that fired exploding shells. In 2005, soldiers are each individually issued M16s, M249s, etc. but not atomic bombs. Furthermore, according to your logic, the laws governing free speech and freedom of the press are only valid for newspapers whose presses are hand-operated and use fixed type. After all, no one in 1776 foresaw offset printing or electricity, let alone TV, satellite transmission, FAXes, and the Internet.”


THEY SAY: “We require licenses on cars, but the powerful NRA screams bloody murder if anyone ever suggests licensing these dangerous weapons.”

WE SAY: Nothing, usually, and just sit there looking dumb.

WE SHOULD SAY: “You know, driving is a luxury, whereas firearms ownership is a right secured by the Constitution. But let’s put that aside for a moment. It’s interesting you compared guns and vehicles. Here in the U.S. you can at any age go into any state and buy as many motorcycles, cars, or trucks of any size you want, and you don’t need to do anything if you don’t use them on public property. No license at all. If you do want to use them on public property, you can get a license at age 16. This license is good in all 50 states. No waiting periods, no background checks, nothing. If we treated guns like cars, a fourteen-year-old could go into any state and legally buy handguns, machine guns, cannons, whatever, cash and carry, and shoot them all with complete legality on private property. And at age 16 he could get a state license good anywhere in the country to shoot these guns on public property. Sounds great to me.”



FINAL COMMENT, useful with most all arguments:



YOU SAY: “You know, I’m amazed at how little you care about your grandchildren. I would have thought they meant more to you than anything.”

THEY SAY: “Hunh?”

YOU SAY: “Well, passing this proposal won’t have a big immediate effect. I mean, in the next couple of years, neither George W. Bush nor Hillary Clinton is going to open up internment camps for Americans like Roosevelt did sixty-odd years ago. But think of your worst nightmare of a political leader. Isn’t it possible that a person like that might be in control here some time in the next 30, 40, or 50 years, with 51% of the Congress and 51% of the Senate behind him or her? If that does happen, do you really want your grandchildren to have been stripped of their final guarantee of freedom? And do you really want them to have been stripped of it by you?

I do realize that debating anti gunners will not change the mind of the person you are debating, but, it will affect those who are reading the debate. We should always attempt to inject a bit of common sense when we find idiotic op-eds. I hope this article provides you with additional ammo for your next debate.

The #1 weapon against gun control is a shooting public. Take a non-shooter to the range today.

The New York City Rally FOR Illegal Guns

MMDNewswire.com reported on a pro gun rally to be held in New York City. It seems that some of the citizens of NYC are getting tired of the restrictive laws currently on the books and the even more restrictive laws proposed by Mayor Bloomberg. It is about time.

New York City Gun Rights activists, Constitutional and civil libertarians, Human Rights activists, and pro-Liberty supporters will hold a rally on Monday, September 25th at 12:30pm outside City Hall in Manhattan to support so-called “illegal guns” and the thousands of decent, responsible New York State citizens and residents who own and carry them to preserve their Freedom and protect themselves from criminals, terrorists and other violent people, contrary to what NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg claims in his current campaign against “illegal guns”.

“Mayor Bloomberg is attacking our Gun Rights across the country, teaming up with big-city mayors and other powerful elitists to erode our self-defense rights and privacy rights under the guise of fighting ‘illegal guns’ and crime,” says Nic Leobold, a local Gun Rights activist and libertarian who thought up the idea for the protest. “Fortunately, most people who own ‘illegal guns’ in New York and the rest of the United States are neither criminals nor violent. They’re just decent, respectable, honest and responsible citizens who want a dependable way to defend themselves and their loved ones and defend their Liberty, and they know Michael Bloomberg or various other government thugs will seize their guns if they register them.”

Jim Lesczynski, the organizer of the famous “Guns for Tots” toy gun drive for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, who is endorsing and participating in Monday’s rally, is just as adamant: "'Illegal gun' is an oxymoron," says Lesczynski. "Any law that purports to prohibit or regulate gun ownership in any way is un-Constitutional on its face and therefore null and void. The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals."

"The only people who should feel threatened by armed citizens are tyrants and criminals." What an excellent statement.

I am glad to see that there are people in NYC who are willing to fight the "soft war" against illegal and immoral gun control laws. When I mention the "soft war", I am talking about people becoming politically active and publicly supporting our 2nd Amendment rights. Fighting the soft war includes writing your legislature and letters to the editor of your local news paper and speaking out against those that work to take away our right to keep and bear arms.

It does not take a whole lot to point out how ill-conceived some of these anti gun laws are to a rational person. Many firearm owners fear getting involved in the public discourse on guns. They are afraid of coming across as gun nuts or whatever the current label the anti gunners has placed upon us at the moment. That fear, that unwillingness to speak out, could be our undoing. Every individual who owns a firearm, every citizen who enjoys target or trap shooting, each of us who has a firearm for home defense or as a family heirloom, needs to speak out. If the millions of Americans that have a firearm in the home would speak out, the anti gunners would be drowned out by the magnitude of voices in favor of firearm owner rights. If every voter who owned a firearm voted for pro firearm candidates, California and New York would become as free as Vermont.

Firearm owners are a majority in America, even in states like California, Massachusetts and New York. If firearm owners voted for their guns, if we stood together against the anti gun lobby, there would be no anti gun lobby. For some reason we don't do this. The hunters support assault weapons bans, the clay pigeon shooters support politicians that prevent shall issue CHL laws from being approved, and only a few seem to want to speak out against idiotic anti gun legislation.

I am proud of these folks in NYC who are working hard to re-gain rights that have been stolen by the elected.

Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms, where I found this story.