OK, here's an e-mail I got from Directed Fire. I guess he's worried we have the wrong impression ... and isn't thrilled with my warped sense of humor
OK ... so you guys aren't thrilled with it either but I'm one of you so ... 
Anyway, I told him I'd post it for him ... so here it is:
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Hi Guys,
I sent this to Longshot on the Firing Line board, but since your email addresses were listed there, I thought I'd reply to you personally, and try to answer your questions.
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Longshot,
Thanks for putting up a link for us on the firing line board. You're sending us a lot of entries!
I wanted to reply to the concerns raised by various members on your boards, but I'm not a member of the forum, can't post and some don't list their e-mail addresses. Perhaps you would be good enough to post this reply?
http://www.thefiringline.com:8080/forums/showthread.php?threadid=28344
Gopher .45
First of all, the sole purpose of the DirectedFire.com site is support of the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment is our main concern at this point in time, since it's under the most serious attack.
With regard to the gun giveaway, we do not have a list of anyone's voting records, nor are we interested in anyone's record. However, the purpose of the gun giveaway is to get pro-gun voters to go to the polls. We aren't about to award prizes for "good intentions." The only thing that's going to count in November is actual votes. Therefore, we require that a person actually vote to win and in fairness to those who do vote, we can't just take a winner's word that they actually voted.
Why does the person's entry information have to match the voter registration records? Because that's the only way to prevent multiple entries. You might have a John Doe who goes by Johnny Doe, Johann Doe, Jon Doe, etc. He could put down several different addresses - his work, his home, his PO Box, a friend's address. If he doesn't vote, but is selected as a winner, he might even find another "Jonathan Doe" who did vote and "claim" his identity. (Voter registration records are publicly available.) There would be no way to tell how many times a person entered, or even if they really voted.
Please note, the only voter registration information we require is proof that the person who wins actually voted. Once we have that, we have no further interest in the information. That means we have no interest in voter registration information for anyone who does not win.
Now, as far as the mailings go - we admit to some self-promotion there, and promotion of our sponsors. Some sponsors will donate because they realize the threat to our right to keep and bear arms has never been greater. Others will have to be "encouraged" by an offer of free publicity. So we will send out mailings to people a couple times a month between now and the election. We think most people will want to know what's in the "pot" anyway. Note: We will not release our mailing list to anyone - not even the sponsors. We will mention sponsors in the mailing, and what prizes they have donated. That's only fair. And we may include Second Amendment related news. But we won't be giving up the mailing list to anyone and we don't plan on mailing more than twice a month initially, and perhaps as often as once a week in October (right before the election, because, as you know, IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU CAN'T WIN!)
I also won't have any use for most of the identifying information once the prizes are awarded. Phone numbers and street addresses will be deleted. City and State information will be retained so members can be notified of events in their area. Might even dump the city information - I'm not sure it's necessary to break down things that far, but it might help in some of the other pro-gun projects I'm working on (see below).
Once the election is over, we will give everyone an opportunity to "opt out" of the list by the click of a link in an e-mail message. Those who choose to remain on the list may receive periodic mailings - most often in direct response to threats to our civil rights. For example, if the California attorney general decides to ban all handguns under his newly-granted powers as chief gun controller, we'll certainly let all the California folks on the list know about it.
There are a couple other programs that I plan for DirectedFire. First of all, the number one way to safeguard your right to bear arms isn't voting. Voting is the second best. The best way is to take a newbie shooting. I have observed that you can change someone's mind with facts, but you change their heart with experience. If there were 200 million gun owners in this country, instead of 80 million, we wouldn't even be talking about gun control. To promote the effort of getting people to learn more about shooting, I want to set up a contact network where newbies can go and say, "I live in Taos, New Mexico, and I'd like to learn something about shooting." Then people could, on a volunteer basis, take folks shooting and show them the ropes. If you've ever fumed at a television anchor who held forth on "assault rifles" and obviously didn't know which end of the barrel the bullet came out - think about maybe taking him down to the range and teaching him. Anyway, the point is, people fear what they don't understand. If every gun owner were to teach one non-gun owner how to shoot, your right to bear arms would likely be safe for the next generation. More on this later... in one of those nefarious e-mailings!
