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Jan 19th Nationwide Pro gun rallies across the US

Ctclassic

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WOW...112 reads and no replies???? Count me in for any rally(s), ( as long as we don't have inclement weather, as my job requires me to be THERE ).

If anyone else hears of any rally, please post details.
 

Rich B

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I'll speak up.

I don't really understand the point of any such 'rally'. I think there are far more effective ways we can spend our time that will work better with public images as well.

There may be a time and place for something like this, but when we have not even seen the playing field yet, I think any such action is premature.
 

Ctclassic

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Rich, while I tend to agree with most of what you post, I'm not sure waiting is the best idea. When you invite 170,000+/- of your closest friends to a party, it takes time and a certain amount of planning.

I know we all realize the lawmakers reconvene tomorrow in Hartford, and for that reason, I don't want to wait until the 'dotted line ' is signed before we organize a rally. (I know bills don't get signed into law overnight). I think we can all assume we have a long row to hoe, and being proactive is, IMO, is the way to go. My .02
 

Rich B

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Rich, while I tend to agree with most of what you post, I'm not sure waiting is the best idea. When you invite 170,000+/- of your closest friends to a party, it takes time and a certain amount of planning.

I know we all realize the lawmakers reconvene tomorrow in Hartford, and for that reason, I don't want to wait until the 'dotted line ' is signed before we organize a rally. (I know bills don't get signed into law overnight). I think we can all assume we have a long row to hoe, and being proactive is, IMO, is the way to go. My .02

Ok. And what do we rally against if we haven't seen what is on the table?

What is the projected reward or response for a rally? In other words what is the return on investment?
 

motoxmann

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Ok. And what do we rally against if we haven't seen what is on the table?

What is the projected reward or response for a rally? In other words what is the return on investment?

as a person who has never participated in any kind of rally in the past, I can at least state my reaction when seeing some form of rally:
1) if it's a small group: "look at these idiots, they actually think that's going to affect anything? I'll read the signs but not really care"
2) if it's a big group: "huh, that's a lot of people fighting for the same thing. *reads signs*, if I agree, I'll consider participating in some other way to help their cause, hopefully others see it the same way". the bigger the group, the more attention it gets by media, politicians, and outsiders that may want to join and further help out.
 

Rich B

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as a person who has never participated in any kind of rally in the past, I can at least state my reaction when seeing some form of rally:
1) if it's a small group: "look at these idiots, they actually think that's going to affect anything? I'll read the signs but not really care"
2) if it's a big group: "huh, that's a lot of people fighting for the same thing. *reads signs*, if I agree, I'll consider participating in some other way to help their cause, hopefully others see it the same way". the bigger the group, the more attention it gets by media, politicians, and outsiders that may want to join and further help out.

Right. So that describes the risk... but the reward is simply getting noticed?

In this day and age, there are better ways to get noticed and you don't take the same potential PR risks.
 

motoxmann

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Right. So that describes the risk... but the reward is simply getting noticed?

In this day and age, there are better ways to get noticed and you don't take the same potential PR risks.

well, if media shows up, if the right person or people speak to them and appear on tv or radio, thats a good thing. it would just add to the pre-planned scheduled appearances that people like you and ed participate in.
because as another onlooker of things; I see appearances by "leaders" of specialised groups, and while the general public does listen to these, I believe the general public would also be inclined to listen a bit more closely to an everyday citizen speaking their opinions on the same matter, such as people at a rally. and in the case of our cause, one can only hope they don't choose an intoxicated bafoon to interview, but rather someone with a brain and a vocabulary, someone responsible with good morals; someone who can properly represent the majority of gun enthusiasts.

I do agree with you that there are plenty of other ways to go about this that can be just as or more effective. but I think anything and everything that can be done to show support for an unfringed 2A should be done.

if this does occur nationwide, with groups of thousands at every state capital, I'm sure it will have an impact. this isn't just for local CT legislation, this is for the whole kitten caboodle, everything federal state and local.

