King, the "we" I referenced, without naming names as per your request, is every single person, myself included, who responded to you by name. I just looked back through every post in this thread, and the "Shotgun News" thread, and one guy did agree with your statement that there has been no concerted effort to reverse the handgun registry, but he too disagreed with you on your suggested tactics. I think that's nearly unanimous.
It's amusing that if I am judgemental, you call it God-like. But the same standards do not apply to you. I've pointed out that little hypocrisy several times now. Your silence on that speaks volumes.
I've outlined my personal experience in fighting gun control several times in the past in other threads. I did admit here that I should and probably could do more. Especially if I didn't waste so much time here on obstinate members who repeatedly dance around direct questions. Please go back through these two threads and see if you can see yourself as we see you. I intentionally kept ignoring your queries about my pro-gun activities because of all the direct questions you danced around. But for your consideration, I joined the NRA in 1969 using my paper route money to pay my annual dues. Uninterupted annual member until 1978 when I became a Life Member. Upgraded to Endowment Life Member in 1990, and upgraded to Patron Life Member last year. In the intervening years, I wrote numerous letters to Editors and called into talk shows to counter misinformation on guns and gun crime and the Second Amendment. I did indeed march at my State Legislature to prevent enactment of restrictive gun laws. When my oldest daughter was only two, I held her on my shoulders at a Bill Clinton campaign speech as she held up my sign protesting his Gun Control policies. I did the same at an Al Gore rally, and two John Kerry speeches, but without anyone on my shoulders. I learned that when you protest at any Democrat Presidential rally, anyone who doesn't march in lockstep with the DNC is removed by their security to a zone outside of news camera view. How very Democratic! After paying my NRA Dues, and paying to upgrade twice, I no longer was billed for annual dues. So I continued to make frequent donations to NRA-ILA, and NRA-PVF, and the amount now would go into thousands of dollars. I have given Gift NRA memberships to young relatives, and mentored them in safe shooting, hunting, and taught them the importance of vigilance in this arena. You know I always preach the importance of a strong NRA and the impact that a larger membership has on Legislation. I am no different in person, at work, or anywhere I go. I got my current Doctor to join, and it pleases me to see dog-eared copies of American Rifleman in his waiting room. When I exhort guys to make at least a small donation of at least the cost of a box of shells a year, guaranteed, I have already put my money where my mouth is, and many times that amount. I have also donated to the Second Amendment Foundation, and PGCA. And I write, way more than I have written here, when it comes to contacting my legislators at the state and federal level. I follow up with calls and e-mails stating my position and promising to watch their votes on any and all gun issues. I remind them I will hold them accountable at election time, both with my vote, and by informing other gun owners of any anti-gun votes. I did grassroots campaign work for an A+ rated Senator from my state, but I regrettably haven't had the same kind of time to do that since. Still, I do what I can for pro-gun candidates on a smaller scale by passing out literature and verbally informing friends, relatives, and co-workers of candidates positions on the 2nd. Still, as I said, I'd like to do more, and there is room for improvement. I look at the resumes of some and feel insignificant. But you don't make me feel that way.
'Twas very judgemental and "God-like" of you to suggest that I haven't been in the trenches. More of your now famous "do as I say, not as I do" responses. I would not be surprised to find that I have devoted more time and a LOT more money to the cause than you, despite the fact that you are quite a bit older than me. Tough to prove when you've given us only very vague generalities of your efforts. 'Nuff said.
It's interesting that you picked out one sentence of mine..."you would have us give up those things which you personally don't favor", and make the assertion that I arrogantly, inexcuseably put those words in your mouth. That's a crock!. I put quotation marks around your words and connected several dots, since you were so vague and cryptic with your words, and I came to the same conclusions about your meaning as the "WE" I referenced earlier. There may not be unanimity in anything, but the guys here all seem to be seeing the same thing. Are you saying we all have reading comprehension problems? Or is it possible, as I said, that the professional wordsmith is doing a poor job of communicating? Or maybe we agree because we're right. That one sentence was NOT your words and I NEVER said they were. If anyone has a problem with reading comprehension, it's you. That sentence was, and remains, my opinion. You've given me nothing to change that opinion.
Insofar as your experience and battle scars from reversing the Gun Registry, I/we remember how you touted your success and contributions to winning that battle months ago when the news about it first broke. And I/we also remember several of your own countrymen having very different recollections of what you personally did or didn't do, and what it really took to win the long and costly battle. So much for Breast Beating. And Good Intentions?... the road to hell is paved with them. Better luck next time.
