War on Guns Alerts Placeholder

Every so often I get emails that are too long to post here and have no link to allow me to give a quote and a comment and then send readers to the complete communication to learn more. I've tried explaining why this is a problem, but the bottom line is I continue to get unlinked email alerts that I can't do anything with here on this blog -- or on social media. [More]

I may have a solution of sorts.

Here's an AzCDL post I'd have had to pass on without a link.

The Spider & the Fly

Communist China: Bully to the World [More]

Get "the latest news from the Anticommunism Action Team," including:

• The Girl with No Nose (new in Papa Joe’s Story Hour)
• BBC report documents allegations of systematic rape of Uighur women in Chinese camps
• Keep China Out of Our Power Grid

As they advise on their email alerts (which you can sign up for):

THIS IS A WEAPON - Use It!

Help Wanted, Inquire Within

Received via email:

They also need someone to help write alerts.

Points of Contention

Received via email:

It looks like the factions still haven't agreed on who has authority over guns that aren't allowed to be "walked."

I took a screenshot because this has not been posted to the Reeves & Dola "Alerts" page yet.  I suggest those interested in such matters familiarize yourself with it, bookmark it and consult it as appropriate or to check for updates.

Sorry, Our Hands are Tied

Therefore, until ATF is able to promulgate a procedure for processing and appr.oving such requests, an FFL may not lawfully transfer a Reformation configured as a GCA/SBS to a non-licensee. [More]

Could you imagine explaining this to Tench Coxe?

[Via Len Savage] 

UPDATE (received via email from the fine folks at Reeves & Dola --  it's not posted to their "Alerts" page yet, so instead of a link, I'm giving you screenshots):

Limiting Message Reach

I continue to get email alerts from gun groups notifying members of some imminent development or needed action, and I continue to not be able to do a thing with them for reasons stated and repeated. Email marketing service links don't help either, as they soon go away plus someone could even unsusbscribe the original recipient.

If you want my help spreading the word on this blog or on social media, I need a good link.

Help Me Help You

I continue to get long email alerts from grassroots gun groups with no accompanying link.

Sorry, I just can't reproduce your whole missive here and can't do the content justice with the limited space I can give without being able to redirect readers to where they can get the whole story. I try where I can to help out, but the best I can offer is to usher visitors over to things I think they may want to see. That's why I have the "More" link standard.

If you want me to share something, give me a link I can share.

A First

For likely the first time ever, a firearms manufacturer will exhibit its products at a major consumer conference geared toward amputees. [More]

Here's the press release I based my AmmoLand article on. I always urge those sending out email notices to have their alerts posted so those of us who don't have mailing lists but instead post to blogs and social media can help. I can't tell you how many state gun rights group announcements I have to pass on every week because they're too long and detailed to post here, but I've got no place to send readers to so they can learn more.

GRNC-PVF Alert 10-22-14

I understand the email alert links are only temporary. [More]

If you find it no longer works, check the alerts archive to see if the title subject has been posted. Included in this alert:

• Judicial fairness project
• Heads up for alerts
• Voter guide distribution
• Postcards
• Judicial recommendations
• Candidate recommendations
• Isn't that Speciale? 

VPR Uses Ridiculous Graph to Explain Its Case‏

I got  an email from Vermont Federation of Sportsmens Clubs I don't want to repro in its entirety here because of its length. Since there is no link to a website with the same info, I copied it into a pdf and posted it on Scribed. [More]

That's not a service I can provide for everyone, especially as it takes me away from my own stuff -- I can't tell you how many alerts I get from all kinds of groups that I cannot pass on because of the extra effort it would require, when having a simple link would allow me to share them.

I strongly urge all grassroots groups that send out emails to post their alerts on their website as well, and include a link -- that way, they won't have to exclusively rely on people forwarding their emails -- supporters can then share their links on blogs, in forums and on social media.

OFF the ATT

Oregon Firearms Federation sends (I typically don't post entire alerts, but they're doing a server change, so there's no direct link):

As you know, today the Obama administration signed onto the anti-gun “UN Small Arms Treaty.”

