I AM IN!

[Mike-Mike]

Last night I had a heart to heart with an "anti" and educated that individual about firearms and 2A.

It took time. A long time.

But I made progress and actually made a difference.

He is a voter.

I am taking a pledge to make a difference.

Here is the deal:

Do ONE of the following every month for a year:

1. CONVERT-Take the time to talk with an "anti" politely listen to there fears and concerns then educate them and maybe even take them to the range. Not everyone is convertible but try.

2. Get a gun owner to join (GOAL if MASS) or (NRA) This is so important. We don't have time to fight this fight. These organizations do it for us. But they need resources.


If we all do this it WILL make a difference.

So I ask you? ARE YOU IN?

 

[MassMark]

Nice. I have a supervisor who has agreed to a lunch out at our local indoor range. A coworker and I both carry and have been gently guiding her to accept our offer of a "range lunch". We're packing sandwiches, iced tea and guns... In our last conversation, my supervisor said she feared that enjoying herself shooting with us would make her "less of a Liberal", but said she'd always wanted to shoot....We'll see.

As to GOAL/NRA, I couldn't agree more - especially with only a reported 5% of Massachusetts shooters enrolled. There's clearly work to be done and based on my conversations with a few folks in Western Massachusetts, here might be a good place to focus a little energy. People out here have always felt separated in many ways from beacon Hill and the gist of a few conversations I've had, is that GOAL is no different than any other organization east of the Connecticut River - disinterested with the happenings in Western Massachusetts. Let it be noted that this is not my belief - just relaying what I've heard. There's even a dealer out here who bristles at the mention of GOAL, so it's fairly obvious that there are substantial hurdles to overcome....

 

[MichaelJ]

I would love to be in... but I fortunetly don't know/associate with alot of antis that I could convert and I cannot do #2 until I renew with the NRA or join GOAL but $$ is tight right now ... see sig below.

Next month...

 

[Admin]

I always make it a goal to convert someone in to a shooter every year.

 

[MichaelJ]

UPDATE!

I am now a member of the NRA once again. 2-4 weeks I will be getting my credentials! WooHoo! Now I don't feel like an ass for having my NRA stickers from an old membership haha. Next month will be GOAL.

 

[Mike-Mike]

UPDATE!

I am now a member of the NRA once again. 2-4 weeks I will be getting my credentials! WooHoo! Now I don't feel like an ass for having my NRA stickers from an old membership haha. Next month will be GOAL.

Good for you. It makes a difference. I usually tell people to join GOAL first if they live in MA.

 

[mark056]

I've had, is that GOAL is no different than any other organization east of the Connecticut River - disinterested with the happenings in Western Massachusetts. Let it be noted that this is not my belief - just relaying what I've heard. There's even a dealer out here who bristles at the mention of GOAL, so it's fairly obvious that there are substantial hurdles to overcome....

Kudos for "spreading the word."

The above quote is an interesting perspective.`I know a gentleman who has lived here all his life and has always been active as a hunter and a shooter. He is a dealer and he even advertises in the Outdoor Message, and has been a GOAL member since its inception or close to it and a Life Member of the NRA. He feels that GOAL caters more to the Central and Western Mass shooters and that bias is definitely reflected in the Outdoor Message (Whether or not it is a GOAL publication or not, it says that it is on the masthead right under the title).

I also know from personal experience that at least some of the folks up on Beacon Hill and some of the career bureaucrats at Ashburton Place frequently roll their eyes and snicker when Western Mass is even mentioned in conversation (off the record conversations, of course).

While I think principal reason that there are not more GOAL members is systemic and reflect the times we live in: people are not joiners today; I also feel that GOAL might (not does) have a branding problem especially if it is perceived as too rural by the eastern half of the state and too urban by the western half of the state. The interests of all shooters in Massachuseetts should be the same: getting sanity back into our gun laws, but there may be demograhpics involved in this whole thing. The actual needs of the shooter in Monterey might be identical to the needs of the shooter in Manchester-by-the-Sea, but the preceived needs and the demographic barriers generated by social class, education, and income may in and of themselves be serious impediments in reaching a consensus among the shooting population of the Commonwealth. Perhaps it is an issue that GOAL officials need to at least look at.

Mark L.

 

[Dirtypacman]

I'm In -

Converting someone on the edge is as easy as a trip to the range...

