Shit, forgot about that one.

He sure is a fucking clown.

Our 50 meter target is getting our local BoS to adopt constitutional militia resolutions/ordinances. Followed by actual musters and turning the 2A Sanctuary resolutions into ordinances backed by the force of law. Lots of things going on behind the scenes in VA. Expect good news over the next couple of weeks from VA.

out freaking standing! to all that turned out at the rally and to the great folks that organized it, thank you!

+1 If the preemption bill and I think there is another bill proposed making it illegal to protest with a firearm are not stopped, it would really put a big damper on Lobby Day 2021.  I know the people here along with the VCDL are not going to let up on these bills and all the other one's, but don't let other people start thinking it is over.  I'm supremely confident you Virginians will be able to do this.

On another note, I know a lot of people are not real happy with Trump, but if he gets reelected and the R's keep the Senate and take the House, we could use all this 2A patriotic momentum you started in Virginia and use some of that to maybe get them motivated to do things done at the federal level for the 2A.    But for now, congratulations on what you have done so far and enjoy this victory!

P.S.  BlackFox you are going to need a bigger place for dinner on 19 Jan 2021!

Now we have a formula for fighting the tyrants effectivly.

The "compromise" approach of the last decades is now dead, as it failed.

Now we have the "no compromise" approach and though not 100% successful, with some tuning we can start turning shit around.

The lessons learned are valuable:

1. State organizations are most effective to combatting state, county, and city level issues.
2. We do have an articulate and empowered side that we didn't realize we had in such large numbers. We now have momentum, and we need to groom more speakers in every municipality.
3. A show of force is peaceful and effective. We can gather in numbers, heavily armed, and it does show how serious we are about our rights.  We are sitting in the front of the bus no matter what you they tell us.
4. Coordination with out-of-state resources is vital to bolster local support in letter writting, emailing, and calling campaigns.  We need to further refine and organize our state level organizations so that they can communicate effectivly, and we can all lend support in times of need.
5. We learned the second ammendment does exactly what it was intended in action. Deter tyranny as an insurance policy.  It's a fact that is not lost on the general public.
6. We need to grow our media support outlets. Thankfully a few outlets reported, but we need more support, more reporters, more citizen journalists.

Best post I have seen in a long time. And I have seen a lot of great posts recently. We now have the template for making real progress nationwide. Freedom is contagious. Let's get to work gents!

THIS! You guys stopped that train in one month, very impressive.  Think what you can do when you have a whole year to prepare!

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Good job, Virginians! Keep their feet to the fire.

Man, what an awesome video.  I don't know how you do it-and all while driving!  You are an inspiration.

I hope you don't mind if I borrow some of your motivation and energy.  We need and will continue to keep up the fight.

Freedom has already been bled for.

It is yours. You own it.

You are a free man.

It doesn't matter what color your skin is, or if you're a woman or a man.

You are free. If you live in another country, you are free. If you live in a commie state you are free.

Men are free. You are always free.

Totally agree, outstanding post.

Outstanding Post.  Well said.

I'll add that we really need to focus on spreading the message at not only the group level, but the individual level.  There is a tremendous amount of misinformation and plain old naivete/ ignorance out there.  Educate, Inform, provide a call to action with executables.

Break it down to the level of your audience and make it impactful to them.

I'll give an example.  A young man I know, about 28, who I've known since he was 8 years old.  I've helped foster his interest in guns.  He carries a glock daily, but doesn't have an AR.  Always knew I was into all this stuff, was in tune with the political side of things, but like most kids, it mostly went in one ear and out the other.  Tried getting his attention to the legislative impact of everything we're up against...  Usual response - "uh huh, that's cool".

Then, I asked him what he was revolver he was going to carry once HB961 was passed.  Huh? Wha?  Whadyamean?  Well, listen up.  Here's the deal.  Explained what's transpired, what we're doing about it and all that entails.

After that, he's been calling the GA, sending emails;  I've been sending him info/ instructions/ messages and the like as well as media from VCDL and others.  He then blasts that out on all his social media platforms and across a bunch of groups he belongs to (several jeep groups, among others).  Those that watch his posts, then do the same, ask for more info, etc.

That's just one example of many.  You do that with 10 people and you'll reach 1000 more than if you hadn't.  Next thing you know, you've growing an already thriving grass-roots movement. Given our recent successes, I'm positive many others are doing the same, but it's still worth mentioning as an action item for continued success.

