Let me preface this post stating my renewed admiration for the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a group I have posted about and considered the smartest State Pro Gun group in the nation.
With that out of the way, I want to give my opinion about the Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement: It should have never come to this and although I am not knowledgeable about Virginia, I am willing to bet that Gun Owners fell asleep at the switch when election time came around. Suddenly Gun Rights in Virginia are floundering in a sea of Democrat Blue and let’s face it: 2A Sanctuaries are people trying to bail water out of a sinking ship or a tourniquet being applied to a fast-bleeding limb.
I am being this harsh about Second Amendment Sanctuaries because I am unfortunately seeing many people in Florida admiring the gesture as something to be followed here in the Sunshine State. Ladies and Gentlemen, that is the stupid and easy way out (if it is a way out at all). It is stupid because we are asking to apply a temporary emergency solution to a festering problem that could be avoided altogether by other means. Yes, those means are more labor intensive, but if you are in this fight because you thought it was easy, you hitched into the wrong train.
We avoid these grand gestures by being proactive, going to the Legislature, sit in the committees and voice our opinions. We do it by calling, and writing our Representatives and Senators and above all, we participate in every election and we make the candidate know what we have done. And we do this constantly, year in and year out.
We do not know if the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement will actually hold legally. It may or it may not, but the reason they are popping all over the place is because Gun Owners are showing up and addressing the elected officials into doing the change. People moved and had other move to achieve a desired result and it worked! Do I have to wonder if this was something it did not happen in the last election?
The inescapable fact is that the Democrats have Virginia Gun Owners by the short and curlies and I doubt there will be able to stop the onslaught in its totality. We in Florida are just a little bit better and have still a chance to avoid using the emergency measures. But for that to happen, we need to get our efforts concentrated in legitimate political “targets” and stop wasting efforts on posing and fake bravado. At time of posting, there were 43 gun-related bills in the Florida Legislature: Three (3) Pro Gun bills, One (1) Neutral bill and Thirty Nine (39) Gun Control bills ranging from bad to totalitarian bad.
Let’s avoid having to use the “Doomsday Protocol” and actually do some hard work to save the Gun Rights in the Sunshine State, shall we?
Show up and be heard.
When my kids are in the public schools, I show up for school board meetings. There are 7 or 8 board members, a couple of school officials (Principals, Superintendent of Schools). In the audience there are the people that are presenting to the board, one or two. Normally invited or required to be there by the school board (Representatives of the people that supply the school lunches for example).
There might be a teacher there that wants to address some minor issue.
And counting me, ONE parent. Yep. That’s right ONE.
In general, parents only show up for “big” events. They just let the school board run what ever way they want.
I’ve managed to affect policy change on a number of issues just by showing up and speaking. Saying my piece and then showing up at the next meeting and saying it again.
The point of this is that you, yes you reading this, can make a difference in local politics just by showing up and stating your position.
This works at the state level as well.
Show up and talk to your representatives, make a call to them, write an letter, write an email.
And for all that is good, show up and VOTE.
THAT is all EXACTLY WHAT IT TAKES! One person CAN change things, but ALL citizens must become active and join forces. It is OUR government, not theirs! WE dictate to them. NOT the other way around.
You are correct on many points. Virginia gun owners as a group failed to get out and vote. In my opinion Elmer Fudd thought I don’t need to worry they ain’t coming for my shotgun, just those AR things. We now have a bill that will if passed make some of his shotguns illegal. We have another proposed bill to make hunting with dogs illegal. But Elmer doesn’t even know who his reps are because he didn’t usually concern himself politcs since his vote didn’t count and it was too much trouble to leave work and go to the polls.
You missed the part about the billion air with a bottomless bank account pumping money into our elections in 2019.
I know you have good intentions but VCDL did not father the Santuary movement here in Virginia. My county had an overflow crowd at the Sanctuary meeting with the Board of Supervisors with as far as I can tell 99% homegrown organization. There was 0% VCDL presence, no orange stickers no representative from them to speak, just locals. They did put a date for the meeting in an email. We attempted to get one of their busses for Lobby Day to stop here but just being one of the largest counties in Virginia wasn’t enough.
