An Open Letter Suggestion to Make PAFOA Effective.

[Steve_NEPhila]

The PAFOA is a great idea. It could become a serious contender in our Commonwealth as a Political Action Committee. PAFOA could become an organization that fights for the right to keep and bear arms in Pennsylvania. The PAFOA could become an important organization that raises funds for legal defense and corrective litigation.

However, the PAFOA is none of the above.

For PAFOA to become an organization that has any kind of ability, influence or impact it needs to grow. When I say that it needs to grow, I am not talking about membership numbers or even paid membership numbers. I am talking about structure, delegation and making this organization into something effectual.

I understand the time limitations of the staff/management of the forum, yet this is not the core issue. In my opinion the greatest restraint holding PAFOA back from becoming something more then just an "internet forum" is the people at the top. You at the top bear supreme responsibility as to why this organization has done little more then become a message board. The potential here is huge, if you build this into an organization and not just a one man show.

To build this into something real you need a board of directors to which responsibility can be delegated. Responsibility has to be delegated to others, otherwise this will just be a small one man operation with little to no impact. IBM, Microsoft, Handgun Control Inc. and Starbucks have structural constructs with varying responsibilities that make things happen. No one man can do it all. Put out a call to SCORE for free consultations on how to build an organization, gather information, educate yourself or surround yourself with those that do know. Set up one local "chapter" here in Philadelphia, hold regular meetings, elect officers ORGANIZE. Those clowns at heeding gods call and other community based sham organizations do it, why can't you?

There are many members here who either have experience running organizations or managing operations. I would bet money that there are members here whom are leadership at other clubs, groups and organizations. The closest thing I have seen that resembles a "meeting" was a group shoot, which was fun but did not help our cause in any way shape or form.

It has been approximately four years and no legitimate forward progress has been made. This Association will wither and die unless organization starts, build something real.

[buster2209]

Here here!

[thefirstndsecond]

See NJOA and talk to them in NJ about becoming a PAC or Political Action Committee

http://www.njoutdooralliance.org/

Talk to Anthony P. Mauro, Sr. I have his information about doing things like this. He went around and started this from nothing and made it work for NJ.

It woul dbe nice to see this in PA for guns. DO NOT START NJOA IN PA. PM me if you want more information.

PAC have specific rules and regs pertaining to money and membership.

They basically become a grass roots organization to put politicians in their place and hold them accountable for their votes.

What you do not want to become is another organization for gun rights taking away from other org that are effective.


Why not see if the NRA can do something with the PAFOA to work in a grass roots fashion for Gun rights. Same with Gun Owners of America.

Just as them what could be effective to include those members and tackle Harrisburg.

Just do not want to see another org for gun rights and then they get involved in politics and begin to trade things off.

BELIEVE ME I HAVE SEEN THIS WITH MY OWN EYES!!!!

[Steve_NEPhila]

See NJOA and talk to them in NJ about becoming a PAC or Political Action Committee

PAC have specific rules and regs pertaining to money and membership.

They basically become a grass roots organization to put politicians in their place and hold them accountable for their votes.

What you do not want to become is another organization for gun rights taking away from other org that are effective.


Why not see if the NRA can do something with the PAFOA to work in a grass roots fashion for Gun rights. Same with Gun Owners of America.

Just as them what could be effective to include those members and tackle Harrisburg.

Just do not want to see another org for gun rights and then they get involved in politics and begin to trade things off.

BELIEVE ME I HAVE SEEN THIS WITH MY OWN EYES!!!!

You have entirely missed my point. I am speaking about Pennsylvania specific issues and work to be done within the Commonwealth.

There is no implied or actual "weakening" of organizations like the NRA by joining a local (state level perhaps) organization. To clarify, joining one that is effective. We must get involved at the State level and we must do this for our own State. There is no need to work with the NRA, if they are interested and if the PAFOA becomes something effective they will come to the PAFOA.

I am injecting a bit of entrepreneurial spirit into my suggestion. Independence has a certain amount of power attached to it. We Pennsylvanians do not need the NRA. Sure, I am a member but they have done nothing about the illegal fingerprint requirement for a Philadelphia county LTCF or the illegal taking of LTCF's for being the victim of a robbery.

Your point of "it will hurt" is ill conceived and inaccurate.

[mythaeus]

Quite a few of us here don't want PAFOA to be a "Political Action Committee", and remain a gun community as it is. If the politics sub-forums are of any indication of how much we can agree on politics, PAFOA will be ripped apart if it becomes a political organization. I mean we have already disagree on the very idea of what it should become fundamentally, how can we agree on anything subsequent to that?

Maybe there is a way to compromise by having a PAFOA PAC, separately from PAFOA as it it is. Those who want to participate, nominate, run, take part, discuss, perform, take action, politicized, organize, etc. can do that there. Those who don't, shouldn't have to accept that PAFOA speak for them just because they are a member of PAFOA.org.