So for all of us that have showed up to lobby, protest, stood with our brothers-in-arms in Richmond, have done everything else - don't neglect to just have regular conversations, and tailor them to a particular pain point of the individual you are speaking with.  Don't inundate and data dump.  Make it personal and leave bread-crumbs for them to pick up.  They'll make the decision on their own.  Educate, Inform, Motivate and Empower.

Grow the base and prosper.

What's the scoop with the recall of Northam? Is that getting anywhere?

Here’s my two cents about how we move forward:

We need a nationwide movement that joins lobbying with activism with kinetic capability. We must be able to fight in every County, every City, and every State. We must be able to have a National identity with a local presence - and keep the best of both. We need strategy teams - with the ability to find weaknesses and document supporters and financing of the opposition. We need a cadre that can demonstrate, and a group that can get a bit more rowdy than that. We need the ability to be polite, lobby and even financially support people who share our values, and then attack those that don’t. We need to adopt the strategies of the left. We need to be more willing to take a day off when it’s not lobby day. We need to form an army that has all the areas of focus that a modern military group has - with funding and logistics to support it.

Here’s the thing - we trusted the NRA to do this in the past. While I have no interest in degrading what they do - they are no longer an effective lobbying group - much less a activist group. VCDL is great for lobbying in VA, but they don’t have activism or kinetic ability - and they’re just VA. We need a new National identity. The silent brigade was fun for lobby day. We need something MUCH bigger. Talk me off this ledge. NOW is time for us to reinvent who we are. We shouldn’t be shy about our willingness to embrace civil disobedience (or worse) anywhere it’s needed. We must have the funding to influence the legislature while also perhaps having armored vehicles. We must be willing to march (or fly or drive) in people to places like Richmond in the future. We must be strategic about everything we do.

Do we have the critical mass here to recreate everything the NRA and VCDL and others have attempted to do in years past - and be better than them at it? I think we do. We need our team to go all in, though. That is what I’d like to hear about from the team here, because I’m in whether you are or not!

@PalmettoStateArmory

There is a market for these

If PSA doesnt do 80%, you guys need to get with RTBA for engraved 80% like they did for VCDL

@SailorJ

I do too.

VA lobby day 2020 was a national paradigm shift and we need to surf that momentum as far as we can.

At the micro level, in my small rural corner of Virginia, we are having similar conversations. I think we are primed for this important next step. The biggest question seems to be how we can effectively implement this and convince folks to join the effort. This seems to be the next logical step for our advocacy and activism.

Not only will I NOT talk you off the ledge, but I will take the leap over it with you...

There is much to explore and solidify in this post.  This is the abstract to what needs to happen.

I gotta hook up with some local folks in my AO

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I’m in.

I think you will find most of the good men of Virginia and the rest of the country are of similar mind.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

***The more the media and the democrats play up that this was a “bitter defeat” or similar language, and simultaneous to the news of the legislative loss, we hear that democrats vow to “keep pushing,” or that they “will be back next year”, the more you know this is ALL theater.***  

Choreographed, plain and simple, to fool the average citizen of both political persuasions.  They want to enrage and activate their base, in order to spur donations and mobilize them for protests.  Get them in the streets claiming their have been betrayed, demanding gun control and GUN SAFETY and reaming the “traitors” who let down voters.  At the same time, they want patriots to celebrate and relax, growing overly confident despite the fact dems have the absolute majority and can pass anything they want.  It is all a game to the politicians, and they use “moms demand action” and activists from other fake grassroots movements as pawns in each of their little plays on the chessboard.

 The other 6+ infringing bills may yet pass, key portions of this failed ban may be added to any of those before final votes or in committee, and preemption (421) is almost as bad.  Each city or county with a democrat hold will pass their own bans, transport laws, storage laws.  The longer they stay in place, the more they are normalized.

We need to keep hitting the judiciary meetings.  Once a bill moves back to the floors of the House and Senate, amendments they throw on there get worked out in committees the public has no access to.  Gotta kill them now.

I would add that VCDL is not geared towards expanding our demographic. If we want to win, we have to reach beyond our community and start engaging with non-gun owners. The quickest way to make someone give a shit about this is to put a gun in their home and then tell them that their government is hellbent on taking it from them.

The left is good (although perhaps not as much lately as they've gotten alot more toxic) at building community. We aren't as good, but fuck if I haven't been blown away by the excellent efforts as of late to do just that.

