Portland Oregon, APril 4th

[joshk-k]

Greetings all!

American Gun Culture Report is the NW's only independent gun culture magazine. It provides a forum for perspectives on guns and society that are not traditionally included in other gun publications. The voices heard in this publication are leftist, anarchist, communist, libertarian, progressive, etc. Many of the people who will be at the event listed below fall into those groups. Even if you don't, it might be an opportunity for you to expand your mind a bit and understand the breadth of the local gun community. You'll probably meet some interesting, smart, thoughtful gun owners on the other side of the political spectrum from yourself. Maybe even have a beer with them.

For more about the magazine, you can visit www.americangunculturereport.com


On Sunday, April 4th, 2010 American Gun Culture Report is sponsoring an evening get together with local shooting groups in Portland.

Participating organizations include the Portland Pink Pistols, our regional chapter of the national gay gun club www.pinkpistols.org; Reed College's gun club, the Reed Shooting Sports Kollectiv (RSSK) http://www.rssk.org/rssk/political-committee.html; the Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF) www.oregonfirearms.org whose founder Kevin Starrett will be appearing plus AGCR, the region's only independent gun politics magazine.

The Plan B Bar in SE Portland is our hosting venue and this event kicks off at 7pm. Each group will present on their activities as well as offering tabling and information sharing. Later in the evening, we will turn this gathering into a dance party with DJ No. 6 playing a setlist of gun themed music.

So, mark your calendar and get ready to tip back a few beers and dance to Tom Waits, Johnny Cash and The Clash with the rest of Portland's shooting community.

Plan B is located at 1305 SE 8th Portland OR 97214
www.myspace.com/planbportlandbooking

There is no admission, but donations for the Oregon Firearms Federation's Legal Defense Fund are encouraged.

I'll be there. Maybe some others will come along.

 

[Nushif]

I tried looking for one of these a few weeks ago and couldn't find one for the life of me, even in the little niche magazine shops. *sadface*

 

[joshk-k]

From their website, it's only available hardcopy at a handful of shops in the NW and westcoast, plus Baltimore and Chicago. You can mail order from them directly at cover cost.

It's a pretty small, informal publication it seems. They've put out maybe 6 issues ever.

I went to the event, but didn't stay for very long. It was Sunday night at a bar, and there were probably 25-30 people there for the gathering. Socializing, mingling, and tabling by the ORegon Firearms Federation and the magazine. I was whooped so just had a small beer, hung around for a while, and then left. I think there was going to be presentations from a few local gun orgs. and then some dancing later. It seemed like an interesting group, with an age span from early 20s to early 60s, all types of people.

I picked up a copy of the 4th issue, and thought it was well the worth the $4. It has about 10 good sized articles, on topics ranging from several states ACLU branches supporting the RKBA to another which explores the links between the terms "assault weapon" and "partial birth abortion," both terms manufactured for political purpose. There were also reviews of four books, from Shel Silverstein's "Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back" to "The Turner Diaries." There was also a pleasant and well-rounded selection of letters to the editor.

I highly recommend getting a copy if you're so inclined. It seems like an opportunity for some on the right to learn about other viewpoints than theirs on a topic that they care very deeply for (the RKBA). It also seems like an opportunity for those on the left to work towards swaying some of their "ideological brethren" towards a more open viewpoint towards that topic. As a staunch progressive and leftist, I certainly have a good sense of what my peers over here are motivated by and what their existing political beliefs may likely be. I believe that the content of this magazine will help me be a more persuasive, confident and informed debater and organizer around the RKBA within a personal and civic community made up overwhelmingly of liberals. I have left the magazine conspicuously on the table, in hopes that my girlfriend, who is pretty deeply shaped by a traditionally liberal upbringing and general ignorance on the topic, will choose to read some of it and have her mind opened.

Looking back, I wish I had stayed longer at the event or been more social while I was there. There were undoubtedly worthwhile networking and social interaction that I missed out on.

Josh