GerryM said:
I have thought about trying to do this (organize, resist, fight, educate, etc.), but only once retired (in a few years). I've no idea if I could be effective, but it surely seems to me much could be done to begin to change public opinion. It would be slow, like the changing the direction of the Titanic, and maybe the effort would sink as fast as the Titanic, but I do believe we have to give our resistance efforts a chance to succeed. They just might.
What motivates me to even consider such an effort on my part is that I am sick and tired of constantly "losing", being pushed around like sheeple, hoping the NRA will do something, and being shamed into a class of a 2nd class whacko citizen. I am frustrated that there is little public outreach to the general public. Or even proper messaging. How might people respond to a message of "curtail gun violence, get a gun". Not ideal, but all I could think of right now. Or from a political point of view, "I am Republican because I support minority rights". It has been proven that messaging like this tends to cause people to react and say, Yeah, yeah. It is memorable, fits on a bumper sticker of signature line, and is easily spread. Consider "xxxx citizen owned guns used today to stop a crime". This uses the anti-gun message of how many guns used today to kill. Steal the populist message used by the left and flip it so it becomes OUR message.
Organize and conduct public events to educate people. How many people have thought about a gun, but were too fearful or shy to even visit a gun store? Would YOU be willing to be a mentor for them? There are ways to reach them. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, and other venues will likely be blocked, but it is not impossible. The best part is that those people you help will tell others and the word spreads. People will likely feel more inclined to question and change their views by way of peer pressure vs that of a logic applied by gun owners. Anti-gunners operate on emotion and you can't reason with that. I have been to shooting events for new shooters, and these people tell their non-shooting friends how fun it was, and the word spreads.
This may all be a pipe dream, but I think I will be sorely disappointed if on my deathbed, I realize I might have been able to do something to preserve our rights and did little to nothing. That does not sit well with me. I hope it doesn't with any of you.
Phil