Every knowledgeable pro-gun source has declared this is a blatant attack on our rights and sovereignty.

Republicans in the Senate have vowed that this treaty will not be ratified, but as we have seen, the Obama machine is more than happy to ignore the law and the will of the people to implement its agenda. This is certainly a dangerous development.

Oregon has two of the most anti-gun Senators in the country. No doubt they are eager to move forward with this liberty crushing “treaty.”

Still they need to hear from you. Please contact Wyden and Merkley and demand that they vote against any ratification of the UN Small Arms Treaty.

Their web form addresses follow: http://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
http://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/

Please note, in the coming days OFF will be making changes to our website that may result in a temporary disruption of the site and our email. Rest assured this will be a short lived issue if it happens at all. Our phones will not be affected.

WTF?

David Codrea must have a little beanie hat with antenna that pick up on Gunwalker communications. Later, David reported that Gunwalker was making straw-man purchase deliveries to top White House personnel...Once clear of the NSA’s tallest tower, SpoofMeister immediately called David Codrea, and you have the story! [More]

Does anyone have any idea what this person is talking about? I guess I should assume he's pro-gun and it's a humor article? If so, I don't get it...

UPDATE: Just got this from the author of the piece:

Dear David:

I wrote a spoof on Gunwalker, here, using farce to illustrate the scandal’s features, and mentioned your uncanny success in tracking the twists, turns, and players.  Not sure of meaning re your email; perhaps you are signed up for word alerts and are trying to figure out how you got mentioned on my blog.

While I am emailing back, thank you for your continuing expose’.  I realize that your method is hard work, not magical administration intercepts.

Sincerely,

Mike Mollenhour

False Alarm--Thank Your Lucky Stars

A campuswide alert warning of a gunman at the University of Missouri-St. Louis this morning turned out to have been caused by a longtime professor carrying antique guns as props for a class lecture, officials said. [More]

Seeing they're evidently not prepared to do anything but issue email alerts, I wonder what the headline would have read had he been an actual “gunman^TM”?

[Via cycjec]

Following a Trend

Ten days ago, I posted a link to a dire prediction by "trends forecaster" Gerald Celente.

I just received an email:

I work for Trends Forecaster Gerald Celente. I had been going to blogs that have referenced his work and getting the contact information so we can send emails (weekly Trends Alerts) and keep blog owners updated on the latest. I...figured that you would know a few people on those gun-rights sites who would want to be on Gerald's email list. If so, please forward to me.

I don't do that to people who trust me with their email address, but if you're interested and want to know more, go to Celente's site and feel free to contact them there.

What They're "Smoking" at Colleges in South Dakota

We spoke on Wednesday about the South Dakota campus carry bill (HB 1261) that was stopped in the Senate by a procedural maneuver called a "smoke-out," that not only killed it for this year, but also managed to stifle any debate on the floor.

Nice, the way these slimy creatures play games with your rights, isn't it? Not only will we deny them, we won't even talk about them. I guess that's what happens when the role of servant and master are reversed.

I've been in correspondence with someone who has inside information on this from a faculty perspective. Due to the outright hostility of the preponderance of academics--and all of their leadership--I need to make sure his identity is protected, as well as remove all clues from his correspondences that I will share. And doesn't that speak to the sorry state of our "tolerant and diverse" institutions of higher learning, that the solons still administer consequences for the heresy of speaking the truth?

Before I get started, a couple of observations and caveats: I'm an outsider looking in. I hadn't even heard of this bill until a few days ago, so I don't want anything I write here to second-guess or complicate the foundation work already done by South Dakota RKBA activists. That said, I do find it odd that some guy in Ohio who's not even directly affected (that would be me) is the place where you'll find much original information on this.

Since I never intended for WarOnGuns to become a clearinghouse for local grassroots action alerts, gun owners in South Dakota who wish to pursue this should not rely on this site for anything more than a passing mention when something of note is brought to my attention.

There are a couple places to start with this for those interested in learning more:

Here's the NRA Alert that went out, As you see, the date has passed, so continue to monitor them for updates. Thing is, looking around their site, I don't see this getting any attention, so my uninformed guess is that they probably don't see much more they want to put energy into at this time.