The other effort I want to crank up is one to promote pro-gun businesses. I'm not just talking about businesses that sell guns and related items. If Harry the baker or Sue's candle shop is gun-friendly, I want to promote them. What I propose is not only a boycott list of businesses that want to infringe your rights but a list of alternative businesses selling similar products that support your rights. If MacDonalds fires an employee because he was armed and shot an armed robber - I can eat at Wendys or Burger King instead. If Sara Lee wants to donate $50,000 to Sarah Brady, maybe I'll try the coffee cakes in Albertson's bakery instead. If GEICO comes out with a statement recommending their clients not own guns, maybe State Farm, or USAA is more friendly. The point is, boycotts, as such, are generally about exerting pressure by changing people's buying patterns. That's hard to do if you don't know of any alternatives. Isn't it about time we not only punished anti-gun businesses for trying to ban our guns, but rewarded businesses who support our Second Amendment rights? Well, I want to take this right down to the local level. How about a database that tells you where you can find a gun friendly tire dealer in Minneapolis? A gun-friendly doctor in San Francisco? Stick around on the list, and I'll be asking for your input and letting you know when these projects are up and running. Or opt out if you don't want to be bothered.
(I know that was long-winded. Thanks for your patience!)
http://www.thefiringline.com:8080/forums/showthread.php?threadid=38123
Satanta
The DirectedFire.com site is a one-man effort. I am that man. My name is Kurt Amesbury. I live in Oviedo, Florida. I'm a Life Member of the NRA, a member of the GOA, a member of the keepandbeararms.com web site and a member (and webmaster) of the Chuluota Sportman's Club. If you check out the KABA web site, you will probably find a number of articles that I have posted there. I've even sent in quite a number of ideas for the political cartoons. I think the Director of KABA will vouch for my participation - but he only knows me by what I've done and our email communications. All I can say is I've put a LOT of work into this site and I hope it helps us kick anti-gun politicians out of office. I want to do so in such a decisive way that politicians a hundred years from now will still be terrified to vote against the Second Amendment. Not just frightened... Terrified.
Dangus
Your concerns are legitimate. I could be an ATF mole setting out to identify people interested in winning guns. Not sure what that would accomplish, but the ATF has done dumber things. I might catch half the nation in this kind of elaborate trap! ;-) By the way... how do we know YOU aren't an ATF/FBI agent who is just trying to undermine my effort to get out the pro-gun vote?!
BlueEyedDog
I'm not asking whether anyone owns a gun - let alone what the serial numbers are. If you see something like that on line, I'd recommend you stay clear! I've tried to only ask for enough information to establish that a person has actually voted and to contact winners. Note, I don't ask for a date of birth - just the year. I don't ask how you voted. I don't care what party you are in, how much you make, how many people are in you family or any of that other telemarketer garbage. The only reason I ask for a phone number is in case your e-mail fails. (Phone number is now optional.) I'd hate for someone to miss out on a brand new firearm of their choice just because their e-mail died, but I'm sure not trying to force anyone to provide an alternate means of notification.
I hope this addresses all of the concerns raised. If there are any other questions, please feel free to contact me. (admin@directedfire.com)
Thanks for your help.
Oh! For the conspiracy buffs who want to know how I knew where the referrals are coming from... the cgi you link to reports the source page of the inquiry. [It also takes your fingerprints off the keyboard and extracts a DNA sample. ;-O ] You can bypass this if you wish by linking directly to the signup page - but then whoever is signing up will have to put your referral number in by hand. (The cgi does it automatically.) The referral information is captured to help track the system operation. (It has already helped me recover from a bug in the reporting system that might otherwise have prevented people from getting the referral credit they deserved.) By the way, right now, Longshot is #2 on the list with over 60 chances to win. Doesn't sound like a "long shot" to me!
Kurt Amesbury
DirectedFire.com
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Refuse to be a "helpless" victim.
Knowing Your Rights Hand-gun Control Inc. - Come see OUR truth!
