Profiles in Apathy

Why keep banging your head against the wall if nobody cares? [More]

I can't tell you how many unique and innovative efforts I've seen fold over the decades because of it.

Arrest of Terry murder suspect raises weapon questions and more

Those who complain about the lack of any real punitive outcomes must realize that there is only one way to alter this reality. That is if they become force multipliers, and share information that will otherwise remain confined to limited niche readerships. That means they must also actively demand action from their representatives with “or else” consequences, and recruit others to do the same. Absent a commitment to do that, and if the “profiles in apathy” inertia prevails, expecting anything to change is unrealistic. [More]

Today’s Gun Rights Examiner report notes a new “Gunwalker” development that reminds us how much the media is not reporting—and what you need to do about it if you expect that to change.

An Urgent Appeal

Jim Simpson needs our help. [More]

If you can't help financially, you can help by letting others know.

I know exactly where he is coming from.

People labor daily and yet there is no "demand" in "legitimate media" for anything that doesn't fit the narrative.  Nor are there any Bloombergs or foundations stepping in to save the day.

Add a dose of "Profiles in Apathy," and I can't tell you how many projects I've seen fold over the years, and how many good people I've seen bear a burden until it just becomes too much, so they put it down and we all lose, especially those who have no clue as to what they just allowed to die from neglect.

How many people have helped out the Reese family? Or promoted "Assaulted" or "Infringed"? Or sent a voluntary subscription stipend over Sipsey Street way? Or even lifted a finger to share a link?

I know the happy few who do help can't do it all.  But most do nothing, aside from leaving a comment expressing their opinion, and considering that their contribution to the cause.

If we end up losing this, our enemies won't be the only ones responsible.

Fuggedaboutit

Anyone caught engaging in violence against a government official is kidding himself if he believes his actions will inspire the anti-government crowd to bear arms and take to the streets. The British didn’t have tanks, planes, rocket launchers, drones and poisonous gas when the colonists rebelled. The power elite that now rules America has all of these weapons – and more – at its disposal. [More]

Note he doesn't tell us how those would be used without collateral damage to vast portions of the general population.

I think what he's saying is he personally has no line in the sand.

With the Profiles in Apathy I see all around, leading to attempt after attempt failing due to Molon Labia gun owners not even lifting a finger when a righteous plea for easy help is made, I wonder increasingly how many do.

May Your Chains Set Lightly

Profiles in apathy... [More]

[Via Florida Guy]

How You Can Help the Reese Family

"My husband is an FFL," a Facebook friend messaged me concerning the latest developments in the Reese case. "That could be me and my family. I am completely horrified by this case and the ease in which the prosecutor has kept it hidden.

"I've sent this out to every FFL I know, none of them had heard about it either," she continued. "What do we do to help? Write our Congressman? Where is the NRA?"

The reasons other FFLs haven't heard of it are basically twofold -- there has been some limited local "legitimate media" coverage, but not in the detail provided at Gun Rights Examiner, where I on occasion link to actual legal documents from the case that I obtain and post on my Scribd account, and importantly, at Tea Party Patriots of Luna County, where they post  first-hand accounts written by a trial attendee who also has plenty of insider information. And, of course, Jeff Knox has been a leader in providing coverage at WND.com and at The Firearms Coalition, where he's set up online donations to help the family defend themselves.

I said twofold and we covered the extremely limited outlets for documenting developments.  The second part of the equation is the biggest problem, the old "Profiles in Apathy," where readers are asked to share links -- and they don't.  That means the word doesn't get out.  Face it -- the family is being prosecuted in New Mexico.  I'm just some guy operating out of his house in Ohio.  What chance does it have to gain wider attention if even regular returning readers won't help?

If you think my just putting stuff out on the internet is all it takes, think again. Stupid celebrity crap and sexual innuendo is what occupies top positioning at Examiner.  If I want readers, I have to drag them in myself, which is why I spend time every day on the aforementioned Facebook, and on Twitter. I'm not there because I'm looking for online social experiences, I'm there because it's marginally more effective, if not more dignified, than screaming at passing cars.

I had this conversation just this morning with Mike Vanderboegh.  Our consensus -- if any of us -- meaning you, too, ever gets in trouble, too fricking bad.  If the media notices at all, it will be to smear you as a threat that needed putting down. On the off-chance someone like me notices and tries to tell others, good fricking luck getting it to spread beyond an extremely limited niche audience.

So, with full awareness that I probably just spent 10 minutes talking to maybe a half-dozen people max who will turn around and lift a finger: How can you help?

Share links and urge your friends to do the same.

