Sebastian nails it so hard, it is not even funny.
Everyone underestimated how much Bloomberg’s money would make a difference for the gun control movement. It’s made a huge difference. Our biggest asset historically has been our ability to self-organize. There have always been a sizable number of people who would support gun control, but the movement won’t organically provide the money and organizing talent to make them a force. But with Bloomberg’s money, and the money from other elites he’s bringing along, that’s no longer an issue for them. With the money a given, it will buy them a movement.
We surrendered the “horizontal interpretive communities” that got us where we are to top-down social media which are centrally controlled. I can remember seasoned activists from the 80s and 90s tell me they got their message out using informal fax networks to organize back when that was a new technology. We’ve always been on the bleeding edge of self-organization. But our community doesn’t have an answer yet for the problems being caused by Google and Facebook, who would rather see us disappear and largely have the power to accomplish that if they really wanted.
Too many people insisted on bringing unrelated culture war issues along with gun rights, which has made it difficult to expand our base, and has completely removed us as a force in one of the two major parties. I’m not saying that means we support anti-gun Dems: the damage has already been done. Our only hope is keeping the Dems confined to a minority of states to keep them from power until they come to their senses. There is some hope we can accomplish this with the Senate.
The issue of communication is easier to fix but it won’t be sexy: We go back to mail lists and Forums. It is amazing the power of the Forward button.
Money? We need to figure out how do we get several million gun owners to cough up at least $100 a year. I reckon 5 million NRA members filling the coffers with half a billion dollars will make a hurt of difference in Congress.
On the third item: Can we please get the effing Libertarian shit out of Gun Rights? I don’t care for your “right” to go pew-pew with a big fat doobie attached to your lips or any other nonsensical shit that is not 100% directly gun related. Narrow the focus.
Other things: State organizations, support them but also participate. Tell them what you think, give ideas, criticize if they are fucking up.
If you own ANY firearm why are you not a member of a gun rights group? 200 million gun owners and I bet total membership in every gun rights group doesnt break 10 million. Join! Get yer friends to join. Nuff said
at least 2 rights groups! and 100 bucks a year is less than $8.34 per month! do it!
I don’t care for your “right” to go pew-pew with a big fat doobie attached to your lips or any other nonsensical shit that is not 100% directly gun related. Narrow the focus.
I agree with this in part, and disagree with this in part.
I agree that pot legalization doesn’t have anything at all to do with gun rights, and needs to be ejected from the pro-gun platform (the pro-freedom platform can keep it, but that’s a REALLY big tent — far too big to be organized or effective).
Other items not 100% directly related to gun rights but that indirectly or tangentially affect gun rights should stay or be added:
– Restrictions on gun- and shooting-related advertising and messaging need to be fought, even though it’s technically a First Amendment issue.
– The right of conservative, Judeo-Christian, pro-gun, and pro-Israel voices to be heard on college and university campuses must be fought for, even though it’s technically also a First Amendment issue (something like 90% of liberal arts majors are “Progressive”, at least partly because they almost never encounter dissenting views on campus; administrators shut down conservative voices).
– “Stop and Frisk” and such abuses need to be fought, even though it’s a Fourth Amendment issue (officers tend to panic and go trigger-happy when they find a gun, even on licensed CCW-ers).
– Knife rights need to be protected.
And yes, I’m going to say it: Immigration reform needs to be supported. This is a much bigger issue than most pro-gun groups seem to believe or want to acknowledge. Immigrants — especially illegal immigrants and/or “DREAMers” — overwhelmingly vote to support the same policies — including gun restrictions — that made their home countries unlivable … and they are entering the country faster than current citizens have babies.
The “fundamental transformation of America” is taking place under the pro-gun groups’ noses, in the form of cultural and demographic terraforming favorable to the Democrats and anti-gun voters. The federal policies that allow this, along with so-called “Sanctuary City” policies, need to be opposed by pro-gun groups.
Just my $0.02.
” Immigration reform needs to be supported. ” Yes to that and other things, but NOT under the Gun Rights banner. It is waste of resources that are scarce to begin with.
I rather have my $100 to the NRA-ILA that $2 to 50 different movements. It makes more sense.
The don’t donate… or give it to The Second Amendment Foundation.
As for state stuff, nobody hit the mark last year. Not the NRA and not Florida Carry.
And not us.