The more difficult ones need some good information/facts and the idea of guns being evil starts to diminish. After I have broken that initial barrier I let them bring up the subject and again slowly convert their thinking process. Once I have someone realizing the benefits and enjoyment it can bring I offer a trip to my range or as simple as learning the proper handling of a firearm. Once comfortable with the safety and handling a trip to the range is almost always requested.

 

[BOBKATT]

You're right. Converting people, enlightening them, helping them feel comfortable in a world of liberal scare tactics, whatever you want to call it, is the most important thing that we can do. It's the old I tell two people, then they tell two people, then they tell two people thing. Granted, It's a lot less likely to spread like that around here, but if I talk to 10 people about this stuff and one or two of them get it then hopefully they go on to become gun owners and voters and lead others in example.

Joining GOAL is extrememly important for us MA gun owners, and it is unfortunate that only 5% of us bother to join GOAL or the NRA. I understand these are hard financlial times, but try hard not to let that end the fight for us.

At the very least, joining GOAL and the NRA enables those of us who otherwise might not vote in all the elections, write our representatives, and take part in the activism, to do our part in finsancially enabling others who do so.

Thats not to say that sending a check in the mail covers your obligation to support your RTKBA completely, but it's better than nothing at all.

 

[Mike-Mike]

Joining GOAL is extrememly important for us MA gun owners, and it is unfortunate that only 5% of us bother to join GOAL or the NRA. I understand these are hard financlial times, but try hard not to let that end the fight for us.

At the very least, joining GOAL and the NRA enables those of us who otherwise might not vote in all the elections, write our representatives, and take part in the activism, to do our part in finsancially enabling others who do so.

Well said!

It allows GOAL to speak in larger numbers to these REPS.

 

[MassMark]

Kudos for "spreading the word."

The above quote is an interesting perspective.`I know a gentleman who has lived here all his life and has always been active as a hunter and a shooter. He is a dealer and he even advertises in the Outdoor Message, and has been a GOAL member since its inception or close to it and a Life Member of the NRA. He feels that GOAL caters more to the Central and Western Mass shooters and that bias is definitely reflected in the Outdoor Message (Whether or not it is a GOAL publication or not, it says that it is on the masthead right under the title).

I also know from personal experience that at least some of the folks up on Beacon Hill and some of the career bureaucrats at Ashburton Place frequently roll their eyes and snicker when Western Mass is even mentioned in conversation (off the record conversations, of course).

While I think principal reason that there are not more GOAL members is systemic and reflect the times we live in: people are not joiners today; I also feel that GOAL might (not does) have a branding problem especially if it is perceived as too rural by the eastern half of the state and too urban by the western half of the state. The interests of all shooters in Massachuseetts should be the same: getting sanity back into our gun laws, but there may be demograhpics involved in this whole thing. The actual needs of the shooter in Monterey might be identical to the needs of the shooter in Manchester-by-the-Sea, but the preceived needs and the demographic barriers generated by social class, education, and income may in and of themselves be serious impediments in reaching a consensus among the shooting population of the Commonwealth. Perhaps it is an issue that GOAL officials need to at least look at.

Mark L.

That is right on the nail head....Well put.

 

[packingungal]

I'm In -

Converting someone on the edge is as easy as a trip to the range...

The more difficult ones need some good information/facts and the idea of guns being evil starts to diminish. After I have broken that initial barrier I let them bring up the subject and again slowly convert their thinking process. Once I have someone realizing the benefits and enjoyment it can bring I offer a trip to my range or as simple as learning the proper handling of a firearm. Once comfortable with the safety and handling a trip to the range is almost always requested.

Generally "on the edge" is the secret to a quick success. They have either no opinion on the subject or are "on the fence" and are just ripe for the right conversation.

Others who do have opinions formed may just need to see a different way to view it all, as you have mentioned here. People do change their minds, but rarely through coercion, but rather through the feeling that they have made that choice on their own.

 

[Mike-Mike]

Others who do have opinions formed may just need to see a different way to view it all, as you have mentioned here. People do change their minds, but rarely through coercion, but rather through the feeling that they have made that choice on their own.

