http://www.keepandbeararms.com/newsarchives/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=2695
The Parable of the Empty Holster:
Civil Rights and Social Change
by David Rostcheck
Executive Director, North Bridge Training Institute
www.northbridgetraining.com
January 14, 2003
Gun owners are fond of saying, correctly, that gun rights are civil rights. But if we are a civil rights movement, we are not a very good one. The favored tools of the civil rights movement - those effective tools that have allowed minorities to change the hearts and minds of the majority around them - are tools that the gun rights movement does not now know how to use. Let me illustrate with a true tale of two activist conferences:
I once went to a national gun rights activist conference held in a western state where open carry was legal, and concealed carry required a license. However, the conference hotel managers had decided to ban open carry in the hotel. Unsuspecting conference attendees entering the hotel carrying their lawfully exposed firearms were set upon by hotel employees, who told them to leave their firearms in their room or turn around and leave. The gun rights conference attendees then wandered around, disoriented, with empty holsters. The conference management sheepishly defended the hotel's actions, noting that the hotel was private property and its owners could ban exposed firearms if they so chose.
I once attended a different national conference, this one for sexual minority activists. One night a local cross-dresser (who had nothing to do with the conference) was assaulted by bottle-wielding drunks two blocks away while waiting for the bus. The police officer responding refused scornfully to take a report.
In a few hours, bullhorn-wielding conference leaders lead the entire conference assembly of four hundred to march chanting down to the police station. There they stood stomping and yelling, making an awesome sound. The police liaison officer emerged, apologized profusely, insisted that the offending officer would be disciplined, and affirmed that all citizens had a right to due process and equal protection under the law.
The second conference's attendees were not prepared to countenance any infringement of their rights - or of anyone else's. They were prepared to act ornery, to make a ruckus, to speak out. Most of what we think of as "traditional" civil rights groups represent a small minority of society, who would never win at the polls by themselves. However, they are all committed to social change - to actively changing the way society thinks about their population, through slow but ceaseless advocacy in any public forum they can get.
Imagine, for a moment, what would happen if the first conference's attendees and management had behaved with similar resolve. But, traditionally most gun rights groups have focused on legislative or judicial action. We do not see ourselves as social change activists, empowered to resist against and alter a society that oppresses our rights. Thus, despite our tremendous numbers, a few well-trained media activists easily steamroll our freedoms.
Gun controllers unquestionably see themselves as a social change movement. They demonize guns to create fear and loathing of guns and gunowners in the general public, then roll back rights with legislation. They take a long-term view, working to change the media and the schools so that gun owners are reviled. When they change the culture, the legislators and judges inevitably follow.
But where are our media advocates? Where is our influence in education? Our resources dwarf those of our opponents, but we do not know how to use them. Large pro-gun-rights organizations are reluctant to engage in social change activism; they are often late to the game and unprepared for the battle. Even in high-profile incidents like the Maryland sniper, the NRA absents itself from public debate, referring inquiries to law enforcement. Until we fully enter the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, we will continue to be demonized and targeted.
It is for this purpose that I created the CounterAttack conference, happening soon in Dallas this February 8-9. At CounterAttack, we will start changing the game, by training gun owners to fight and win in any political terrain they are given. California activist Jim March shut down the Million March by exposing their illegal use of tax funding for gun control politics. He will be there training others in how he did it. Clayton E. Cramer, who debunked the book "Arming America", will give a keynote address. Suzanna Hupp, who pushed through Texas' CHL law after being caught in a mass shooting, will give a welcome speech. Other speakers include Rick Stanley, founder of the Bill of Rights Rallies, who was arrested for civil disobedience opposing Denver's gun ban, and proposed the Million Gun March. Kenn Blanchard, security expert, author of "Black Man With A Gun", and founder of the African-American "Tenth Cavalry Gun Club", will also speak. And we did not neglect the social side - a machine gun shoot outing on Saturday night will give attendees a chance to shoot with friends.
But the real heart of CounterAttack is the training workshops, where the activists who make headlines on KABA can show others how to do what they do. Our high-powered instructor list includes the speakers above, plus KeepAndBearArms.com founder Angel Shamaya, Canadian NFA Director Jim Hinter, media firearms trainer Michael Bane, and a cast of other skilled activists. If your rights are really precious to you, shouldn't you learn how to protect them effectively? If you don't, who will?
And right now, thanks the the imploding economy, we've been able to negotiate a package whose value you're just never going to see again, and certainly never with a lineup like this. The conference fee (currently $99 during our limited-time promotion) includes two breakfasts and Saturday dinner, plus all speakers and workshops. You can stay at the first-rate conference hotel, the Crowne Plaza, for just over $62/night - and this hotel committed in writing, with contractual penalties, to respect the rights of concealed carry by lawful citizens. We have a promotional rate with American Airlines if you want to fly. Dallas is probably warmer than where you are, and the DFW Metroplex has an enormous amount to do - take some extra days for vacation, see first-class speakers, get top rate training in political self defense that you can't get anywhere else, and come shoot machine guns besides. No one is going to beat that deal. But it's coming up quickly - so go to www.northbridgetraining.com/counterattack2003 and book it now!
The people who take your rights away cannot stand against an organized, trained field of gun owners. Haven't you lost enough of your freedom? Stop wearing your empty holster - CounterAttack and take back your rights. Find out how much fun it is to win! There's little time left, so don't delay - we'll save a seat for you and keep a machine gun ready for you when the day is done. We'll see you in Dallas!
For more info and registration, see http://www.northbridgetraining.com/counterattack2003
EDIT: I assume the Jim March in the article is THR's Jim March?
