I was just at a gun rights rally in Harrisburg PA. Anyway Im hoping to create a thread where we can discuss such rallies and ones that are upcoming as well. I want to go to these rallies more often. The energy there is amazing and with all these people standing for gun rights, its good to join in with your own contribution.
Gun Rights Rallys
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The purpose would be to show support from real people (and hopefully not just fat old guys with beards
)..One issue we fight, is that gun rights issues are often portrayed as the NRA versus what the people want, they love to obscure the fact that the NRA is an organization of millions of people. A gun rights rally, if well and diversely attended, and well conducted, shows there are numbers of real and good people out there on the gun rights side of the issue (and not just the evil faceless NRA).
The last one I remember seeing on the news featured lots of guys with ARs slung over their shoulders and wearing tactical vest strutting around a park in downtown Atlanta waving Gadsden Flags. As a gun owner this made me cringe as the visuals and the interviews seemed to reinforce every negative stereotype of gun owners. I realize the media picks and chooses the images they show to reinforce their own agendas, but we need to avoid giving them more ammo.
I do believe gun rights groups should look for ways to portray a more positive image, but not sure these rallies are the answer.
I question the utility of demonstrations in principle as a means of influencing law. As a means of social communication within a group and to the public, there may be some good effect. I would not discount the value of the good to be done within a group by re-inforcing commitment and cohesion by actually seeing other people in real life.
This rings true to me. I've been "informed" by several casual gun prohibitionists that the NRA is either a trade group interested in boosting sales or that it actually sells lots of arms, therefore "putting guns on the streets".
I'd like people to look peaceful and orderly rather than like a mob. It also seems more than a little patronizing to disfavor public events if those who show up to publicly support the right don't look and speak just as we do. I don't have a Gadsden flag, but there is nothing wrong with that sort of thing either.
RiffRaff said:
This rings true to me. I've been "informed" by several casual gun prohibitionists that the NRA is either a trade group interested in boosting sales or that it actually sells lots of arms, therefore "putting guns on the streets".
I'd like people to look peaceful and orderly rather than like a mob. It also seems more than a little patronizing to disfavor public events if those who show up to publicly support the right don't look and speak just as we do. I don't have a Gadsden flag, but there is nothing wrong with that sort of thing either.
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The rally in Harrisburg was done at the State Capitol. By being done at a place where major political decisions are made, that's how it makes a difference.
We're not like all those sore loser Hillary fans who threw big hissy fits in the streets when she lost to Trump, they did nothing except to blow off steam and embarrass themselves.
I don't think the rallys are a good idea. It will be infiltrated by anti-gun nuts pretending to be pro-gun and carrying AR-15s and other gun related items while and doing things to make gun owners look bad. The news will portray them as a typical gun owner and show us in a bad light.
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
How about it's an empirical question? Some legit research outfit might ask folks of different starting views on gun issues as to whether and how a rally influenced them.
The type and composition of the rally might make a difference. A clearly conservative rally, MAGA hats, etc. might be one thing. A Pink Pistols, Black Guns Matter rally might be another.
Speculation on the impact is just that.
The type and composition of the rally might make a difference. A clearly conservative rally, MAGA hats, etc. might be one thing. A Pink Pistols, Black Guns Matter rally might be another.
Speculation on the impact is just that.
In my state (Minnesota) the rallies are mainly to show our legislators we still care about them NOT passing feel-good useless legislation that unfairly burdens the law abiding gun owners.
This year the anti-gun crowd have channeled all their efforts (and thoughts and prayers) into two "common sense" gun laws. They've also semi-mobilized their members to go out and talk to hunters about these issues (that's how I got my information about this). They've also issued stern warnings to their group to dial back the rhetoric about gun owners. Don't call them insensitive rednecks, or terrorist, or men trying to compensate.
They are trying to pass:
1. Red-flag gun confiscation laws.
2. Universal background check (UBC) laws.
As they say, the devil's in the details and the UBC would require that if I ever sold a gun I'd have to get paperwork from the buyer and keep it forever.
What they are doing is attaching these laws onto "omnibus" bills that HAVE to be passed or the state of Minnesota grinds to an impoverished, pathetic halt and will probably be annexed by Canada.
Is it worth all the effort when discussing the big omnibus bill to go thru it and ferret out the "reasonable" and "common sense" gun laws that do NOT take away anyone's right to buy or keep a gun?
Remember these omnibus bills have LOTS of provisions that really and truly might have a greater and more immediate impact on some law makers' constituents than the gun control stuff. When the down and dirty infighting and wheeling dealing goes on the "reasonable" and "common sense" gun control stuff might be agreed to in order to get something else.
When the give and take of the final few days or our legislature gets REALLY serious (that will happen in a week or so from now...May 20 is the last day of the session) I'd like our legislators who are on the fence about gun rights to remember the crowd of people that showed up at the state capitol a few days before. Goodness, when push comes to shove some of our pro-gun rights legislators might be tempted to give "just a little".
This year the anti-gun crowd have channeled all their efforts (and thoughts and prayers) into two "common sense" gun laws. They've also semi-mobilized their members to go out and talk to hunters about these issues (that's how I got my information about this). They've also issued stern warnings to their group to dial back the rhetoric about gun owners. Don't call them insensitive rednecks, or terrorist, or men trying to compensate.
They are trying to pass:
1. Red-flag gun confiscation laws.
2. Universal background check (UBC) laws.
As they say, the devil's in the details and the UBC would require that if I ever sold a gun I'd have to get paperwork from the buyer and keep it forever.
What they are doing is attaching these laws onto "omnibus" bills that HAVE to be passed or the state of Minnesota grinds to an impoverished, pathetic halt and will probably be annexed by Canada.
Is it worth all the effort when discussing the big omnibus bill to go thru it and ferret out the "reasonable" and "common sense" gun laws that do NOT take away anyone's right to buy or keep a gun?
Remember these omnibus bills have LOTS of provisions that really and truly might have a greater and more immediate impact on some law makers' constituents than the gun control stuff. When the down and dirty infighting and wheeling dealing goes on the "reasonable" and "common sense" gun control stuff might be agreed to in order to get something else.
When the give and take of the final few days or our legislature gets REALLY serious (that will happen in a week or so from now...May 20 is the last day of the session) I'd like our legislators who are on the fence about gun rights to remember the crowd of people that showed up at the state capitol a few days before. Goodness, when push comes to shove some of our pro-gun rights legislators might be tempted to give "just a little".
Had one of these in Boulder..LOTS of tactical gear and LOTS of AR type rifles and the 'optics' were not good for the people advocating 'gun rights'. The police watched, talked to a few, no arrests or anything like that. Open Carry is legal in Boulder..just poor optics. Didn't help that a few who were interviewed were 'in the face', openly aggressive to the media person.
Optics..they interviewed those all tacticalled up, not the mom and pop who supported the issue, but looked like they just came from Cheesecake Factory.
Just for info..Neither I nor my adult sons voted for trump and between the 3 of us we own
12 handguns and rifles..I think pigeon-holing, stereotyping from and/or towards either 'side' is not a great idea..IMHO..
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
Like I said, we don't know if the demonstrations have a net positive or negative effect on policy. If they make the demonstrators feel good but don't have a positive outcome, then they are not useful.
In any case, since we are talking about Hillary and the OP was the one that brought it up, I can close it down.
Bye
In any case, since we are talking about Hillary and the OP was the one that brought it up, I can close it down.
Bye
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