Al

[Steve_NEPhila]

Quite a few of us here don't want PAFOA to be a "Political Action Committee", and remain a gun community as it is. If the politics sub-forums are of any indication of how much we can agree on politics, PAFOA will be ripped apart if it becomes a political organization. I mean we have already disagree on the very idea of what it should become fundamentally, how can we agree on anything subsequent to that?

Maybe there is a way to compromise by having a PAFOA PAC, separately from PAFOA as it it is. Those who want to participate, nominate, run, take part, discuss, perform, take action, politicized, organize, etc. can do that there. Those who don't, shouldn't have to accept that PAFOA speak for them just because they are a member of PAFOA.org.

Al

I just want to clarify the above; quite a few members do not want to have a local Pennsylvania Association attempt to further the right to keep and bear arms, fight illegal actions by municipalities and put pressure on our local elected officials???

If that is indeed the case, those individuals should continue to do what they have done in the past, nothing. Meanwhile, PAFOA is an excellent opportunity to be the RKBA organization for Pennsylvania. There is a big difference between the type of people who will pay to join and attend meetings and the type of people who visit an online forum to post.

[tlgpa]

Quite a few of us here don't want PAFOA to be a "Political Action Committee", and remain a gun community as it is. If the politics sub-forums are of any indication of how much we can agree on politics, PAFOA will be ripped apart if it becomes a political organization.

I don't think you can compare the politics sub forum. That's a general politics discussion, ie anything goes.

I think everyone can pretty much agree on the PAFOA Mission Statement, and organize to meet those goals (and only those goals):
http://www.pafoa.org/about/mission

Mission Statement
Here's what we hope to do for you, and all Pennsylvanians
The mission of the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association is to preserve the rights of firearm owners in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as guaranteed by Article 1, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. To achieve this goal the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association will participate, and encourage its members to participate in the political process through activism, lobbying, and voter education.

In addition to our primary goal, the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association also seeks to provide the public with the necessary resources to educate themselves on the safe and legal ownership of firearms.

http://www.pafoa.org/about

About Us
Who we are and what we're trying to do
The Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association is a grass-roots non-profit organization created with the goal of preserving the individual right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by Article 1, Section 21 of Pennsylvania Constitution and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Our Philosophy
The Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association firmly believes that the individual's right to keep and bear arms is the most basic human right of a self-reliant and free society.

Whether one's reason for owning a firearm is hunting, self-defense, recreation, competition, collection, or any other peaceful reason the Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association fully supports that choice.

Our Method
"Information is the currency of democracy."
Thomas Jefferson

It's not uncommon that many of our ideas can be found in the words of our founding fathers and our methodology is no exception. We believe that making information available to everyone is the best method of achieving our goals.

•Firearm safety information can help to reduce the number of accidental firearm injuries.
•Legal information can help to prevent law-abiding people from accidentally running afoul of the thousands of firearm laws.
•Historical information can help us understand the significance of the individual right to keep and bear arms.
•Statistical information can help us understand the net-positive impact privately owned firearms have on our society.

With the invention of the Internet the ease at which information can be disseminated increased greatly so when we started our organization our focus was on maximizing our utilization of this medium through our website and our discussion forum.

[thefirstndsecond]

I understand you are talking about PA.

I put that up there so you can get real feed back from a PAC that started at the grass roots level.


You will conflict with the NRA when it comes to money and backing politicians and voting. It should not but just get more information before forming a PAC.

Understand the strict laws and what goes into it.

Understand the formation of a membership, the formation of trusts for funding and political contributions, etc.

I am not saying it is a bad idea, I am just saying investigation is need and a good place to start locally is the NJOA.

I know these people and could point you to them for information.

[mythaeus]

I just want to clarify the above; quite a few members do not want to have a local Pennsylvania Association attempt to further the right to keep and bear arms, fight illegal actions by municipalities and put pressure on our local elected officials???

If that is indeed the case, those individuals should continue to do what they have done in the past, nothing. Meanwhile, PAFOA is an excellent opportunity to be the RKBA organization for Pennsylvania. There is a big difference between the type of people who will pay to join and attend meetings and the type of people who visit an online forum to post.

You know pretty well that is not the case, but think of "these people" how you want. A nice mission statement, no doubt. The devil is in the detail of the how...and get everyone to agree to it.

What makes you think that there will be consensus on all of those issues at a finer level? What exactly are the "further the right..." and how absolute of a stand on which issue, compromises? Think of the NRA. Is a fine example of disagreements among gun owners; and, not all gun owners who care about gun rights agree with the NRA. If 50% of the people don't want do join/pay/attend meetings, don't agree with a particular stand PAFOA the PAC takes, but like the forum, will PAFOA claim to speak for them too?

Al

[andrewjs18]

I'd donate to get a cool PAFOA membership card that could be used for discounts at places in Pennsylvania