With so many major gun control legislative battles happening around the country in the spring, it was easy to miss the local level stories that reflect just how far gun control proponents really wanted to go in their crusade. Sebastian & I both missed the story recounted on this Friends of NRA committee page from Colorado Springs.
I don’t know how many of you heard about it on the news, but the Board of County Commissioners, every year, declares the banquet day to be ‘Friends of NRA Day’ in El Paso County.
Nobody has ever cared one way or the other … until this year. Someone decided to raise a stink and it made all the papers and the local news. Protestors showed up at the BoCC meeting and it took them several hours of testimony before they could vote. They UNANIMOUSLY agreed to declare it ‘Friends of NRA Day’ despite the opposition, misinformation, and general ugliness.
Keep in mind that this a resolution simply recognizing a single event for a non-profit organization that doesn’t engage in lobbying or politics and simply supports the shooting sports. Yet, that was still unacceptable to anti-gun leaders in Colorado. When they say that we can keep our shooting sports, it sounds a bit hollow when they turn around and try to banish all recognition of them, even when it’s not a political fight.
The good news is that not only did they win the resolution vote, but they managed to turn it into an opportunity to raise some more money for shooting programs in Colorado:
The original, signed Resolution was read by the sponsoring Commissioner and then donated to the committee for live auction. Before we sold it, Sheriff Terry Maketa (who received a HUGE standing ovation for all his efforts on our behalf) signed it at the bottom, and Congressman Doug Lamborn did the same. It went for $2000!!!!!!! Then the back up bidder asked for a second signed copy for $1200!!!!
I’m really glad to hear that this local group of activists managed to turn a nightmare battle into a positive for the cause.