• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Guns Across America Friend or Foe

JoeSparky

Centurion
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
3,621
Location
Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA
I discovered today that the group Guns Across America sponsored a nationwide State capitol protest scheduled for high noon today on Sunday, Jan 19th, 2014.

I heard about a similar activity last year and was part of a couple thousand strong group in as I remember 20 degree F and windy conditions. I also saw several posts form others about the activities in various States. This year I never heard a word about it at all until someone on another state level gun rights forum I participate in posted about it 4 hours or so AFTER it was scheduled to occur. That poster also had heard noting about this years activity.

Going to the group's FB page for UTAH I see about 20 pics of about 10-15 persons (being generous on the numbers) at the Utah State Capitol.

I don't know if this groups purpose is to make us "gun nuts" look extreme fringe or not but by this years apparent lack of advertising at least in Utah, it may be the end result.

Doing a search for the groups name on this forum resulted in a few entries for LAST year (2013) but NOTHING on this forum for this year---- not a singe comment from anyone.

Was ANYONE on OCDO aware of this action for today, anyone at all?
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
I was part of about 75 at the Ohio Statehouse. Over 1,000 last year. Colder this year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>
 

JoeSparky

Centurion
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
3,621
Location
Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA
Thanks for the response.

Changing my search from "Guns across America" to a four letter variant I did get a couple of responses... One for Ohio where you made a glancing reference and another from AZ where there was a "stickie" about it.

Nothing else.....
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
We have many different groups in Ohio and a bunch of indies who won't affiliate (like me). I have started the eye95 Twitter feed to publicize gun-rights events in Ohio. Folks can subscribe to this feed without having to join a message board or Facebook. I will only use this feed to shout out events, so folks don't have to worry about being spammed by this feed. Currently, that means 1 or 2 tweets per week.

If folks will keep me posted and will subscribe to the feed, we can increase what is now woeful cross-site communication.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.

<o>
 

FreeInAZ

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
2,508
Location
Secret Bunker
I am told this is a one man show based out of Texas. It is a good idea IMHO, just not well funded or organized, which is understandable, it seems billionaires (Bloomberg) only fund anti 2A/ anti Human rights efforts. :rolleyes:

I only knew about it due to a small blurb in my local paper & I posted the info to my state forum here. We (family) had planned to attend but the FLU had other plans for us. :(
 
Last edited:

Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
I discovered today that the group Guns Across America sponsored a nationwide State capitol protest scheduled for high noon today on Sunday, Jan 19th, 2014.

I heard about a similar activity last year and was part of a couple thousand strong group in as I remember 20 degree F and windy conditions. I also saw several posts form others about the activities in various States. This year I never heard a word about it at all until someone on another state level gun rights forum I participate in posted about it 4 hours or so AFTER it was scheduled to occur. That poster also had heard noting about this years activity.

Going to the group's FB page for UTAH I see about 20 pics of about 10-15 persons (being generous on the numbers) at the Utah State Capitol.

I don't know if this groups purpose is to make us "gun nuts" look extreme fringe or not but by this years apparent lack of advertising at least in Utah, it may be the end result.

Doing a search for the groups name on this forum resulted in a few entries for LAST year (2013) but NOTHING on this forum for this year---- not a singe comment from anyone.

Was ANYONE on OCDO aware of this action for today, anyone at all?

I also heard about it on short notice; roughly one week before the rally, I saw a post on a classifieds page (I was looking for deals on ammo), clicked on the link, and read about it. I remembered last year's GRAA message, and this one (in AZ at least) seemed a little more organized, what with a list of speakers. Then I read the post that FreeInAZ put in the Arizona forum, and I tried to disseminate the details as much as I could.
It is (so VERY obviously) a grassroots movement, and with no billionaire sugar daddy, it really does depend on the strength of will and resilience of patriots. At any rate, several searches bring up pages and blogs or the antis ranting about the GRAA event.

@FreeInAZ: hope you and the family get better. Also, you haven't posted (your non-event OC encounters:D) to the AZ forum lately (I'm guilty of it as well:p).
 

Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
Since I asked the question here there is a single pic posted from Lousianna---- shows less than 10 in attendance.
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11138&d=1390193330

Here are two photos from the AZ FB page for GRAA:

(I really like the guy with the slung rifle in the background)
964579_359494564188256_1948566212_o.jpg

And one that gives a better idea of the number in attendance:
1548136_359494557521590_268818501_o.jpg

Also, I'd like to make it clear that I was NOT in attendance, but only because I was unable to procure a ride to PHX (I am in Tucson attending the U of A).
 
Last edited:

JoeSparky

Centurion
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
3,621
Location
Pleasant Grove, Utah, USA
Last year many States had THOUSANDS in attendance. I don't know the changes made in advertising for this year but the advertising was MUCH LESS EFFECTIVE.

I've told the UTAH group that even though I "follow" and "liked" them on FB I never saw a thing about it--- Nothing! And I would have been in attendance HAD I HEARD ABOUT IT!
 
Last edited:

Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
Lack of publicity would definitely have to be the biggest shortfall for GRAA this year (last year would have been organization, but you can't beat the fact that it was a grassroots effort by nearly every definition). As I said, I only saw the poster (very well made, by the way) on a classifieds page about a week before the event, and then on the AZ forum when FreeInAZ posted it as well, but no other places:eek:.

Believe me when I say I would have been in attendance with my OCed 1911 had I been able to find a ride. Just looking at the photos, I can tell I missed a great gathering. Turns out university kids are a little less "motivated" than I would like, and my lack of any vehicle ownership didn't help matters either.
 

OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
A t-shirts that states "Obama won't let me hunt the homeless for sport that's why I'm voting Tea Party"

Yup, that's the promoting that the Tea party is looking for. :rolleyes:

:banghead:
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
A t-shirts that states "Obama won't let me hunt the homeless for sport that's why I'm voting Tea Party"

Yup, that's the promoting that the Tea party is looking for. :rolleyes:

:banghead:

Yeah, isn't it hunting illegals for sport that they support?

I kid; I kid.
 

Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
A t-shirts that states "Obama won't let me hunt the homeless for sport that's why I'm voting Tea Party"

Yup, that's the promoting that the Tea party is looking for. :rolleyes:

:banghead:

The antis aren't above such childish antics; while we may joke on here about showing up with a sign that says "Moms For Unarmed Victims" or the like, we abstain out of decency. They, however, seem to lack it. So yes, you can sometimes see someone with something that stupid written on their shirt/sign, but I'd be willing to bet it was just an "infiltrator":(.
 

We-the-People

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
2,221
Location
White City, Oregon, USA
Here in Oregon we had a lower turnout that last year. Word on the street was the date and time on Sunday kept avid church goers away and some football game kept others away. It was cold but not as cold as last year so weather shouldn't have been a contributing factor.

Still, we had several hundred in attendance.

The event here in Oregon was all over facebook as well as distributed via numerous email lists from gun rights groups and the like.

EDIT ADD: On review of my video of the event, it looks like "several hundred" is an overestimate. More like 150 to 200
 
Last edited:
Top