The simple fact is that, while the NRA's efforts have been good enough in the past, they are clinging to laughably outdated methodologies and tactics. The same can be said of VCDL to some extent. We need fresh ideas now. How cool would it be to have an organization that gives out free body armor? How cool would it be to have a pro-gun organization go door to door and hand out emergency kits with flashlights, water, etc. to people in low income neighborhoods? Or one that hosts community BBQ's?

Sadly, I'm occupied with a local election (I'm basically co-managing it someone else) and it's more work than I ever could've anticipated so I'll be tied up with that until May. After that though, I'd be more than willing to put some time into developing these ideas.

I think you’re on the right track with these ideas. I’ve been working with the guys I went to Richmond with and a few other folks local to me. We are brushing up on critical skills like shooting, small unit tactics, first aid, etc. We are also standardizing kit, and establishing a loose structure. It would be foolish to assume others throughout the state aren’t doing the same. For every large group working on militia resolutions, there are many small groups of trusted friends essentially forming fire teams.

At this point I'm committed in getting my county on board with VA 1-13.

I do believe it will happen.

I will assist those that need help in other endeavors.

Just let me know.

I share your optimism about your county. I think y'all will get it done.

Thanks for everything you are doing brother!

I think we do as well. It makes sense to take what has clearly worked, make it better, and help groups around the country take their own steps towards activism. I think it's a given that with the tremendous support we got from folks out of state, there is a nascent spark of, for lack of a better term, courage to stand up to tyranny across this great nation. We do need a national level organization that represents gun owners in the way they should. As you say, the NRA has neutered themselves for the time being. And, they were only ever effective at the national level, not the state level. We also need to have volunteers that donate not just their hard-earned cash (which thank God Arfcom did in spades), but also their time (which Arfcommers and VCDL both did in spades).

We saw a lot of folks who got off the couch and went to their local government to advocate for their rights. Successfully getting grass roots efforts going coast to coast will bubble up to the state, and ultimately to the national level. We are talking about fundamentally changing the debate about the 2nd Amendment from one of "how much are we going to lose" to "how much are we going to gain back and protect from ever being messed with again". Rome wasn't built in a day. Although our Rattlesnake Rally was successfully done in a ridiculously short amount of time, we need to begin to build the necessary people, infrastructure, funding, etc. at the local level, then state, then national. It makes sense to have a national coordinating committee that helps the local groups to get themselves organized. I believe there is nothing so powerful as people taking it upon themselves to become their own advocate. The thing we've been showing is that individuals CAN be effective, that local groups CAN make their voices heard, that when local groups band together, they CAN move the peg at the state level. And, as we get more and more freedom-loving people elected at the local, then state levels, the national levels won't be far behind.

I'm in. If I can be helpful in motivating folks across the country, I'll do it. If I need to give advice on communicating, I'll do that. I write reasonably well and can compose decent ads/commercials to help our cause. If I need to make speeches, I'll do that (hopefully better than the last one that I didn't have time to practice). We can't count on the GOP (as we've seen in Virginia and elsewhere) to be effective in protecting our rights. We need to do that ourselves. No one else will do it for us. We will have to show we are a force to be reckoned with, whether it's politically or otherwise. Virginia is a good first step in that direction. We need to keep the momentum here and help other states have similar successes. There comes a time when every "movement" gains critical mass. We are well on our way and if we redouble our efforts and stretch them from sea to shining sea, we will gain the critical mass needed to put gun control back underground for generations.

The Great American Restoration has begun. Divine Providence has, once again, smiled upon us and this uniquely American experiment. Let us be mindful of that as we do that which we have been commanded to do by our Founding Fathers to protect this great nation of ours. God Bless the UNITED States of America!

Agreed.  NRA is a relic of the past and ineffective for what “Americans of the Gun” need moving forward.  Citizens Defense League is located in a number of states, but as I noted earlier today, their Maryland chapter is defunct.  I have reached out to VCDL to see about getting their assistance in organizing a Lobby Day type of rally in MD against their registration bill push.

So CDL isn’t the be all and end all.  A new national movement with funding, lobbying, grassroots and astroturf kinetic action is needed.  I secured a domain name last month in anticipation of just this and to offer an alternative to NRA until Wayne et al step away.  Haven’t launched it yet, or even branded it with a vision.  But the name speaks for itself...YourGunRights.org.

Thoughts?

I'll lend my web design skills, retail/CRM and mailing list management, and my capabilities of my publishing company to the cause.

