We already know that Mike Bloomberg is spending millions to put his advertisements on tv in Pennsylvania with an actor telling gun owners that they have nothing to worry about in the bill that could make many of them felons.
Bloomberg’s coalition of anti-gun mayors are also hoping on board to promote a grassroots feel with anti-gun rallies in Eastern Pennsylvania.
MAIG is sponsoring a rally for gun control on Saturday just north of Philadelphia, alongside a local state representative’s new anti-gun advocacy group, Bucks Safe, that will coincide with the multi-million dollar television ad purchase. Locally, Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County are letting gun owners know that they can go oppose it, but advise folks to take a very non-aggressive tone in any signs and to make it a fairly silent protest. (I think it’s great advice. It’s also another example of fantastic use of local organizing to stay on top of events that larger groups can’t really cover in the same way.) Farther north, MAIG’s representative in Easton, PA is partnering with Organizing for Action for an anti-gun rally tomorrow afternoon. Another MAIG mayor, this one from Chester in Delaware County, is advertising a press event for more gun control.
Speaking of OFA, they must have heard that Pennsylvania gun owners have been organizing massive postcard and letter campaigns to lawmakers as of late because now they are trying to do petitions for gun control in Democratic strongholds in and around Philadelphia like Media, Center City, New Hope, Ambler, and North Philadelphia.
On the rally front, OFA has recruited Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro to lead their gun control drive locally tomorrow. (Everyone in political circles says that Shapiro has eyes on statewide office – Governor or a Senate seat – so make sure to keep this in mind next time local gun owners see his name on a ballot.) In the Lehigh Valley area, OFA is doing a vigil tomorrow night to promote more gun control. (It’s probably wrong to admit this, but I would get a good chuckle out of anyone who brought one of the many fire extinguisher-themed pro-rights messages to stand across from a candlelight vigil.)
” Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks County are letting gun owners know that they can go oppose it, but advise folks to take a very non-aggressive tone in any signs and to make it a fairly silent protest. (I think it’s great advice.”
Show them how reasonable and thoroughly domesticated gun owners are. That will surely strike terror into their tyrannical hearts! The fact that gun owners are actually _proud_ of being domesticated indicates where we are headed, and it isn’t in the direction of freedom.
I prefer the attitude of “Better to be feared than loved”.
Because heckling people who have lost loved ones makes for great press coverage, doesn’t it?
Just for a thought-experiment: If someone was going to be advocating restricting the rights of ethnics, because their loved one had been killed by an ethnic, should they be left off the hook from the heckling they would richly deserve? Especially if the hecklers were ethnics?
I realize there are many dimensions to “public opinion,” but I think at some point we have to start acting the way people do when they really believe their genuine rights are being infringed.
2640 people died in fires in 2010, 8x more than those killed with rifles – and these people are going to hold fire sticks?
I just trashed a tough-guy asshole comment on here that crossed over into bigotry, but I thought the macho bullshit about how anti-gunners aren’t coming to his backyard was worth responding to. He said that anti-gun advocates wouldn’t have the nerve to come into any parts of south or central Pennsylvania.
Just a quick search shows that OFA & MAIG are teaming up for a rally tomorrow in Steelton, just south of Harrisburg. In Johnstown, PA, OFA has recruited a hunter to come talk to volunteers and help them write letters to the editors of regional newspapers that support gun control from a fake pro-gun perspective.
More importantly, the jerk who commented and thought he was so tough, seems to forget that the Philadelphia suburbs outvote his little podunk town. He may not like to be reminded of it, but however those other voters effectively control what gun control passes in Pennsylvania – or if any of it does. More importantly, it’s not just up to them because Obama & Bloomberg are seeking out and finding handfuls of people in those pro-gun areas to speak out against gun rights. They are your neighbors, too.
Not worried about PA. Far too many hunters and gun owners. They can hold all the anti-gun rallies they want. Hell, I know of a good number of liberal democrats that have guns. This is a non-issue in PA. Bloomberg is just wasting his cash.
That seems a bit overly optimistic given the fact that some of the state’s most anti-gun politicians are lining up for a very good shot at taking the Governor’s office next year and the fact that 3 of the targeted GOP representatives Obama is laying the most pressure on are from Pennsylvania.
Not worried about PA? A couple years ago, they had their annual “gun rights rally” (read, selected Republicans early campaign appearance) in the capitol in the morning, and that afternoon the very legislators who were spouting about our rights in the morning, went back into session and voted to enhance the penalties for possession of a firearm with an “obscured” serial number. And all of our Real Gunnies thought that was just fine.
With a gun rights movement like we’ve had historically in PA, I plan on worrying. A lot.
I have to disagree with you Rob. I think you should be worried. The trend is to take this as a state to state battle. Every state North and South of PA has passed major legislation. PA is basically now the firewall for gun rights. If PA falls, especially with a Republican majority, it will only give strength to their cause. BE CONCERNED. BE VERY CONCERNED.
I can get myself to Media, but location is to be announced.
I wonder if they have a permit to be there on county property?
I wonder if I can make a sign tonight, and what should it say.
Need some powerful easy signs that are clever and unique.
“Ask me, a gun owner, for the truth”
“They have the First amendment because of the 2nd”
Since it’s just petition signing, I doubt they have a permit for anything. Let me see if I can find out anything more about that event. In the meantime, I really love your idea for the “They have the First amendment because of the 2nd†sign. That’s absolutely perfect for anyone thinking of rally opposition.
Well, I move out of the City and into Bucks County. I still have the same fight out here. When will it ever end?
When will I be able to just be and enjoy the right afforded me by the constitution?
I watched my father fight for gun rights, and now I need to do the same. It seems it has bridged the generational gap. Sometimes I just want to shoot and enjoy life. This will not be possible. I need to keep writing, emailing, and attending events by the FOAC. Maybe it is time the FOAC had a representative in Bucks County? humm.
I’ll be honest, I think that this new group in Bucks is the better option.
So, is the legislature solid enough to withstand this? What about your Governor? I know the GOP currently is in control, but will they stand up?
What do you mean by “this”? Do you mean these rallies focused on federal gun control bills? If so, then I’m not sure why the state legislature or Governor are at issue. Do you mean some kind of state push? If you’ve seen something I’m missing, let me know since I’m not sure exactly what kind of effort you might be referring to at the moment. Right now, the GOP in the House and the Governor are making it pretty clear they won’t even consider more gun control here.
The big issue is who wins in 2014. If the GOP loses the state house, we’re pretty much done. While the Senate would assuredly stay GOP, the head of the relevant committee there would gladly move gun control to the floor. He has turned on gun owners in a big, big way. If the Governor’s office turns in 2014, the issue will be made into a constant headache for weak Republicans, so that’s also a big loss for us since we’d have to constantly fight in tight districts.
My mistake. I saw Bloomberg and rally for gun control and I assumed this was a prelude to apply pressure to the legislature to pass some anti-gun laws. I should have read further.
Bloomberg is pushing for federal gun control with these rallies.
Yep, part of the what is it, 12 million dollar campaign? Or am I low-balling the amount?
what in the 2nd amendment says the government or state or the local authorities have the right to ban any firearm? They don’t because the amendment says this:”A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. The last four words is the most important part and if they try to take your guns they are violating the law protecting everyones rights…it can never hold up in court and they know it.