"gotta risk it to get the biscuit!" (god that's said, thats a quote from a chic flic)
 
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brk913

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I have attended numerous "2nd Amendment Rallies" at the Capitol dating back 25+ years. I missed the one in 2012 as I had to work but just thought I would give you my impression of the one that was held in April of 2011. If I could describe it with two words they would be "disappointing and discouraging". It's not that there weren't great speakers, the supporters that came out were motivated and cared about the cause. The disappointment was just what has been stated above about crowd size, I would say there was less than 300 people there...that's right, a beautiful Saturday morning in April and only 300 out of 170,000 plus permit holders, all the hunters and long gun owners without permits, I am guessing there may be up to 500,000 gun owners in CT and the turnout was about 300, in fact until you actually walked up to the capitol lawn you could not even tell there was a rally going on, I knew something was wrong when I scored a parking spot right next to Bushnell Park across from the DEEP Building. I was literally standing at the back counting heads and wondering to myself, "where the hell is everybody?" Note: this will not stop me from attending any type of a planned rally, especially this year but as Rich said we have no idea what we are really up against yet and the best rally may be flooding the LOB to capacity at public hearings.
 

Ctclassic

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Ok. And what do we rally against if we haven't seen what is on the table?

What is the projected reward or response for a rally? In other words what is the return on investment?

Webster dictionary: Ral-ly ; To gather together so as to bring back into order. - to get back health or strength; revive

Rich, I really don't want to split hairs here, but we would be rallying 'FOR' a cause, not against one.

And the projected reward would be keeping 'damage control' to a minimum, by showing the lawmakers, as well as the general public who the 2A community real is.

I will stand down for now and be watching for better ways to communicate our message.
 

Rich B

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I will stand down for now and be watching for better ways to communicate our message.

Please don't. I think these things need to be debated and discussed.

I am not seeing it, but it doesn't mean that I can't be made to see it. I just think there are better things we could be focusing our time on, and this is a large investment/risk for us when the return could be minimal.

As brk says, the rallies we have seen in the past have been pretty sparsely populated and we risk making people think we are weak just because people didn't want to brave the cold or have their face on TV, etc.

If you are more comfortable, I think you have my contact information, send me an email or give me a call and we can discuss this in a better format.
 

motoxmann

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anyone can reply:
how many attendees do you think would be needed to cross the line from weak to strong?
keep in mind that numbers can appear larger or smaller depending on the space being used for a rally. IE: 1,000 people in a football stadium vs 1,000 people in a football field.

and another question: would it be unwise to OC to such an event as this?
 
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Ctclassic

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Rich, thanks for the offer, I may contact you later, as time is not on my side for a couple weeks.

I wholeheartedly agree with the fact we don't want to look weak at a rally, however, my concern would be the timing of it.

motoxmann- I think if a rally does take place, it would (hopefully) encompass a diverse population of gun owners, both handguns and long guns ( hunters etc. ) and for that reason I don't see the need to push an OC agenda. Of coarse, the option is always there I suppose.

Have a great day---
 

brk913

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anyone can reply:
how many attendees do you think would be needed to cross the line from weak to strong?
keep in mind that numbers can appear larger or smaller depending on the space being used for a rally. IE: 1,000 people in a football stadium vs 1,000 people in a football field.

and another question: would it be unwise to OC to such an event as this?

OC has always occurred at these rallies, people even sling AR Rifles over their shoulders, it is totally legal to carry on the Capitol grounds just not inside the building, I don't have time to dig it out for you right now but if you look for it you will find the memo from the Commissioner of Public Safety telling the State Troopers not to harrass people OC handguns and/or rifles at the rally.....
 
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Rich B

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Ctclassic

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Thanks for the link Rich. I have a bunch printed that I carry in my truck to hand out to people who question the legality of OC.

Speaking for myself, I would feel alot better if the DPS would 'freshen' this letter before any rally happens. That's just me.
 
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