Having said that VCDL as a group isn’t bad, they do a lot of good but, no the Sanctuary movement was almost all true grassroots. So we are bailing water out of a fast sinking boat now because that is all that’s we have left. Yes, Florida and other states should take our inaction in politics as a warning and get active. Vote, talk to your friends and neighbors, know and interact with your political representatives local, state, and national before a crisis like ours hits your state. Be aware that we in Virginia are the test case and since this abortion of epic proportions appears to be working your state may be next.
“You missed the part about the billion air with a bottomless bank account pumping money into our elections in 2019.”
I did not comment on stuff I was not sure. I can comment and have been doing so on the almost million bucks in direct contributions to Republican Senators by the same little fascist from NYC.
Si vis pacem, para bellum – If you want peace, prepare for WAR! Hasn’t changed in THOUSANDS of years.
How to talk to your state representative in person:
For me, it was as easy (just now) as calling their office and asking when I could meet with my senator in person. The answer was: Let me look at her schedule and I’ll set a time for you to meet with her.
People, you can talk to your representatives, make the effort.
I understand what you are saying and admire your faith in the process but you must recogy that even doing the hard work and being the majority voice against gun control may still not be enough. The legislature may end up doing whatever it wants; the law, your rights, and people’s best interests be damned.
This is exactly what happened in CT post Sandy Hook. Gun owners came out in massive numbers and showed to be the majority opinion. The rally at the Capitol was well publiscised and we’ll attended, I was there; pro gun support was significant. In 13 hours of testimony on what became PA13-3 our awb 2.0, a solid 10+ hours of that was pro gun; the line to get into the legislature was so long by the time I got there I wasnt even going to get to the lobby!. The legislature didn’t care and did what they wanted and was most politically easy to do anyways and that was pass awb 2.0. This sentiment is perfectly exemplified by the picture taken of Beth Bye fucking off on Facebook instead of listening to the testimony.
I believed the legislature would do what was right and not fuck everyone over because of the massive show of opposition. I was wrong and admittedly probably a bit naive. The experience made me nothing but more cynical and jaded.
One of the things I try and stress is that you have to do this when it isn’t lobby day. Remember, that Mom’s Demand has a lobbyist there every day. That your representatives see them every day. That their red shirts are seen everywhere.
When “we” show up on lobby day the day to day people say “The NRA showed up today” Even if the NRA had nothing to do with it. And as such, those 13 hours of pro 2A testimony is summed up by the Infringers as “The Gun Lobby showed up”.
But when you call yourself, when you communicate yourself. If you actually show up yourself, then you become a face and not part of the NRA mob.
And remember to treat those staffers you interact with politely. They are the gatekeepers.
Therefore, all true and good advice but in the mean time our Constitution is being trampled and our time machine is non functional. Next year and all the years after we should all follow your sage advice. Now what about today? Let’s talk about what we can do immediately before Virginia becomes California.
Next year? 2020 is an election year all across..
We are discussing Virginia and it’s current troubles (brought on by our inaction). The sinking ship has sailed from this port. Let’s hope, because we haven’t done the work so far hope is all we have, that it isn’t too late for the national elections to have our 100% participation.
I guess the phrase “next year” could have been better as “next time”.
So what can we do NOW in Virginia to keep from going all the way to the progressive bottom? Is is almost certain that if Virginia falls many more will follow our extremely poor example.
Virginia needs help to get out of the hole we helped dig for ourselves. As someone that has been doing all the things suggested I don’t think we can solve this alone.
I do not disagree with your assessment, but that is advice that would have made a difference five years ago. It is here and now. The problem that needs to be addressed is the crisis at hand. Finding out the root cause and trying to reverse it is for tomorrow.
However, you are correct. Other states might think the sanctuary city idea is “cool”, but they are not in VA’s situation. It is not a solution, it is a reaction.
Then again… I cannot help but enjoy the reaction the leftists have when they find out their counterparts on the right are using exactly the same techniques they use to protect illegal aliens.
Si vis pacem, para bellum – If you want peace, prepare for war! Hasn’t changed in THOUSANDS of years.