I have the technical capabilities, and I am sure a few others here, would be able to technically pull together the infrastructure to create a first-class Web platform for this.  Take in donations, microtransactions, manage mailing lists, and organize.  Those are all within my skillset and decades of experience.  So, from a back end and front end thing, it's fairly cost effective to get that part started.

(One thing I'm not is a great organizer and daily-schedule type person, as I am used to working on multiple and differing projects at any given time. (which is great for my publishing and retail business.))

Exactly.  We need to get non-gun owners to care about gun rights, or parallel rights.  As you stated, the quickest way is to get a gun in their hands.  But training is only one way.  The other is identifying those parallel rights.  How does what we are fighting for translate to something in their lives, that is important to them, that the government is likewise infringing upon and making them less free, or less safe?

On another route... Many democrat leaners don’t give a shit about protecting guns, which they see as killing kids, but they care about protecting their kids.  We need outreach specifically showing how democrat bills endanger kids, turn people into victims, are basically assisting criminals in disarming victims, and how democrats fight logical hardening of school security.

when I was spitballing the idea for a new national group to defend the 2nd, I focused on the need to show right up front that the organization would NEVER devolve into the fiasco that NRA has.  The charter would need to be public and show the world that even while awaiting special tax status, the idea is the money is focused on expanding our rights.  This will never be a moneymaking machine.

Ideas... this was just off the top of my head a couple months back...

NO employees will ever be paid over $250k salary.
Bonuses are COLA annual increase, typically 3-4%, based on inflation.
We select qualified attorneys for our cases and negotiate the best rates we can get, so your donations have maximum impact.

If we ever have excess funds that would be considered profit, we won’t blow money like other associations or foundations, on suits, beach trips, expensive lawyers, expense accounts, etc., but will return excess funds to all active members, via an equal share to each.  We are nothing at all like the NRA.

Breakdown of donations
20% salaries/administration
50% court cases
30% advertising, education, conferences, firearms training

Man, the quality of posts that have been brought about today, over multiple threads, are ... I dunno... Fucking AWESOME.   A combination of insightful, validating AND insightful...

Our rallying cry has been answered.

PATRIOTS, FROM ACROSS THE REPUBLIC, STEPPED THE FUCK UP!!!  

I'm fucking tired.  Truly exhausted.  I have to get some sleep.  Feel like I haven't slept in months.  Probably so.  Worth it.  Every bit of it.  Man, I know my brothers in arms feel EXACTLY what I feel, right now.

IT WAS WORTH IT!  Every second of it.  Fuck tomorrow.  Tomorrow WILL come.  I have to be ready, so do you.  I can get another job (Actually, I have to ).

No matter, it's fucking worth it.

I've never felt so exhausted, yet so woke/ alive/ fucking meaningful in my entire life.  You fuckers, you internet strangers... that seem to all converge on little, insignificant localities... and then, somehow, travel from far and away to shitty Richmond VA, to stand, arms at the ready, against a known, documented, published and determined foe - ready and willing to do harm upon you - YOU, are why I showed up.  Brothers (and Sisters), am I glad I did.  Lobby Day was the MOST fulfilling thing I've done in my life, and I have a family/ kid.  Producing offspring was easy (and fun ).  Lobby Day was terrifying and, yet, completely fulfilling.

We did things that no one expected us to do, let alone succeed at.  AND, we had people from what, 15 other states?  THAT means something.  It was INSPIRING.  It MOTIVATED people.  I am incredibly proud of having the opportunity to be a part of that.  More so for every action before, and since.  WE should be proud of defeating what the Left considered a foregone conclusion.  MILLIONS of Bloombucks were spent setting up for this moment, creating an anti-2A movement, purchasing legislative seats, Commonwealth attorneys and so many other encumbrances, to make sure the path was followed and the outcome was assured.

FUCK THAT!  We ain't accepting that shit.  VIRGINIA IS DIFFERENT!!

Today was a long day, following many other long days, spent, once again staring down and standing up to people that want us disarmed and ultimately, disposed of.

It has been incredibly stressful.  I was worried.  I, along with so many other Virginians and out of state Patriots have fought tooth and nail, put stuff on the line that we'd only "thought" we'd do, yet when the call came, did so without reservation.  Now knowing, if a second calling comes, we're there.  We're in it.  There's no question.  FUCK THIS, I'M FO'ing ().