A resource I would look to for marching orders is South Dakota Gun Owners. They have details you need to be aware of here, including background. They're "working right now to collect the last two votes necessary for final passage and we will need your help," and advise all to "stay tuned."

Their first action that the need support on is to email an important swing vote. Do it.

What follows are the correspondences I've received from our anonymous ally, presented in the order I received them. It's long, it's raw, and I did do some edits where I felt it appropriate, indicated by ellipses (...) There is some good stuff here, particularly from the academic mucky-mucks.

This will be a long post, but it contains good information. You'll notice I have not concentrated over-much on formatting.

-----------------------------------

Tue 2/19/08 10:04 PM
Hi David, I am reading about your Idaho bill, and we have a similar bill here in South Dakota having similar problems. I am trying to lobby for this, but am somewhat constrained by being a faculty member at one of the campuses. The upper level management has been very threatening and I would rather my name not be associated with the efforts in a public forum. But there is grassroots support on campus. There is a range on campus used by the college rifle team and the 4H youth shooting program that will be closed down if the college administration has their way and bans guns on campus, and those people are also fighting for the bill.

That said, a bunch of grass roots emails from pro gunners would be a good thing right about now. I have a list of which senators would be the most likely to flip our way and a plea that the rifle team sentout to the 4H parents. If I send you that stuff, maybe you could cut-n-paste or write your own blog article about it. Our bill officially looks to be dead but the senators have promised me it will come back to the floor this session,so a lot of emails (and/or phone calls) would help. I'll attach the blurb the rifle team sent me. It has the basic plan (although it's geared towards the 4H parents). They are trying to play up the fact that failing to pass this bill will make outlaws out of students who hunt or go to the range and downplay the fact that it will also allow CCW on campus . It will not change the law on campus, only those with goverment approval and the correct permit will be allowed to exercise their 2nd amendment rights. Any mention you could give this issue would be great. The web page for contacting the SD Legislature is such that you can type (or paste in -- keep columns below 80characters and don't use attachments) a message and then use the pulldown menu to send it to each senator in turn w/out re-typing it.

From talking to a couple of Senators here's a list of the players:

Senate sponsors on the PRO RKBA side want to pass HB 1261 so BOR can't close the range:

These are the really good guys take time to thank them. They are marked with an asterisk
below:

Schmidt (Dennis), Apa, Greenfield, Kloucek, Maher, McNenny, Napoli

Voted to Pass Bill (good guy)

Abdallah
Albers
Apa *
Bartling
Gant
Garnos
Greenfield *
Hunhoff voted against smoke-out but eventually for the bill, wavering
Lintz
Maher *
McNenny *
Napoli *
Peterson (Jim)
Schmidt (Dennis) *

voted to Kill the bill and allow BOR to close the range. These guy (and gals) all need to hear from you:

Dempster very vocal leader AGAINST the bill
Gray very vocal leader AGAINST the bill but claimed to be wavering
Hansen (Tom) against us, but is in a tight race w/ Hargens (Rep who voted for us)
Hanson (Gary) seemed to switch back and forth, but finally voted against us
Hauge for smokeout but against bill??? Indicates he may be wavering
Heidepriem very vocal leader AGAINST the bill
Hoerth wants to do the right thing, but afraid of NSU/BOR (he's in Aberdeen
Hundstad Very firmly against us, but he should hear from pro freedom folks
Jerstad Firmly against us, but fearful of NRA endorsing opponent???
Katus Probably firmly agasinst us
Knudson very vocal leader AGAINST the bill
Koetzle Generally a pro gun rights Senator, but seems very against this bill
McCracken Seems firmly against us
Nesselhuf Firmly against us, but should be kept busy w/ pro-freedom calls/mails
Smidt (Orville) seems to want to do the right thing, but being pressured by SDSU/BOR
Sutton Was in favor of the bill, but now saying wants same rules for capitol?
Turbak Berry Against, but claiming it needs amended (trying to play it both ways)

Not there:

Duenwald (on our side)
Kloucek * (indicates sponsor, on our side)
Olson (Ed) Against us
Two Bulls Not sure

So, we should concentrate on those we can win over more easily? Probably:

Orv Smidt, Gray, Hoerth, Sutton, Hanson, Hansen, Koetzle, and Jerstad Turbak Berry is a possibility.

