Oregon Any ACTIVE Grassroots Oregon organizations?

[Oregon Rob]

Are there any member groups that are meeting, raising money and awareness?

It seems like Oregon has done a pretty poor job of getting a group of committed people to focus on protecting our rights. OFF is doing their best to fight in court but we really shouldn't be fighting in the courts. We should have beat this at the ballot box.
Measure 114 being the most prominent example. There was not significant, funded effort to resist. The other side spent 10x what we did and only won the vote by less than 1% or 25,000 votes out of about two million total votes. That means if we had been able to change 12,500 votes, we would have won.
Thank sounds extremely doable to me.
We can look at this in one of two ways. Either poor us we lost or that we were so close without even putting up a fight we ought to be able to win the next one.
If we stir up a base of support, we can prevent further erosion of our rights because the left isn't going to stop now.
In fact, I fully expect a lot of brand-new attacks

I'll ask again, Is anyone working to build grass roots support?
If not, who has experience and wants to get moving?

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[RVTECH]

That means if we had been able to change 12,500 votes, we would have won.

Yes, this is true however the problem is in finding 12,500 (or more) so called 'conservative' pro 2A people to register to vote - and then actually get out TO vote.

I FIRMLY maintain the problem is with a very large number of these types who simply live so far out of the realm of 'normalcy' or 'mainstream' they have very little knowledge of what is going on in the 'political world' (or anything else for that matter) - and that includes gun issues.

There are also lots of relatively 'mainstream' people who claim to be 'conservative', 'Pro 2a' yet still do not vote for a variety of reasons.

Like it or not liberals/Democrats in general have a greater number of registered voters in their ranks and are more likely to stay 'abreast' of the current political issues, including those they are very much against such as gun rights.

Bottom line is IF the sheer number of those I know who do not vote could be considered a 'random sampling' of the OVERALL numbers who do NOT vote state wide then it's not too hard to see why something like 114 passed by .7% (or something like that)

 

[Oregon Rob]

Yes, this is true however the problem is in finding 12,500 (or more) so called 'conservative' pro 2A people to register to vote - and then actually get out TO vote.

I FIRMLY maintain the problem is with a very large number of these types who simply live so far out of the realm of 'normalcy' or 'mainstream' they have very little knowledge of what is going on in the 'political world' (or anything else for that matter) - and that includes gun issues.

There are also lots of relatively 'mainstream' people who claim to be 'conservative', 'Pro 2a' yet still do not vote for a variety of reasons.

Like it or not liberals/Democrats in general have a greater number of registered voters in their ranks and are more likely to stay 'abreast' of the current political issues, including those they are very much against such as gun rights.

Bottom line is IF the sheer number of those I know who do not vote could be considered a 'random sampling' of the OVERALL numbers who do NOT vote state wide then it's not too hard to see why something like 114 passed by .7% (or something like that)

We got clobber with outside money. They spent almost 3 million dollars, much (almost all) of it from outside the state. They led a campaign that shared only their view and we essentially had not rebuttal. If ppl really know the story at least a few percent wouldn't have voted the way they did. I only recall seeing one sign and maybe a few bumper stickers apposed. If the messaging had been different, the outcome would have been different IMHO.

 

[Ben B.]

I will help with a grassroots organization. I do help support OFF by sending money. I have zero experience in political activism.

Also, please email or call Drazan and urge the Republicans to fight 3075 by denying a quorum.

 

[PiratePast40]

What is it you're suggesting? Perhaps having someone go to gyun shows and disseminate information and talk to people about the importance of voting and getting involved in the legislative process?

 

[Oregon Rob]

What is it you're suggesting? Perhaps having someone go to gyun shows and disseminate information and talk to people about the importance of voting and getting involved in the legislative process?

No I'm thinking of something much more broad than that. I'm thinking about an organization either existing or new that had as a major aim, educating as many people as many places about the Pro 2A arguments for ballot measures and working with groups that already have good rolls like RMEF, OHA, DU…. I know they already support but they talk to people every day that don't know anything but they get a ballot and read some misleading title like "Safe gun act" and thing oh that sounds nice.... Sharing literature and talking points so they can bring it up with others.

Maybe being at locations where people gather, county fairs and other events…

 

[jayR]

@PiratePast40 mentioned this organization some time ago.
https://oregoncitizenslobby.org/

 

[Ben B.]

 

[RVTECH]

No I'm thinking of something much more broad than that. I'm thinking about an organization either existing or new that had as a major aim, educating as many people as many places about the Pro 2A arguments for ballot measures and working with groups that already have good rolls like RMEF, OHA, DU…. I know they already support but they talk to people every day that don't know anything but they get a ballot and read some misleading title like "Safe gun act" and thing oh that sounds nice.... Sharing literature and talking points so they can bring it up with others.