Exactly what happened last night. This individual through education eventually said " Well then I don't see a problem with you owning a gun, And if we pass another law it only affects people like you, Not the bad guys"

 

[Carguy]

I picked up couple of Firearms magazines this morning and the Barnes & Nobel clerk read the cover and said something like...a new glock, a new way to shoot a 45, it isn't the expensive gun that kills it's the bullet. Then he smiled at me. I disagreed and said it isn't the bullet that kills it's the person. And we went into the discussion that a pistol is a tool like a hammer or baseball bat, intended for certain jobs but used incorrectly they are all lethal. He agreed and said he never looked at it that way...maybe a convert...maybe not.

 

[Firetarr]

I've been patiently converting "anti's" for years now. So, I took the pledge long ago. But I agree EVERYONE should at least talk to one as often as possible, not only could you set them on the right path but you also hear their point of view. Good information for the next time you run into an "anti".

Offer to help pay for a membership to the NRA/GOAL, If you can afford it. Let them read about what their membership $$ are funding.

Take 'em to the range. Buy 'em lunch(as mentioned before), just get them involved!

Just my $.02

 

[bostonasphalt2]

I always make it a goal to convert someone in to a shooter every year.

I made it my goal to get ten people to apply for their ltc's. So far I have three, and with any luck my gf will be the fourth

 

[calsdad]

Nice. I have a supervisor who has agreed to a lunch out at our local indoor range. A coworker and I both carry and have been gently guiding her to accept our offer of a "range lunch". We're packing sandwiches, iced tea and guns... In our last conversation, my supervisor said she feared that enjoying herself shooting with us would make her "less of a Liberal", but said she'd always wanted to shoot....We'll see.

As to GOAL/NRA, I couldn't agree more - especially with only a reported 5% of Massachusetts shooters enrolled. There's clearly work to be done and based on my conversations with a few folks in Western Massachusetts, here might be a good place to focus a little energy. People out here have always felt separated in many ways from beacon Hill and the gist of a few conversations I've had, is that GOAL is no different than any other organization east of the Connecticut River - disinterested with the happenings in Western Massachusetts. Let it be noted that this is not my belief - just relaying what I've heard. There's even a dealer out here who bristles at the mention of GOAL, so it's fairly obvious that there are substantial hurdles to overcome....

Historically speaking a true liberal would support gun rights. The conventional meanings of "conservative" and "liberal" have been twisted around from what the terms used to mean. There was a time when being a liberal meant fully supporting the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, etc. Modern day liberals are really authoritarians - they want to tell everybody else what to do and how to live their lives.

Another argument I have used with people who think of guns being bad is to ask them if they think they are a good person - then point out that if all the good people voluntarily give up their right to defend themselves - then what they have done is tacitly supported the right of evil people to do whatever they want. Wouldn't you rather have the guns in the hands of good people - instead of in the hands of bad people?

 

[CRSIII]

I'm 4 for 4 over the last 4 yrs!
It is strictly a coincedence.
I convinced the "last person on the face of the earth to own a handgun" to apply for ALP. In this particular case, the media worked against itself.

 

[dreppucci007]

UPDATE!

I am now a member of the NRA once again. 2-4 weeks I will be getting my credentials! WooHoo! Now I don't feel like an ass for having my NRA stickers from an old membership haha. Next month will be GOAL.

You should just do the NRA Life Membership...They have an easy payment plan where you pay $25 per quarter. In 10 years, you'll be paid off! (Or you could do as I did and choose to pay it off faster).

 

[MassMark]

I would love to wander into a shop I know of out here with a GOAL official incognito and engage in a conversation about GOAL with the shop owner. I think it would be an eye opener as to how much disinformation and even downright resentment there is out there, (out here) toward GOAL. I'm caught in a balancing act between trying to spread the word, maintaining my membership, wanting to be more proactive and juggling life in general. The 5% membership quote in the other thread was a shocker - I thought many more MA gun owners would be at least members if not active ones. I have been hit and miss myself over the years, (likely for some of the reasons the shop owner still is), but at my core I see the need to organize. Call it remnants from my union organization days, but I still believe one voice is a maniac - many voices is a force.

 

[Mike-Mike]

we just need to keep pushing.

 

[jar]

I put my best target from this weekend's Appleseed up on my office door. Anyone that asked about it I offered to take them shooting. We'll see if I can get some to take me up on it. No negative reactions so far, though one of the most likely wasn't in the office today.