Donate to the Reese family defense fund. They're broke. They've been broke.  They'll continue to be broke.  And the government just guaranteed their bills will do nothing but grow with its latest appeal. Share the donation link or mailing address (Reese Defense Fund, Attention Patricia Arias, First Savings Bank, 520 South Gold, Deming, NM 88030) and urge your friends to do the same.

Write to the Senate Judiciary Committee and demand they do not confirm Kenneth Gonzales as a District Court Judge.  I suggest approaching Grassley as the key guy, since Democrats won't be sympathetic and since he's the Ranking member for the Republicans. Share his comm link and urge your friends to do the same.

And where's NRA?  Beats the hell out of me.  Why not take it upon yourself to ask them.  And urge your friends to do the same.

Or do nothing. If I knew how to motivate anyone besides myself, I'd be running an organization.  And if I wanted my work to be popular and widely read, I'd put in to be the Celebrity STDs Examiner.

Just remember that everything I cite above is an attempt to pit ourselves against an ambitious federal prosecutor desperate to salvage and advance his career and who has virtually unlimited government resources at his disposal. 

Live Enslaved and Die

You might want to ask yourself how this can happen in the supposed "Live Free or Die" State. [Read]

Easy.

Local Second Amendment Sisters activists are trying to drum up attendance:

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY, Room 204, Legislative Office Building behind the NH State House- 1:30 p.m. 

HB 135, relative to physical force in defense of a person and relative to the definition of non-deadly force.

Naturally, this is in full play.  I guess it's all an abstraction to most.  Still, it is kind of pathetic when a guy in Ohio has done more to get the word out with just this one blog post than the vast majority of NH gun owners. 

Not that I'm singling them out as the only "Profiles in Apathy."

Profiles in Apathy

[Read]

Media ‘gun control’ proponents argue there's no longer any need to fear NRA

“Profiles in apathy” has long been a theme expressed here, and should rightfully be considered as great an enemy of freedom as the most rabid of gun-grabbers. That gun owners must organize and pool their strength together is a given, and that so many ignore the call to muster and instead draw their curtains while others march to the green does more to give aid and comfort to their attackers than anything. [More] 

Today's Gun Rights Examiner commentary notes a perception of vulnerability that's not altogether misplaced.

200

Emboldened by a new Republican majority in Richmond, some 200 people rallied on Capitol Square Monday to push gun-friendly legislation, hours before a crowd occupied the same space to commemorate victims of gun violence. [More]

200? Hell, I found 1,250 firearms-related businesses alone in VA. Why the hell weren't there 200,000?

I remember we got about 200 gun owners to show up at a demonstration in LA--the weekend after 40,000 of them managed to drag themselves to the big area gun show back when it was still allowed at the LA County Fairgrounds.  Most didn't lift a finger to stop its expulsion from happening, either.

Pathetic, the number of do-nothing welfare parasites in "our" ranks. Yeah, let someone else do it.  Profiles in Apathy, that is, the gungrabbers' best friends, strike again.

On the plus side, it looks like the cud-chewers did a lot worse.And here's a wonderful illustration of how they operate:

“We think that the laws on the books in Virginia are reasonable,” [Lori Haas] said.

Followed immediately by:

Sen. A. Donald McEachin, Henrico Democrat, said at the afternoon vigil that he planned to introduce legislation calling for universal background checks for gun purchases.

Gee, they're so "reasonable," we must have more!

Not that the frickin' Republicans will do anything beyond the bare minimum needed to exploit gun owner desperation...

And they can get away with it because, as we observed, only 200 showed up.

[Via Drew R]

Will gun owner apathy enable ATF’s ‘emergency’ long gun registration scheme?

“Profiles in apathy.” You know, inaction by gun owners that enables “gun control," derails valiant efforts and disheartens those who continually find themselves carrying an inordinate share of the burden? [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner commentary presents the simplest of tasks, and notes how even this is too much for too many.

Let George Do It

From GunLeaders.com, via email:

ATF has renewed their Rifle Registration scheme plans.
http://www.gunleaders.com/blog/2011/04/29/atf-again-seeking-comments-on-registering-certain-rifles/

In the previous period for comments mayors against illegal guns submitted roughly 10,000 comments in support. We barely generated 2000 ( Gunleaders.com FOIAd the responses, and while we didn't get a full counting, I am personally calling BS to the number of opposing comments listed in register -3752. I don't think we had that many ).

More importantly, we observed a very strange silence on the part of pro-gun groups.

That needs to change. Please do everything you can to get the word out to gun owners to oppose this scheme.

Only 2,000?

I don't understand what the hell the problem is.

But I find it increasingly difficult to give credence to the notion that gun owners who won't even lift a finger to send a simple correspondence--or throw a few bucks at someone they receive regular value from--or share a fricking link--ought to be taken seriously when they go on about making real "from my cold dead hands" sacrifices when TSHTF.