I'm now going to bed, fulfilled with the knowledge and understanding that we ALL, AS A COHESIVE and UNIFIED group, achieved what MANY deemed to be a losing proposition.  I bathe in those tears.  I fucking love it.  I truly do.  EVERYBODY that said Virginia would succumb like so many other states...  WE FUCKING REFUSED!
THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS!

While there is still legislation pending, regarding some atrocious bills, that we WILL continue to fight against, WE ARE NOT DISARMED!!!!!

THAT was their ultimate goal.  We CAN withstand a lot of cuts, but we fended off a beheading!!!  BE PROUD PATRIOTS!

We defeated the worst of the worst, which all the naysayers and chicken littles said "oh, just like MA, CT, CA, CO, etc..."  Fuck you all.  Seriously.  If I catch a ban for this, this one statement is fucking worth it. FUCK YOU!  EVERY FUCKING NAYSAYER AND CHICKEN LITTLE COWARD -  FUCK. YOU.

VIRGINIA IS DIFFERENT!

Just because VA is different, we had Patriots come from across the land to join us, and stand together in solidarity against tyranny, in an atmosphere which was, by all accounts at the time, to be violent and oppressive, overall to be a a really tumultuous and turbulent, and just a totally a really fucking awful time.  But, it wasn't.  We now know, that wasn't by design.  WE OWNED THAT SHIT!  "They" weren't prepared for what we brought.  Patriots from across the Republic depended upon Richmond.  Each of their own free will, and motivated by a shared and common belief in Freedom and Liberty, and the desire for it such to be continued for future generations.

We Fought.  We Persevered.  WE WON THIS FUCKING BATTLE!

The war, however, will be long.  It will be tough.  It will be Hard.  It will be difficult. It WILL be painful at times.  Yet, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PERSEVERE!

We have this.  We were up against the ropes.  We were pinned. We were sucker punched.  We were cut and bleeding,  BUT WE FUCKING FOUGHT BACK!

THAT will continue.  We CAN win this fight.  WE WILL persevere.  WE WILL WIN!

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Both true and

How about this instead...

* Rank comes from action, not perceived status. Showing up, sitting in the legislative room, standing in the rally, attending the town hall. Your presence and participation is required.

* Compensation is reimbursement, not employment.

* Growing the ranks is measured by those who participate, not those who write a check. Action > contribution.

* In a just world, you cannot buy a legislator. If you could, the Virginia Senate would have passed HB 961 thanks to Bloomberg's money.

* Politicians fear engaged and empowered voters more than betrayed donors.

* Political activism is more visible, and more useful, than funding lawsuits. The only abortion we can all agree on is aborting bad bills before they are passed and signed into law. Start there.

* One passionate person is worth more to a cause than 100 folks that write a check and never do anything else.

* America, in its earliest days, had trouble paying its army, trouble feeding its army, and trouble arming its army... yet that army still defeated the world's most powerful armed forces. There are some things money can buy, but true dedication and patriotism can do far more.

* Those that hold a deep love of country poured their time and effort into trying to save Virginia. They did not do it for decals and jackets and pins and badges - they did so for the satisfaction of a bond of honor that transcends all such things. Any man whose loyalty and fealty can be bought isn't worth the price. Those that will shape the future do so for reasons and rewards that cannot be settled by the federal reserve.

* The spirit of liberty that held together the men that struggled to secure the establishment of this nation is all that is required, and all that should be expected, of those that will sustain it.

* The curse of the NRA is that it identified its being with the struggle. For it to remain relevant, the struggle must continue and intensify. Contrast that with our first president, who served his state and his new nation and then honorably walked away. Our goal should be to settle the matter and return to our lives, not to dedicate what remains of our lives to the fight. The very existence of any group of men and women that wish to fight tyranny and injustice must inherently have the most basic goal of no longer existing - if the self preservation of such a group is itself a goal, the fight will never be won. We stand together so our children or grandchildren will never have to face the threat of tyranny - our goal is to be able to disband, not to exist in perpetuity.

Thus you deserve a statue. And a song.

"The hero of Richmond, the man they call @Ben"

You magnificent bastard. Take a couple days R&R, you deserve it.

And the defeatists trolls said you proud Virginians were just wasting your time assembling in Richmond!! Most of us knew better that there is strength in numbers.

YOU DID IT!   WITH YOUR SHOW OF SOLIDARITY, YOU MADE THEM THINK TWICE AND YOU STOPPED THEM!   DON'T LET YOU GUARD DOWN.
Now to vote the bastard Democrats out!