Wed 2/20/08 6:10 PM
I've been in contact with the sponsors, and they (as of Sunday night, I have not heard back from them since then) are hoping to drag it out to the floor again. Either the same bill, or the same wording jammed into something else. At least two of the senators on the "call list"(Jerstad and Orv Smidt) are backpedaling and wavering. I think that if the sponsors feel that they can switch a couple of votes (of the 4 who were excused, one was a sponsor, another is on our side, and one was dead set against us) they will bring that wording back up. The guys who were on the fence are now changing their story. According to them, students are allowed to have guns in their car and dorm rooms already, and HB 1261 is not needed. As late as Saturday they were saying that HB1261 would allow students to have guns and lead to gunfights in the classrooms. It looks like the article you linked is referring to Friday's vote, and we're not giving up yet. If we can bring pressure on those fence-sitters it will be back...The governor has said he will sign it, and is actually publicly in favor of HB 1261.

Wed 2/20/08 6:39 PM
...It seems that the StateAssociation is in disarray (I think somebody moved away and nobody picked up the ball)...I've been tracking down the remnants of the state association group, and we're trying to rally but the web isn't in their comfort zone(email yes, but phone is better and web is not gonna happen). There is a student rifle and pistol club, they have a facebook presence but no web page... I also dug up a "SDSU Rifle Association" which seems to be a political RKBA group on campus...They had not been coordinating w/ theSenate on this as of 2/18, but maybe they have done something since then... I find that students can be very enthused at one moment, but not quite get around to finishing something, ,and I'm not sure what they have actually done already. There is also a college paper with some online comments http://media.www.sdsucollegian.com/media/storage/paper484/news/2008/02/13/News/Students.Association.Reacts.To.Gun.Bill-3207304.shtml

The story is old, but the comments are still being accessed and updated...

Wed 2/20/08 7:09 PM [In reference to the link to SD Gun Owners, above--DC]
Great. Their list of swing votes is slightly different....

Thu 2/21/08 6:45 AM
There's a couple of suspicious things going on. The biggest of these is that several liberal campus groups supposedly are trying to kill HB 1261. No real surprise, but the SDSU Academic Senate passed a measure to send an anti HB 1261 statement tothe legislature the day before the committee was initially to vote. The chairwoman of the Academic senate took it upon herself to draft the following:

Faculty in higher education at South Dakota State University stand united with The Board of Regents in opposing HB 1261. We note that all permission to carry guns is commonly subject to regulation (even in the state of South Dakota) dependent upon location and potential danger to public safety. Our universities are not the singular purview of students, but are common areas for many members of the public. We are proud host community members in sporting events, meetings, conferences, performances, and speaking engagements. In addition, we offer child care and educational opportunities to children in the area and the region. The inability to control and/or charge violators in case of devastating attacks is not subsumed by crisis management, but rather is prevented most effectively by day-to-day safety precautions and regulations for students, staff, faculty and state citizens who enjoy the many benefits of our university communities.

SDSU Council of Higher Education
SDSU American Association of University Professors
SDSU Academic Senate

She sent that statement w/ this email:

Greetings Senators: I hope you all are having a good semester so far. Although we have a meeting coming up on Tuesday but we have a piece of business that can not wait. I have been approached as to whether the Senate is taking a stand against HB 1261 allowing weapons and concealed weapons on campus. This bill has passed through the House and is going next to the Senate. But Monday morning it will be discussed by the State Senate Committee. We would be opposing it for safety reasons. Attached, please find a draft of a common statement that will be submitted on behalf of the Academic Senate, COHE and the AAUP if they all sign off on it. So please let me know immediately how you would vote and I will be passing it if I receive a majority YES vote by 3PM tomorrow.

