Have you ever participated in a rally at your state capitol? Have you marched into your elected servant’s office and demanded a clear answer on where exactly they stand on issues that are important to you? Have you ever stood with thousands of like-minded individuals demanding that your voices be heard and your rights protected?
Sadly, the majority of Americans never have.
Would you take your activism a step further and attend a rally that wasn’t focused on one of your personal pet issues, but which was advocating for something you generally support? You’ll have opportunities all over the country over the coming spring and into the summer and fall. We’ve posted a listing on our website of upcoming rights rallies that you can – and should – be involved in. To get noticed, rallies need bodies. If it’s a “gun violence prevention” or anti-voter ID rally, it needs 10 or 20 people to get media attention. If it’s a gun-rights or anti-tax rally, it needs 10 or 20 thousand to garner the same attention. More importantly, participating and networking builds solidarity between disparate groups, and that can make a significant impact at the polls in November.
On April 29, thousands of supporters of the Second Amendment will gather at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., to let their elected servants know their will, and to let them know they’re watching and will remember in November. This is an annual event that normally draws between 1,200 and 2,500 activists. In a state of over 12.5 million, with a strong tradition of gun ownership and one of the strongest state constitutional protections of gun owner rights, 2,500 is just not good enough. Ironically, the fact that the state is relatively pro-gun keeps the rally turnout relatively low. The numbers tend to go up only when gun rights are under serious threat or there is an opportunity to make significant advances.
For instance, in Illinois, where rights supporters finally garnered some wins last year, a rally earlier this month attracted around 2,500, which is pretty good for a cold March Wednesday, but last year the number was over 8,000. This past Wednesday, rights supporters rallied at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Without the sponsorship of major state or national gun groups, the mid-week rally still attracted over 2,000 people – and this was but one of more than a dozen such rallies in the state since passage of their inappropriately-named SAFE Act banning guns that look a certain way and reducing maximum magazine capacity down from an already ridiculous 10 to only 7. Some of those rallies have drawn over 5,000 people. Nonetheless, New York politicians still don’t seem to be listening. Another Albany rally is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1.
On April 5, rights supporters in Connecticut will again rally at the capitol in Hartford. Like New York, these rallies have been ongoing in the state since new laws were passed in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook School. Thousands have participated, but their demands continue to be widely ignored by the politicians – as has the fact that 50 to 100 thousand Connecticut residents are technically felons now due to failure to register their guns.
It is estimated that there are about 90 million gun owners in the U.S. Something like 35 to 45 percent of households in the nation have at least one gun in them. Add to their number the tens of millions of Americans who don’t have a personal interest in owning guns but who still support gun rights, and the numbers start getting truly impressive. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that as many as 70 to 80 percent of eligible voters would self-identify as supporters of the Second Amendment. But that doesn’t mean that all of those would immediately agree with someone like me on specific details of firearms policy. The vast majority of Americans simply don’t think about or educate themselves about politics in general or gun politics in particular enough to have a firm opinion, or even a basic understanding of the nitty-gritty of the debate. That’s the main reason I produce this column every week for WND: I want to reach out to people who are probably philosophical allies but who might not get a lot of exposure to the issue of firearms-related civil rights. Too many still have a programmed response against “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” terms used by anti-rights advocates to mislead the public and cloud the issues.
The fact is, guns are old and relatively simple technology. I personally made my first gun in high school machine shop when I was 15 years old and made my first sub-machine gun the following year – all unbeknownst to my parents or shop teacher. It’s just not that difficult. And politicians could pass as many rules as they want, but it would not hinder enterprising criminals from acquiring or producing the tools they require for their trade.
The restrictions on “assault weapon” and feeding devices are comparable to passing laws prohibiting red cars – because they look faster – and mandating small gas tanks – to limit getaway range. The more people understand about the real issues, the less they support these stupid laws.
So we come back to the original questions: Have you ever attended a political rally, and would you stand up for rights – even if the issue wasn’t one of your pet issues? The right to arms is under serious assault right now. Gun owners and the Constitution need your help. If you truly believe in liberty, now is the time to stand up and defend it. Follow the successful example of labor unions and stand in solidarity with others who support the ideal of a constitutionally limited government. Stand together now, organize now, unite now – and change the world in November.
Media wishing to interview Jeff Knox, please contact [email protected].
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