That looks good as well, and good points.  Like I said, those ideas were just spitballing at a point when I was envisioning an organization to pick up where the NRA failed us, one that would be focused on fighting in the courts as well as offering education and training to new and existing gun owners.

It all depends on the main focus of the organization.  And that focus must be decided and publicly displayed in the charter, be it organizing and activism, training, educating, public awareness and consensus building, or lawfare....  or a combination thereof.

The “money” issues I deemed must be decided and likewise publicly displayed in the charter included:
1) how employees or volunteers are paid/reimbursed,
2) maximum compensation set to show the org will NEVER devolve into an NRA situation with WLP and his suits/vacations/spending account,
3) how donations are applied/distributed: what % goes to website maintenance, advertising for more donations, public education, salaries/reimbursements, etc.

In order to be awarded special tax status as a non-profit there are a bunch of additional rules and policies, if we were to go that route.  There is also the option to just start it up and start asking for donations “for the cause” before getting that status, and publicly declaring “this isn’t a 501(c)(3) and your contributions aren’t tax deductible.”  There are also 527 organizations that lean more toward activities “attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election or appointment of an individual to a federal, state, or local public office”.

Lots of decisions to be made...

Just let me repeat myself:

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Some light (but required) reading:

https://status451.com/2017/10/27/radical-book-club-the-centralized-left/

https://status451.com/2017/07/11/radical-book-club-the-decentralized-left/

https://status451.com/2017/01/20/days-of-rage/

https://status451.com/2017/11/11/radical-book-club-what-righties-can-do/

@eesmith

I agree Arfcom as a platform is well suited to coordinating activities and spreading information, to a degree, but it may not have certain key functions and features such as form mailers to send emails to legislators, ability to accept donations (we would have to basically hijack their storefront for that and get the owner and administrators to run it), etc.  So while Arfcom does send thread notices and newsletter emails, I am not sure how much more it can do, and am unfamiliar with its CRM capabilities, to manage and contact members.

Are you?  I don’t know. Perhaps you’re one if the owners.  Are the owners at all interested in this type of activity, and taking on a unique political role.

I wasn’t talking about the website infrastructure itself, I’m talking about the community of people that have organically grown around it.

SB/BB happened for a reason, and even if this site disappeared tomorrow it wouldn’t change the fact that networks have been built and things set in motion, all based around relationships that started here.

I think I posted that a few months ago during late summer, and Richmond just created a spark for the networking/movement building the community was already ripe for.

Gotcha.  Sorry I misunderstood.

I'm struggling to put into words the response I want to convey.  So for now, I will just say this:

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We think alike on the notion that people put themselves on the line for Virginia not because we were being paid, either in $ or merchandise but because we chose to stand up to blatant tyranny, we chose to do what was right in the face of risk, and were rewarded with a spectacle to behold unprecedented in the history of our nation.

On the second point of having the goal to no longer be needed, while that is laudable, I don't see it ever happening. There will always be evil and/or stupid misguided people who would wish to usurp the rights of all of us. It is definitely true that even though the pendulum of thought swings right and left, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance". It would be nice to do my bit for God and country and retire gracefully. For the next few years, since we're just starting out, it will require more of our time, thought, energy, and funds to get the ball rolling. However, if we build an ATTITUDE amongst our fellow citizens that our gun rights are sacrosanct and we must be willing to defend them at all costs, then there will be others to step up in our stead when we are no longer able/willing to do so.

In my estimation, if we build an attitude of dedication to our cause, especially among young people, then we can assure our progeny will be able and willing to defend their rights if the need arises.

We all have our reasons. Be it philosophical, what prior generations of your family endured, or how you want your children to grow up. However we need to be aware that the way to achieve this is to strive for the mutually needed outcome, regardless of their motivations.

Preferring dangerous freedom over safe slavery and all that.

This. Was thinking about what's going on in Maryland and think we now need a "NCDL" - National Citizens Defense League, based on the VCDL model of  state-based activism.

That's not a bad idea, BUT...

This success came from grassroots activism. Individuals getting involved with government directly.

I think that's the lesson.

As gun owners, we've been so used to enjoying being left alone, we'd just toss money at an organization and call it good. It's not good. That's how we got the NRA.

VCDL is FANTASTIC, but they pretty much just organize and inform. Virginians made things happen.