Madeleine Andrawis

Very few faculty members even found out about this statement, which was supposedly approved by email vote w/ no chance to debate. This has not shown up on their published agenda or in their minutes, but has been passed off as an official statement. Normally the State Senate wouldn't pay any attention to such, but it probably didn't help us. Thanks for sending the link to the SDGO site. I suspect that the bill just flew through the house so easily and seemed like such a common sense solution that nobody thought there'd be any heavy lifting in the Senate either.

Thu 2/21/08 7:35 AM
There have been several rent-a-cops and university police testifying against these bills. The house testimony was contradicted by a real cop. The rent-a-cop testified that if they showed up and there wereboth good and bad guys w/ guns then the police might shoot a good guy. The house committee called the real cop back up, who testified that "No, actually we're trained to think before we shoot". I heard that from a person who was at the hearing, and had read it online since then, but can't find it now. During the Senate hearing a Vermillion (town of another University, USD) cop (police chief?) testified against it. It looks like that'd be mentioned here: http://media.www.volanteonline.com/media/storage/paper468/news/2008/02/13/News/Senate.Could.Revive.Gun.Bill-3206370.shtml

but it may have gotten cut (I can't see it in the article, but the subtitle indicates that they did testify...It's actually quoted here:

http://www.m-14forum.com/upload/showthread.php?p=325375

but not a "main stream" source.

-------------------------------------

[DC back again]

That's what I've got. I can think of several actions I would do were I directly involved in this fight, but this needs to be something South Dakotans take on themselves--including disseminating future information. I'll keep an eye on things from afar, but unless something newsworthy breaks, don't expect to see too much more here--besides, if you need to rely on some guy in Ohio for this, the battle's already lost.

I would be interested in at least asking this Andrawis "Archon" exactly what her qualifications are for prescribing appropriate personal defense strategies for gun owners in a campus environment--stuff like what training she's had in that field, expertise, certifications, experience--the same kind of stuff she'd be expected to produce were her other professional opinions to be taken seriously. I note she proudly lists herself as a member of a group of "collaborators," and I suspect that's all the credentials we need understand.

Washington State Campus Carry Alert

From Washington Colleges and Concealed Carry:

As of right now, schools can prohibit students via the WACs from carrying firearms. Each bill seeks to change this, but in drastically different ways.

SB 6841 would
1.elevate carrying a firearm on campus to law
2.institute a gross misdemeanor charge for violation of this new law
subject the violator to the loss of their concealed pistol license, if any, for three years
3.require violators to undergo a mental health examination while incarcerated
SB 6860 goes the opposite way by:
1.bringing public, higher education institutions into alignment with firearm regulations that govern cities, counties, and other municipalities by
2.prohibiting them from making rules regarding the possession or carry of firearms

In other words, committed activism is needed now. Don't wait to get direction from our highly paid leaders, who can't find space for it on their Washington state alert page because of all that sport shooting and hunting legislation that comes first...

Hell, I was hoping I'd be able to give you a link here. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to repro the email I received in its entirety. It'll be rough, I don't have time this morning to format it and make it all purdy:

FRP ALERT: Campus Carry Showdown, 2-7-08 at 10:00am in Olympia!In case you haven't seen the GOAL Alert below already, pass it on toevery list or website you know of that college students read. CampusProtection has been introduced in the Senate, to counter the campusgun ban bill, and it's officially on! The hearing for both billswill be in the J.A. Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room 3, at10:00am.Now is not the time for students to be intimidated away by threatsof "repercussions". Intimidation is how bullies operate, so don'tlet it work. The people in authority at colleges are only concernedabout their monopoly on power, and will resort to anything to stopcampus protection from happening. They will let Rebecca Griego andVirginia Tech happen a hundred times over to stop you from exercisingauthority and power to protect your lives, because when that happens,it means the job got done without them, and their power over you isdiminished. They don't care about your safety, so you have no reasonto care what they think. Administrator types will be the primaryopposition we'll be facing in the room. There's also a possibilityof a police chief or two showing up to voice their "concerns" aboutnon-uniformed students possessing guns during a violent episode.It's the same thing with them, they also consider the exercise offorce to be their sole domain, and are only concerned about being theonly ones who are armed when they show up.The thing about bullies is that they are all paper tigers when youmake it clear that not only will their intimidation tactics not betolerated, they will be used to bite them with, and publicly exposethe bullies for what they are.The Higher Education Committee has given us what we've wanted, an allor nothing showdown between the two sides. It's an opportunity wewill likely not see again. If gas is a problem, borrow money. I'lldrive some people there myself from the Seattle area, and I'll donatesome money to carpools if you get in touch. If you have stagefright, get over it, because this will be decided by the number ofpeople present who are willing to stand up, speak and be counted.(Written testimony is an acceptable alternative though.) Thecommittee would not have arranged for this showdown unless they werewilling to actually pass Campus Protection out of committee, if theyare sufficiently impressed, so it's a certainty that one of these twobills WILL be passed out of committee.As you all know, this is about far more than just a gun issue, it'sabout people's lives. The lives of your fellow students, yourteachers and staff, and you. If we miss this opportunity, and liveson campus are lost again in this state, we will have to live with thefact that we failed them ourselves. So let's pull the stops out andwin this one.These are the emails for the Senate Higher Education Committee.Whether you can make it to the hearing or not, contact them rightaway to urge support for HB 6860, and thank them for this generousopportunity."Senate Higher Education":shin.paull@leg.wa.gov,kilmer.derek@leg.wa.gov, delvin.jerome@leg.wa.gov,berkey.jean@leg.wa.gov, schoesler.mark@leg.wa.gov,sheldon.timothy@leg.wa.gov;The sponsors of HB 6860 are Pam Roach (prime sponsor), Val Stevens,and Jerome Delvin. Also write to them and thank them profusely fortackling this issue for us.roach.pam@leg.wa.govstevens.val@leg.wa.govdelvin.jerome@leg.wa.govAlso, a website devoted to Washington State campus carry relatedlegislation is under construction by a campus leader for Students forConcealed Carry on Campus. The site will be at:http://www.campuscarr... . It should be up in a day ortwo, so check back, developments and alerts will be posted there, andthere will probably be an alert list to sign up for as well.Sincerely,Kevin SchmadekaFreedom Restoration Project of Washingtonfrp-wa@mindspring.com360 757-7122

FW:Joe WaldronGOAL Alert 1-2008ATTENDANCE NEEDED AT SENATE HIGHER ED HEARINGAt 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 7 February, the Senate Higher EducationCommittee will hold a public hearing on two gun-related bills inspiredby the mass murder at Virginia Tech last April. SB 6841 (Murray, D-43)would ban firearms and other weapons on all college campuses. SB 6860(Roach, R-31) would clarify the fact that state preemption of firearmregulation extended to institutions of higher learning, thuspreventingthem from imposing bans on firearms.The two approaches are directly opposite, and offer a greatopportunityto stand up for our rights as gun owners and as citizens of a freecountry. Do we want more "victim disarmament zones" where murdererscancommit their crimes without fear of immediate response, or do we wanttoallow responsible, licensed ADULTS to exercise their right of selfdefense as affirmed by both the federal and state constitutions and bynatural law?The only incidents where spree shooters have been stopped in theirtracks is when armed citizens were in a position to stop the shooter.Pearl, MS, High School. Appalachia Law School. Trolley Square Mall inSalt Lake City. And most recently at the New Life Church in ColoradoSprings.We encourage any who can to ATTEND THE 10 a.m. HEARING. Sign in onBOTHbills' sign-in sheets: AGAINST SB 6841, FOR SB 6860. If you would liketo testify, write "yes" in the appropriate block. Remember: identifyyourself and where you are from, limit your testimony to three minutesmaximum, do not attack the motives of our opponents, do not repeatpoints already made by others. It's a good idea to have a written copyof your testimony to drop off with Senate staff. Additional guidanceon testimony is available athttp://www.leg.wa.gov... Without doubt, the "other side" will attempt to cram the hearing roomwith gun prohibitionists. Are you willing to sit by and allow that?Parking at the Capitol Campus is limited. Car pooling is encouraged.Metered parking is available a few blocks north and a few blocks westof the Campus. For additional parking information, visit:http://www.leg.wa.gov... If you can't make it to Olympia next Thursday, please call, e-mail orwrite your Senator and ask him or her to oppose SB 6841 and support SB6860. To find your legislator(s):http://apps.leg.wa.go...