The Parable of the Empty Holster:
Civil Rights and Social Change
by David Rostcheck
Executive Director, North Bridge Training Institute
www.northbridgetraining.com
January 14, 2003
Gun owners are fond of saying, correctly, that gun rights are civil rights. But if we are a civil rights movement, we are not a very good one. The favored tools of the civil rights movement - those effective tools that have allowed minorities to change the hearts and minds of the majority around them - are tools that the gun rights movement does not now know how to use. Let me illustrate with a true tale of two activist conferences:
I once went to a national gun rights activist conference held in a western state where open carry was legal, and concealed carry required a license. However, the conference hotel managers had decided to ban open carry in the hotel. Unsuspecting conference attendees entering the hotel carrying their lawfully exposed firearms were set upon by hotel employees, who told them to leave their firearms in their room or turn around and leave. The gun rights conference attendees then wandered around, disoriented, with empty holsters. The conference management sheepishly defended the hotel's actions, noting that the hotel was private property and its owners could ban exposed firearms if they so chose.
I once attended a different national conference, this one for sexual minority activists. One night a local cross-dresser (who had nothing to do with the conference) was assaulted by bottle-wielding drunks two blocks away while waiting for the bus. The police officer responding refused scornfully to take a report.
In a few hours, bullhorn-wielding conference leaders lead the entire conference assembly of four hundred to march chanting down to the police station. There they stood stomping and yelling, making an awesome sound. The police liaison officer emerged, apologized profusely, insisted that the offending officer would be disciplined, and affirmed that all citizens had a right to due process and equal protection under the law.
The second conference's attendees were not prepared to countenance any infringement of their rights - or of anyone else's. They were prepared to act ornery, to make a ruckus, to speak out. Most of what we think of as "traditional" civil rights groups represent a small minority of society, who would never win at the polls by themselves. However, they are all committed to social change - to actively changing the way society thinks about their population, through slow but ceaseless advocacy in any public forum they can get.
Imagine, for a moment, what would happen if the first conference's attendees and management had behaved with similar resolve. But, traditionally most gun rights groups have focused on legislative or judicial action. We do not see ourselves as social change activists, empowered to resist against and alter a society that oppresses our rights. Thus, despite our tremendous numbers, a few well-trained media activists easily steamroll our freedoms.
Gun controllers unquestionably see themselves as a social change movement. They demonize guns to create fear and loathing of guns and gunowners in the general public, then roll back rights with legislation. They take a long-term view, working to change the media and the schools so that gun owners are reviled. When they change the culture, the legislators and judges inevitably follow.
But where are our media advocates? Where is our influence in education? Our resources dwarf those of our opponents, but we do not know how to use them. Large pro-gun-rights organizations are reluctant to engage in social change activism; they are often late to the game and unprepared for the battle. Even in high-profile incidents like the Maryland sniper, the NRA absents itself from public debate, referring inquiries to law enforcement. Until we fully enter the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, we will continue to be demonized and targeted.
It is for this purpose that I created the CounterAttack conference, happening soon in Dallas this February 8-9. At CounterAttack, we will start changing the game, by training gun owners to fight and win in any political terrain they are given. California activist Jim March shut down the Million March by exposing their illegal use of tax funding for gun control politics. He will be there training others in how he did it. Clayton E. Cramer, who debunked the book "Arming America", will give a keynote address. Suzanna Hupp, who pushed through Texas' CHL law after being caught in a mass shooting, will give a welcome speech. Other speakers include Rick Stanley, founder of the Bill of Rights Rallies, who was arrested for civil disobedience opposing Denver's gun ban, and proposed the Million Gun March. Kenn Blanchard, security expert, author of "Black Man With A Gun", and founder of the African-American "Tenth Cavalry Gun Club", will also speak. And we did not neglect the social side - a machine gun shoot outing on Saturday night will give attendees a chance to shoot with friends.
But the real heart of CounterAttack is the training workshops, where the activists who make headlines on KABA can show others how to do what they do. Our high-powered instructor list includes the speakers above, plus KeepAndBearArms.com founder Angel Shamaya, Canadian NFA Director Jim Hinter, media firearms trainer Michael Bane, and a cast of other skilled activists. If your rights are really precious to you, shouldn't you learn how to protect them effectively? If you don't, who will?
And right now, thanks the the imploding economy, we've been able to negotiate a package whose value you're just never going to see again, and certainly never with a lineup like this. The conference fee (currently $99 during our limited-time promotion) includes two breakfasts and Saturday dinner, plus all speakers and workshops. You can stay at the first-rate conference hotel, the Crowne Plaza, for just over $62/night - and this hotel committed in writing, with contractual penalties, to respect the rights of concealed carry by lawful citizens. We have a promotional rate with American Airlines if you want to fly. Dallas is probably warmer than where you are, and the DFW Metroplex has an enormous amount to do - take some extra days for vacation, see first-class speakers, get top rate training in political self defense that you can't get anywhere else, and come shoot machine guns besides. No one is going to beat that deal. But it's coming up quickly - so go to www.northbridgetraining.com/counterattack2003 and book it now!
The people who take your rights away cannot stand against an organized, trained field of gun owners. Haven't you lost enough of your freedom? Stop wearing your empty holster - CounterAttack and take back your rights. Find out how much fun it is to win! There's little time left, so don't delay - we'll save a seat for you and keep a machine gun ready for you when the day is done. We'll see you in Dallas!
For more info and registration, see http://www.northbridgetraining.com/counterattack2003
EDIT: I assume the Jim March in the article is THR's Jim March?
Last edited:
. If any states gunnys need help in getting organized, it is those in California. Especially with Gray (socialist agenda) Davis in charge.
