calling all second amendment supporters!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Alright I need help!

I am organizing a pro-gun/ second amendment right day for my university which slants to the left and does not have a compassionate approach to the students when it comes to gun rights. I’ve been robbed three times. Every time I wish I had a gun in the house. But hey, that’s a college town for ya.

So, march 31st is the day. I want to open college student’s eyes to our second amendment. I am working hard but need more of a think tank… like the SDMB! I have contacted the NRA an a couple other Second amendment groups asking for support and to pass on literature. ulitimately I would like to have a donation of money so that we can fund the first X number of FOID cards that are filled out. We would also like to raffle off a gun.

So, basically I need ideas and help How do the dopers think that I should run this event? Outside? Inside? Speakers? Who should I contact? Any thoughts that came in mind when reading my post? I just want to let you know that these ideas will not fall on deaf ears and the media will be there full-force. If we use your ideas I’ll contact you personally letting you know. I look forward to reading your ideas!

2

One thing you should anticipate is that you’re probably going to face a lot of people who are pro-gun control. So you should publically acknowlege that there are two different opinions on the subject and that you’re seeking to exercise your right to present your position. That way if people who oppose you attempt to shut you down you’ll have the first amendment on your side as well.

3

Personally, I believe gun ownership should be a privilege and not a right.

Having said that, with all due respect; Couldn’t this energy be better spent on organizing a crime watch group or something of that nature?

I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting old, but encouraging teenagers (or young college students) to take up arms just doesn’t sit right with me.

4

Shakes I really don’t want to start a debate here. (BTW I was surprised to see you were from texas with a comment of the such)

To clarify, (I really was trying not to bring politics into this, but that’s where it’s going anyways) I am president of the college republicans at my university. Living in the midwest where hunting is very prevalent and respected, gun laws are always a debate. Even many southern IL democrats are in firm support of gun laws.

This is just a step to inform and shed a different light. We will attempt to come across in the rhetoric that guns save lives and can be used for protection. It will have a very mature drive behind it.

However, I do understand your concern

5

Moving this from IMHO to MPSIMS.

6

Here’s a few contacts for you.

[ul]
[li]Ill. State Rifle Association[/li][li]Ill. Firearm Resource[/li][li]Illinoiscarry.com[/li][li]NSSF[/li][/ul]

Hope that’s enough to get you started. Good luck and thanks for your efforts.

7

I would think the gun raffel would be a bad idea. Being a ‘lefty-liberal who hates America’ that just sounds like a bad idea.

If I were you I would be prepared for some oppostion and have a plan for what to do.

Also I would be less annoyed with you if you focused on gun safety and training on how to use a gun. Perhaps a gun range can raffel off target practice classes.

8

I, too, second the gun-safety courses and how to use a gun, etc. What’s the harm in that; it’d be kind of cool. I’d take it and while not violently opposed to guns, I am very much in favor of gun control.

And the gun raffle sounds very much like the sort of irresponsible thing we pro-gun laws people don’t like. How will you be sure who you give it to, or will you literally just hand it to the person who wins, no questions asked? Isn’t there a waiting period or anything in your state?

9

An excellent idea. IMHO, the perfect firearm would be a Remington 870 pump shotgun in 12ga. An excellent all-around skeet/trap/hunting tool and inexpensive, too. They retail for about $250 or less. Contact your local gun shop and see if they would like to donate one. This gets them PR, plus you can have a shop rep on hand to conduct the NICS to ensure that the winner is legally able to buy/possess.

10

This is dependent on weather, primarily, but whatever location you choose you will want it to be high traffic enough that your event gets some notice and is in a place people will be able to find, and that they don’t consider to be out of their way. If you’re having speakers, inside venues can offer some guard against distraction.

In addition to the great suggestions here, you may want to see if there is a local chapter of the Second Amendment Sisters, to get some female perspective.

You want solid research, including numbers from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report to help you back this up, since you will undoubtably face disagreement here.

Also, a huge word of advice to you and everyone else working this event: whatever is said to you, remain calm. If you get upset, anti-gun people will often allow this to reinforce the notion that pro-gun people are hotheaded yokels.

I would stress that the educated, responsible ownership and use of firearms is very, very important to our peaceful exercise of our second amendment rights.

Winners of firearms raffles, at least in Pennsylvania, must pass the NICS background check in order to claim the firearm, which means filling out the BATFE Form 4473 and getting an approval number. It’s not like the law no longer applies because it’s a raffle.

You may want to do a survey to see if there are students who would be interested in joining a ‘range club’, where you could go to the firing range as an activity. Choose your speakers carefully, making sure that they will portray your message in the most positive, calm, collected and reasonable manner possible, since you will no doubt have the attention of the anti-firearms crowd both at the college and in any media coverage of the event.

And like I said before, no matter how angry the opposition might get, you don’t want to lose your cool (anyone on ‘your side’) because this will only reinforce to them the notion that pro-gun people are what they fear them to be.

11

Why not check out an anti-gun (pro-gun control, whatever) website and get an idea of the arguments or challenges you may get. Then prepare well-thought out responses to these challenges so you are ready when they come up. I’m sure you’re pretty prepared for this already. Better yet, print a flyer with responses to common anti-gun arguments.

12

I recommend working on your approach. I’m a left wing, bleeding heart liberal, however I support the right of the people to keep and bear arms. But, in the second sentence of your post, you’re already treating me and folks like me as though we were the enemy. If you want to do more than preach to the choir, you need to speak without hostility.
‘The liberals want to take away our guns!’ will just piss people off.

‘How many motor vehicle deaths were there this year? Then why aren’t people advocating laws to take away our cars? Because they know that when a car is used responsibly, it isn’t a danger. How is a gun different?’ can actually win folks over to your side.

13

I must admit, I’m curious. How does attending a left-slanting university keep you from having a gun in your house? Is there a city law against having a gun in your house? You have been robbed three times in your house? When you were there, and a gun would have been useful?

14

I’m so liberal my blood (from my bleeding heart of course) rolls to the left even if that is uphill. I also am a member of the NRA, own a dozen guns and passed my hunters saftety course when I was 10 years old. Don’t let stereotypes creep into your planning because then it will break down into an us vs. them thing (kind of like many pit posts). My suggestion would be to contact your local police department and/or Dept. Natural Resources. Many of the officers use guns outside of work for sport/hunting and would be glad to help/speak at your shindig.

15

This is a really good idea, as many rank-and-file officers also support second amendment rights for law-abiding citizens.

Another thing that I think has been good that posters here have said is that being left-leaning does not necessarily mean that one is opposed to firearms ownership. You’ll want to be careful with how you phrase things so as not to offend and alienate people who otherwise would’ve been in favor of what you’re doing, but instead feel that they have been ostracized by your event.

Make it bi-partisan or at least party neutral as much as you can.

16

I personally think you’re going about this entirely the wrong way. The first thing you should do is organize a gun club that organizes trips to ranges, safety courses, etc. This gives you a base of students to help plan and do all this stuff, and will bring a continuous gun right presence to the school, rather than a one time event.