[Via Zachary H]

Today's Red's Update

Questions for BATFU: You really expect us not to think this is a vendetta you're conducting against Ryan Horsley and his family business because he dared to stand up to you instead of baring his throat and letting you kill him? Who the hell is up at 4:30 AM doing Internet searches for "reds trading post news" except someone obsessed with trying to find...anything...to use against him?

This is the kind of stuff you expect to see in a criminal investigation. I'd like to see someone explain this web search and their motives--under oath.

In other Red's news, Ryan has a warning for Curios and Relics holders: Don't think the eye of Sauron hasn't noticed you...

He also posts some good news in the ongoing effort to deny confirmation to Maximum Mike. For a reason that totally escapes me, some are discouraging gun owners from participating in this, and I think that's unnecessary and destructive. It's not like asking people to send an email or letter to their senators is going to break anybody's back in terms of effort. If they don't want to support this, fine, that's their business--but why they feel a need to derail the efforts of those who wish to participate is something I don't understand.

We'll see if it's a lost cause--two senators disagree with you, and even if it is, what does it gain us to give any ground without a fight? It's not like if we lose this that we've lost any more than a few minutes apiece writing letters--and the gun groups ask us to do that all the time.

What I do know is, all the major "gun groups" --except NRA, the "leader"-- have taken a position on this. I know Fairfax knows about this, so that means they're choosing to be silent. They can't claim this would overwhelm their resources, as they put out alerts anyway, and all it would take is a paragraph or two asking their members to contact their senators. So without a break in their silence, I can only assume their priority is not pissing off the 4 am lurkers and impairing their access to the BATFU hierarchy.

GOA "Unaware of Any 'Publicity Campaign'"

I informed Gun Owners of America about the 1911 Forums thread where an email reply ostensibly from an NRA representative about the Ron Paul race was posted.

Here's what I sent:

Please note the following (scroll 2/3 way down the page to comment by ‘kjhof]):

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=157138

“We have been receiving a bit of communication from NRA members after the latest publicity campaign from GOA regarding Ron Paul's NRA-rating. GOA does this to encourage folks to join their organization rather than NRA. Think about it: if they said NRA was doing everything right, they wouldn't have any members. Only in trying to stir up disagreement among our members, do they reap the benefits.”

I haven’t seen this publicity campaign the NRA rep refers to. Have you sent out alerts on this, or is there a web page you can refer me to?

Also, will you give me a “for the record” comment on the NRA allegation?

Thank you,

David Codrea

Here's what I got back:

David,

We are also unaware of any "publicity campaign" on this issue. Other than publicizing his GOA rating as we do with all candidates we can identify, we have not been active in Paul's district this election. (No alerts, no postcards, etc.) And of course, we gave Paul his usual A+ rating.

Regarding a "for the record comment," we consider all of our responses to e-mailed questions to be on record unless specifically stated otherwise. We don't have any idea what the quoted passage is referencing, if anything.

I also feel obligated to point out that it is by no means uncommon for forum threads to include inaccurate information, misattributed quotes, and even outright false or manipulated posts. Do not interpret that to mean I'm at all suggesting such has been the case in this instance. I'm pointing it out because, since GOA has been unfairly tarnished in those ways more than a few times over the years, we are obligated to give NRA-PVF every last bit of the benefit of the doubt. So I suppose the sound bite would be: "I would be interested in seeing the original e-mail -- with all header information included."

In liberty,

--Craig.

Craig Fields
Director of Internet Operations, GOA

I have not been able to access the 1911 Forum site since yesterday afternoon. I'll keep trying with the intent of contacting poster "kjhof" about this.