Better men than us pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.  The Heirs of Liberty all too often make excuses for their inaction.

"Profiles in apathy."  It's a greater threat than anything the antis are throwing at us.

An Important Message for All Sipsey Street Irregulars...uh...Regulars

While society rewards the likes of Snooki from Jersey Shore with celebrity and fortune, and while  lying, incompetent "Authorized Journalists" enjoy their paychecks, benefits, matching 401K contributions and the like, the market for liberty leadership is flat.

We need the leaders, but no one seems willing to pay for them.

Friends of Mike Vanderboegh have contacted me and are concerned that he's financially hurting.  I know for a fact that he is--with health problems also being a concern--and have been wondering what we who look to him on a regular basis for analysis, guidance and leadership can do.

As would be expected, Mike is not only proud, but selfless.  When I contacted him about saying something--because I don't wish to embarrass him--his response did not surprise me in the least.  I don't make a practice of sharing private emails, and I trust he'll forgive me for sharing a portion of this one--while admitting the difficult time his family is facing, this was his primary response:

I am loath to ask other people for money when things are so very tight everywhere and they should be preparing themselves.

Regulars here know I never ask for money for myself (although I do shamelessly hound to share my Examiner links so those cheap ########! can pay me).  In this case, I'm not going to ask you to send Mike a donation either.

Not a cent in gift money.

What I will ask you to do --all of you who visit his site every day and receive value from it--is pay for that value.  I'm asking you to voluntarily subscribe to Sipsey Street Irregulars and help Mike continue to bring YOU his daily reports and insights.

Just so we're clear: This is NOT CHARITY.  This is PAYMENT FOR SERVICES BEING RENDERED.

How much?  I won't put a ceiling on the maximum, but would submit the recommended minimum should be something we all, with very few exceptions/excuses can afford: A dollar a month.

I see from Mike's Site Meter that SSI brings in around 2,400 discrete visitors each day.  That means if we all do this, the guy will actually be able to pay most of the bills and focus on giving us what he's been selflessly providing every day for years--with no compensation or expectations of personal gain.

What is this guy, our slave?  Do people pay you for what you do?

I'll accept that some--a few--are simply not in a position to do this, with financial straits of their own.  But I bet most of us are able. How much do we spend a year on ammo?  Do you think we can get through this without intellectual ammunition and leadership?

How many will man up and do the right thing? 3/4? Half?Under a dozen of you?

My experience with trying to get simple things done, like sharing a link or sending an email, does not fill me with great hopes. Sorry, not trying to start a fight here, but I've said before, if anything induces me to finally hang things up and take care of Number One, it will be those "Profiles in Apathy" that to me represent a greater threat than the antis will ever be capable of presenting.

I don't want to hear great words of Liberty and "Is it time yet?" and all the other brave words of defiance from thousands of self-professed Threepers who won't even do this small thing.  If you won't do it, if you won't help when you know in your heart you could, my guess is it will show the oppressor all he needs to know about the personal commitment of those who say they'll stand up to him.

Regulars here know I never ask anyone to do anything I'm not willing to do myself.

My envelope with my $12 annual subscription fee is in the mail.

Mike Vanderboegh

P.O. Box 926

Pinson, AL 35126.

If you agree with me, yours will be too, and you'll spread the word.

And I apologize to Mike if this embarrasses him. I did not get his permission to do this. But unless he tells me flat out that leaving this plea up will end our friendship, I'll not obey any orders from him to take this post down.

We Have Met the Enemy...

In fact, the bill enhances A.T.F. enforcement and oversight powers...[More]

But dealers can get graduated penalties and "willfulness" can factor in, so the trade-off is deemed worth it.

By some.

Others of us have a different idea. Unfortunately, this "compromise" reflects the reality that not enough have the same idea and care enough to do a damn thing about it.

"Profiles in Apathy."

Right, Pogo? 

[Via Peter K]

Profiles in Apathy

We have no shortage of expectations and strong opinions about what we want. But when it comes time to step up to the plate, things get awfully quiet.

"Profiles in Apathy," my Rights Watch column for the January 2007 issue of GUNS Magazine, is now online.

Shameless Plug: "Profiles in Apathy"

We have no shortage of expectations and strong opinions about what we want. But when it comes time to step up to the plate, things get awfully quiet.

"Profiles in Apathy" is my Rights Watch column for the Jan. 2007 (Good Lord, already?) issue of GUNS Magazine, on sale now at caring and engaged newsstands throughout the Republic.

