New War on Guns Poll: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Today's post on Citizens of America is still lingering in my mind--perhaps because so many of us worked so hard on it, and saw it die through lack of support. Perhaps it wasn't the good idea I thought it was, or perhaps those of us behind it didn't have the talent to pull it off.

But there are other options. Depending on your particular set of convictions, there are many choices for gun owners to throw their efforts behind--both with manpower, and of course, with financial support. If you're politically inclined, we have NRA and/or GOA and/or CCRKBA. If you're more into promoting ideas, there are JPFO and/or SAF. And, of course, there are various state and localized efforts.

The blunt and obvious truth: The other side has wealthy benefactors allowing it to prepare slick, "professional" and compelling propaganda to attack our rights--plus the media is overwhelmingly sympathetic to citizen disarmament. We cannot even compete--let alone win-- in the forum of public opinion if we do nothing to counter their arguments and promote our own. And that, like it or not, requires funding--and lots of it.

Go take this week's poll, the results of which I'll discuss next Sunday.

Here are the results of last week's poll (click on image to enlarge):

Welcome to Quik-E-Reporting and Have a Nice Day!

Macpherson, the publisher of Pasadena Now that covers news and current affairs in the southern California town near Los Angeles, is now dealing with both bouquets and brickbats for his decision to hire two reporters in Mumbai and Bangalore to write about city council meetings.

Yeah, absolutely it's his right to hire whatever "authorized journalists" he wants--and a Southern California readership is probably dumb enough to fall for it.

But just so we're clear: a prime purpose of a free press is to be a watchdog over government. If anyone believes foreign mercenaries have a compelling interest to act as members of The Fourth Estate, I've got a bridge for sale--and yet government oversight is exactly where this creature MacPherson wants to assign his contractors. It's also interesting that--under Ohio law, for instance--these hired foreigners would have access to concealed carry permit names, but a "non-professional" citizen gun rights blogger would not.

And it's not exactly like India enjoys unfettered freedom of expression.

We're the Only Ones on "Terrorism-Related Official Business" Enough

Two New York City police officers have resigned after being accused of trying to rob the apartment of a suspected drug dealer in New Jersey, a law enforcement official said yesterday...

[A] Rutherford resident saw one of his neighbors fighting with two men on Friday about 8 a.m. When he asked who the two were, they identified themselves as police officers on terrorism-related “official business.”

He fought with them? You mean he "lifted a finger" and lived?

[Via Declan]

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

We're the Only Ones Indignant Enough

But he said that his principal goal was to get his old job back and be freed from such indignities as having to carry an identification card stamped “No firearm.”

I'm sure he would also support a non-"Only One" who participated in a group shooting of an unarmed man not having to suffer the same indignity.

And since we're known by the company we keep, look who's in his corner: our old pal Liberty Lynchin' Patrick, aka "Mr. Lift a Finger and Die."

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones Benevolent Enough

An off-duty police officer shot and killed a driver in the Bronx late Friday night when the man, who had just crashed into another car, began to pull away after the officer confronted him...

Officer Lora is being represented by lawyers from the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, a police union, a spokesman for the group said, adding that it had no comment on the shooting.

That's OK--we've heard comments from the "Malevolent Association" before:

"We need to make it clear that if someone lifts even a finger against a police officer, their life could be on the line."

Believe it.

[Via Declan]

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

COA Ads Exhumed

Many thanks to WeAreTheMilitia for rescuing our Citizens of America radios spots from Internet Archive Oblivion.

Although COA no longer exists, I still maintain the concept was valid and needed--the only deficiency was in the fundraising model, as it was dependent on gun owner support.

Perhaps I was overreaching when I wrote:

So Citizens of America will eschew the old appeal directed exclusively to middle-aged white males, the celebrity with the shotgun opened over his shoulder, and instead target their messages to people who might never hunt a dove or shoot a sporting clay. They'll show women that they have the power not to be battered or raped; African-Americans that they have the power not to be enslaved; gays that they have the power not to be bashed; and Jews that they have the power to say "Never again!" and back it up. And they'll be shown how they can assume this power; because the common denominator that makes such victimization possible each and every time it happens is that the predator can rely on his prey being helpless.

Citizens of America aims to change that big time.

Pretty ambitious, huh? Pretty naïve. But then again, there were those in the "gun rights community" with a wide reach who were actively sabotaging us and smearing our efforts every step of the way. And it's not like most gun owners are known for getting behind a call to charge forward.

One big caveat--each ad ends in an appeal for support--as COA no longer exists, ignore that appeal. That shouldn't be too hard, considering it was mostly ignored when it would have made a difference...

Sorry to sound so cynical. I gotta admit, it would be tons easier and make me far fewer enemies to just say "enforce existing gun laws" and start giving out undeserved political approvals--especially since that appears to be what the overwhelming majority of "activist" gun owners want to hear and respond to.

But there are rays of hope, and the reason for this post points to one. Many thanks again to WeAreTheMilitia. It took no small amount of time and effort to create this new archive, and I appreciate the generous support.

Publicola, We Hardly Knew Ye

Publicola is throwing in the towel.

I understand the motivation.

There goes one of our better voices. Keep your fingers crossed that we haven't heard the last from him.

There's a Difference Between Confusion and Ignorance

Some commentators who oppose what they see as unconstitutional limits on gun ownership said they feared gun control advocates would successfully use the Virginia tragedy to bolster their position, especially with Democrats’ new power in Washington. 'We see calls for gun control but we may not see as much empathy for calls for armed self-defense,' said David Codrea, a blogger and a columnist for Guns Magazine.

What confuses me is why these same people that will not budge on the defense of their second amendment rights, seem to be able to sleep through the suspension of habeus corpus included in the Military Commissions Act and the dilution of the Bill of Rights by the PATRIOT Act and continue to support the politicians that recommend, pass, and enact into law such legislation. Of what possible use is a basement full of assault weapons without the right to peaceable assembly or freedom from warrantless searches? Where is their righteous indignation when rights cherished by all Americans are infinged.

You obviously don't know anything about me, or the countless gun owners I identify with who celebrate a "Bill of Rights Culture."

Here's another example of self-imposed ignorance:

It also never seems to occur to these second amendment supporters that it's very difficult to find anyone who has been victimized by someone using a firearm that is equally as adamant in their support for gun-rights.

Really?

Tell that to Suzanna Gratia-Hupp.

Pal, if I were you, I'd shut up and start learning. Right now, you're only making a fool of yourself.

SAC 12

Over at Stan's...

Go see what all the best bloggers are talking about.

This Day in History: May 20

We the Citizens of Mecklenburg County do hereby desolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country & hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British crown & abjure all political connection, contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights & liberties & inhumanely shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.

So according to the Founders' understanding of Liberty, not only could states secede from a union, but smaller political subdivisions, like counties, could as well. And they could adopt their own laws. And form their own militia defense.

Or at least so the story goes. The first recorded appearance of this declaration was in 1819, and some question its authenticity. Still, it's instructive to note such sentiment was promulgated in the early part of the 19th Century, and might give us a template for trying out here in the early part of the 21st.

I've not weighed in on "the Free State Project" because I admire their goals (albeit I'm not surprised by the infighting between the New Hampshire and Wyoming factions), but I have reservations about how realistic their chances of achieving them are, and hesitate throwing water on the efforts of people who are walking the walk. It would be affirming to see if their objectives are achievable on a smaller scale--perhaps within one of those factions, a "Free County Project" might yield some interesting potentials.