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PeteG metioned in another thread about orgizing a PGH local rally. Having speakers, a press release and a "teach in".
It is a fantastic notion, and one we really need.
I am more than willing to do my part, but I have no idea what that part is or how to pull this off.
So, this thread, is for those questions.
What do we need?
How do we start?
Where?
When?
What other questions should we be asking?
Will you help?
I might be interested.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn.L
I don't have answers but I have a helping hand.
I'm here for you brother!
You need a couple of go-to people, a commitee so to speak.
They need to pick a day, a time and a place.
It has to be far enough in the future to have time to get it organized.
They have to find out if a permit of any kind is needed for the location that the rally will be be staged.
They need a starting point and an ending point. Sometimes this is necessary to get the parade permit. An estimate of the size of the march might also be needed.
They may need a fundraiser to cover the costs.
They have to get the word out to the supporters, the public and the media.
They need to set a goal of what you want accomplished by the rally.
Maybe contact celebs that are 2A for speeches and/or musical 2A groups for a concert.
I'm sure other have some thoughts on this, this is just off the top of my head.
I still think it would be great if every state would have a rally or march on their own state capital on the same day and at the same time, but the organization of such an event happening will be monumental.
I would be willing to attend/and help out if their no NRA involvement.
oracle
Granted there isn't much i could do but i'd be willing to help
I will help if needed.
I would be willing to attend, though I'm not so sure how much help I can offer. What is the time frame on this?
We also need promotional materials; signs, a marching banner if marching is to be done, and whatnot. People are significantly more receptive to free trinkets than you might think. T-shirts can be made for around $4.00 apiece if at least 40 are ordered - I know all about that sort of stuff. You're already the logo master (your logos rock)
I'm there for you brother - you're really my brother too... unlike whoever else said that.
Someone below said no NRA, why? I mean, they aren't my favorite people on the face of the planet but if you're trying to get a large scale gun rights issue awareness they're definitely the guys for the job. They've got the money and the influence already. C.R.E.A.M...
- Christa:cool:
One of your number sent me an off-list message asking for my ideas. Here they are. If you think they are unworthy, that's fine. Just don't get personal.
The first thing people need to decide upon is the issue. (What is the point you would like to make.)
The second thing people need to find is the "news peg." "Reporters" nowadays are extremely lazy compared to when I was active in public affairs. They want you to do all the work for them, so they can make their deadline and still keep that appointment to have thier harido touched up. This means they won't want to figure out where to "pidgeonhole" your event ... you have to tell them.
The recently enacted law regarding reporting on the loss of one's firearm was a great news peg. Unfortuantely, that is the proverbial "yesterday's news."
If the issue is City Council habitually disregarding state statutes in order to score political points, that is a bit more complicated for the poor dears, and needs to be explained, in as few words as possible, in writing. Ergo, the press release (one page, no invective, and no whining about your rights because people don't give a crap about your rights ... its thier rights they are worried about).
In order for your own event to be the "news peg," it has to be pretty big. It's much easier to tie it to an issue which is already big news.
This means you have to be ready to move on a day or two's notice. When the news peg comes up, move in and ride the "back draft" of the existing news coverage.
I respectfully suggest the issue is not the recent "report your stolen gun" ordinance. Almost everybody I know will report any stolen firearm within minutes of discovering it is gone, so as to:
1) Maximize the chances of getting it back.
2) Generate the police report necessary to support an insurance claim, and
3) Try and keep the gun out of the wrong hands.
So, operationally, this ordinance will be of little effect upon law-abiding gun owners. Legally, it is quite possibly a nullity, having been preempted before it was even enacted. So what's the big deal?
The big deal is that our governing officials are showing contempt for the law, over and over again. The city "assault weapons" ban, the zoning laws that apply only to businesses which require a federal or state firearms license, and this reporting law are all just examples of City government refusing to obey the law.
This is a problem. As stated by Lord Herschell to Sir George Jessel:
[I]mportant as it was that people should get justice, it was even more important that they should be made to feel and see that they were getting it.”
2 J. B. Atlay, Victorian Chancellors 460 (1908)
This is a difficult concept to put on a bumper-sticker. But the idea is, if our government officials do not obey the law, why should anyone else?
I will not presume this is the point that has all of us here on this Board so exercised. It is only what is bothering me. It is, of course, also bothering me that gun owners happen to be the ones whose ox is being gored, but the larger issue is the more troubling.
Then consider whether this might backfire. The politicans who passed this latest stupid law did not do so without considering that most people in Pittsburgh - for whatever reasons - LIKE this stupid law. By attacking them for thier disregard of preemption relative to gun laws, we might only make them martyrs in thier cause.
So, finding the right issue is key. For Lincoln it was preserving the union, not slavery. What would it be for those of us who resent City Government telling us we are trash?