We Outsourced The Fight

According to Michael Bane, gun-rights advocates are failing on two fronts, and a new one has opened up:

1. "The willingness to outsource the fight."

2. "Inability to consolidate victory."

3. "We are now in a Culture War" and that makes it a "zero-sum game."

Whom did we outsource the fight to? Bane said it was pretty much left up to Gun Culture 2.0, and they did what the rest of us did (Gun Culture 1.0) - which was not much. But I think the most important that we ALL did was act like "membership" WAS the fight. We joined the NRA. We followed Facebook gun pages. We liked posts and loved tweets. We enjoyed the echo chamber. 

We do make small victories. Bane contends that we elected Trump, but what have we gotten for it? And he said that the same thing went for Bush, Jr. We do not hold our elected officials to task and account, and Republicans in Congress are demonstrating that in spades. We rest on shaky laurels; we do not consolidate victories - judicial, legislative, elected, and appointed.

And now with the liberal MSM and politicians pandering to youth, Bane finally contends that we are in a Culture War in which the anti-private-gun faction wants us dead. They want to rip private guns from American culture, and since they are so determined to pursue this Culture War, then this is a zero-sum game. Either we win, or they win.

Well, I believe that we will never lose. We may have setbacks - like most of the 20th century, but gun rights are on an upswing with concealed carry and Constitutional carry, and the judiciary slowly recognizing the natural, individual right to arms.

So what have I done? I have argued with Facebook friends and foes - and edjumacated coworkers, but did I do anything political?

Well, in this modern social-media age, I did offer kudos to my U.S. Rep, when he posted his NRA rating on Facebook - and I defended him and encouraged him and he responded positively. But I haven't written a letter to a pol in a couple years, and I've never done anything else.

 So what to do? I listened to the recent Society and the State podcast episode "How To Lobby In Your Pajamas." Connor Boyack's main strategy is, if I can be so bold to paraphrase: Treat politicians as people. Offer them a free lunch. Honor their accomplishments (of course, the ones that went our way). Even if they are not NRA "A+" rated, we still need to make them feel appreciated. Give kudos for non-gun issues. Make your contact with them a positive experience, and of course, contact them about the issues you care about.

What else, I don't know. But in the meantime, I need to research what my Congress people have been doing - and contact them.

Oh, yeah. Apparently, state-level gun rights organizations can be really effective and need more attention.

You might be saying: "What's this we crap?" If you have been active in lobbying politicians and defending our rights, then I say: "Thank you."