This one fits into a broader ongoing effort I'm working on and have presented on occasion here at WarOnGuns, under the umbrella category "Escaping the Village." It concerns three grassroots efforts I've involved myself in over the years that could have made a difference:

• John Brantuk's run for the CA Assembly
• Russ Howard's persecution by the CA political establishment
• Brian Puckett's struggle to penetrate the mass media with a pro-2A message

Frustratingly, these fizzled out because gun owners didn't care enough to involve themselves and help those shouldering tremendous burdens--and what was being asked of them was minimal. This apathy, to me, is a greater enemy than fear, and unless this changes, the fear times will become inevitable.

I also want to make a point of clarification: My editor quotes me in the "Crossfire" (letters) section. I thought I was just giving him some information based on an email he sent me and didn't realize he would publish my response. My source for this should be mentioned and credited--I adapted it from my friend Brian Puckett's excellent "The Founders Intended for the Bill of Rights to Apply to the States."

Finally, as always, there's this month's contest: See page 100 to find out how you can win a Springfield ArmoryXD .45 ACP.

Escaping the Village II: False Alternatives

I know I promised "Profiles in Apathy" as the next installment to my ongoing series on steps needed to restore gun rights, but the timeliness of the linked article needs to take precedence. I was going to cover this topic later.

A Second Amendment group is warning gun owners that a "massive gun control bill" is now working its way through Congress -- and is surprisingly close to becoming law.

Gun Owners of America also admits that it is the only national pro-gun group to oppose the "NICS Improvement Act of 2005" (H.R. 1415)....

Okay with NRA

The National Rifle Association takes a less ominous view of the bill.

"This bill...would improve availability of criminal history and other records for conducting background checks on firearm buyers," says an analysis on the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action website.

Why doesn't that surprise me?

Still, missing from the debate is a system proposed years ago that would allow for checks without identifying individual gun owners. Did you know such a proposal existed?

I thought not.

It been ignored by the major gun groups.

The Blind Identification Database System, or BIDS, was developed by my friends Russ Howard and Brian Puckett. Note that they are the first ones to admit that no prior restraint is constitutional, and that background checks are ineffective at keeping guns out of the hands of "prohibited persons" (as if there is government authority to prohibit or put prior restraints on anyone who is not incarcerated).

But what BIDS would do is reduce the amount of infringement the government is currently forcing on us, and preclude them having a registration list of identified gun owners as NICS provides.

Anyone who has read my work knows I prefer no system--my long-stated position is anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a custodian. But I have also long admitted I am a minority, and stipulate that those who tout the benefits of incrementalism view people like me as unrealistic "absolutists" (hell, an NRA rep once warned people that Brian and I were "wild-eyed extremists"!)

So here's my challenge to the majority: Why not BIDS? So far, the only objection I've heard is "it's not politically feasible."

Yeah, I guess if all the major gun groups are going to suppress it from the debate, that's probably correct. Let's just all give up before we even engage. That'll win back our gun rights.

Click on the BIDS link above and save your own copy of this proposal.

My guess is only a few gun owners will even take the time to read the whole thing. Which brings me back to the start of this post--I still need to work on "Profiles in Apathy."

Escaping the Village: The Great Unifier

[This is the first in a planned series of follow-up observations to "Questions and Answers"]

On the surface, the claim that the gun issue is a unifier seems demonstrably absurd. After all, any "reputable" poll on gun ownership will show most Americans support some form of "gun control," with some demographics overwhelmingly backing increased restrictions and outright bans, and even "pro-gun" voters demanding enforcement of "existing gun laws."

Then you have the infighting between "gun rights activists"--with the self-styled "pragmatists" far outnumbering those they deride as "absolutists," at least if being effective at organizing is any indicator.

The unifier is we "gun rights activists" agree that peaceable individuals ought to have the choice to own guns, and acknowledge that they can play a key role in maintaining freedom. True, there are varying degrees of tolerance for infringements within our ranks, such as those endorsing CCW permitting schemes, but that still leaves us in agreement on the core issue of gun ownership being an individual right.

So you can be an anarcho-capitalist, a libertarian, a Christian conservative, and find common ground on guns.

We need to focus on that unifying commonality and how best to exploit it.

I don't think we'll find that focus through politics. Aside from way too many races being a "lesser of two evils" proposition, this is where our divisiveness really hurts our effectiveness. This candidate may be right on guns, but he's wrong on the border issue, or abortion, or drugs, and besides, voting's a (pick one) [right/duty/joke/exercise in majority tyranny] anyway. I will, however, look at how we can have a greater effect on the political process in a later post (Hint: it involves hijacking a race and extorting the candidate).

I believe we need to focus efforts on expanding the "market demand" for the right to own a gun, that is, on education and outreach. And our biggest obstacle to doing this is ourselves, as demonstrated by...

Next time: "Profiles in Apathy"