Write Winger: Doing what’s easy isn’t enough

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Write Winger: Doing what’s easy isn’t enough

When Los Angeles banned the possession of +10rd magazines and required owners to give us their lawfully acquired property without due process or compensation, zero complied.

When Connecticut required owners of newly classified “assault weapons” to register them as such, only about 15% complied.

Recently, the BATFE had an open comment period regarding a regulation change to classify “bump stocks” as a machine gun. They received 36,000 responses in which approximately 85% were against the change.

In Massachusetts, bump fire stocks were banned, and owners were “required” to give up their lawfully acquired property without due process or compensation by February 1st. Three people turned them in.

When Los Angeles banned the possession of +10rd magazines and required owners to give us their lawfully acquired property without due process or compensation, zero complied.

When Connecticut required owners of newly classified “assault weapons” to register them as such, only about 15% complied.

While all this is well and good, and should continue, it doesn’t negate the fact that a majority of us are playing a passive defense. It’s really easy to click on a link, say what you don’t like, send it off, and say, “I did something”. It was easy to go out and buy a newly classified “assault weapon” at the local gun store before the deadline just to own one before you couldn’t, and it was easy to not register it. It was easy to not turn in your banned magazines. It was easy for Californians to buy 1000rds of bulk ammo online shipped to their door before January 1st.

Again, don’t get me wrong, keep doing what’s easy. More people need to do what’s easy. Sometimes not enough people will even do what’s easy. But easy doesn’t change things. Letter writing lets the government know how we feel, but if they already have a predetermined course of action, the public be damned. Noncompliance, while it may feel good to give the government our collective finger, doesn’t make the laws they passed disappear, and they still have the power and unjust authority to kidnap or kill you if you resist.

Even fewer will do what’s hard. Fewer will volunteer their time, money, or other resources to not just go on defense but to go on offense. Some will ask, “what can I do?” and sometimes the only answer is “donate to those who know what they’re doing.” If you think that means having less money to spend on gun parts, then shop at businesses like Firearms Unknown who will donate 10% of all purchases to Firearms Policy Coalition when you use the coupon code “10-to-FPC”. It’s a win-win for everyone.

More firearm business should follow this example if they aren’t already. It’s great advertising for the business to partner with an organization with active members, and it funds the litigation and lobbying that we’re always asking for but aren’t consistently donating to. And you still get your gun parts.

What’s also hard is really getting involved. When Californians needed volunteer petition gatherers for Veto Gunmageddon, the people who did volunteer were hardcore gun rights enthusiasts, “anything for the cause” kind of people. But there just weren’t enough. Human nature is what it is, and the real go-getters are few and far between. If it took time out of our day to walk or drive to a gun store and sign, it was too far out of our way. We had to get people out in the public with petitions to put under their noses to sign, but there weren’t enough.

If we can’t motivate a majority of the people, then we need to find the few die hards who are willing to jump into the fire. I know you’re out there. If you spend any amount of time commenting on gun rights issues, consider yourself deputized.

Go to the public hearings on anti-gun bills being considered and voice your opinion.

Consider running for a local office and work your way up.

Start a local outreach chapter to bring more people into the fold by taking them shooting for the first time (and indoctrinate them).

Organize with people you already know in your community to collectively pressure your representatives to introduce or support favorable legislation, locally and federally. It’s our job to tell them what we want.

All it takes is one person to attempt to do something that might make a difference. You can’t wait for others to do this for you. What can you do today for the cause?

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