Maybe being at locations where people gather, county fairs and other events…

Good ideas? Yes - but the biggest problem lies in the fact the MAJORITY of conservative/pro 2A people who do NOT vote are the LEAST accessible. They ain't just walkin' the streets side by side in Eugene, Salem or Portland with their lib/anti counterparts to be easily 'sought out' and educated.

Is no secret the greater number of conservative/Pro 2a live in Eastern Oregon - and probably more the farther East it goes and this makes it MUCH more difficult to access them.

Trust me - I have traveled Eastern Oregon extensively and some of the things I have seen, experienced and people I have met are literally eye opening and sometimes hard to accept

This whole notion of 'prepping', SHTF, TEOTWAWKI etc. are NOT concepts that are just 'bloviated' by people on forums such as this, but are in fact ways a LOT of people live in Eastern Oregon and spans a wide range of income and abilities but the fact remains there are a LARGE numbers of them and I can guarandamteeya these people make up the majority of non - voters. Heck I could take anybody for a ride just a few miles out of LaPine and show them Mad Maxville - and I ain't talking about homeless people either.

Also a lot of these people no doubt have limited access to social media - most likely by CHOICE as opposed to having access but I do know a lot of people who do NOT own computers and rarely use their cell phones.

My point being is the majority of who we need to BECOME voters are likely either never going to, or very difficult to reach on the scale necessary to make any large changes.

While it is true we are being 'clobbered by outside money' whats 'clobbering' us MORE is the fact the majority of the antis/libs tend to be easier to access, are congregated in larger, tighter bigger cities and towns AND are very active in the use of social media.

 

[Rkangel]

The other problem is the apathy and infighting of one subset of the firearms community vs. another subset of the firearms community. That only results in wins for the anti-2a crowd.

I saw the same thing in the off-road community. When it came to public hearings and outreach, motorcycle riders would not stand with atv riders, who would not stand with side by side riders, who would not stand with jeep drivers, who would not stand with rock crawlers, who would not stand with dune riders. The result has been more and more closures of public land to recreation. Now even the mountain bikers and equestrians, who considered all motorized recreation to be the devil and refused to participate or stand with us in any public comment periods or outreach, are complaining about closures.

People in this friggin state can't or won't look beyond their own noses to get behind a unified message on anything.

"My guns aren't affected, so screw you".
"My hunting isn't affected, so screw you".
"Who needs more than 10 rounds of anything, so screw you".
"Mine is bigger than yours, so screw you".

Until people get over their cliques and selfishness, we will keep losing ground!

 

[RVTECH]

^^^^^
Good post.

I too have see that same with similar IE that of off roading when about the only things you would see off road were dirt bikes and 4WD vehicles (Jeeps/trucks etc)

I also saw the same with boating when jet skis evolved into something everyone had to have.

Same with Snow skiing when snowboarder numbers started climbing as well.

And, last but not least I have experienced the same with guns and gun ownership. I got into guns, shooting and hunting before I even knew 'AR 15s' existed and about the only semi auto handguns I was aware of were Mark 1 .22s, 1911s and Hi Powers. I certainly knew what M-16s were in the military sense but that was it.

So, given all the 'subsets' that apply who is more 'at blame' ? The traditional 'old timers' of these sports who have been reluctant to accept the changes or the relative newcomers who often are less than understanding of the 'old timers' and are often very aggressive and arrogant about their ways and equipment?

 

[PiratePast40]

The groups already exist. The challenge is to get more people to participate. The more functions I attend, the more I see the same people doing the work.

Oregon Liberty Coalition puts out a great newsletter several times a week. Has most all OFF alerts as well as critical information on other bills up for committee hearings or are moving. There are several groups on Facebook that also urge action and keep people up to date with 2A issues.

I've found that we need to seek out our allies. There are many and we are always encouraging more to join in the fight. You'll also find that these are not single issue organizations so don't be upset when you hear about Kotex and company plans to increase taxes or degrade our natural resources further.

Join us at the War Room on Thursdays and learn how to navigate the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) and find out how to become informed and involved. It's upstairs at the Ike Box in Salem. Bring your laptop and start navigating the system immediately. Information AND action are what's needed if we want to have a chance to move the needle in our direction.

ETA: - War room is 9 til 3 on Thursdays. Upstairs at the Ike Box in Salem. It's within walking distance to the capitol for anyone that want to give in person testimony.

 

[Oregon Rob]

Good ideas? Yes - but the biggest problem lies in the fact the MAJORITY of conservative/pro 2A people who do NOT vote are the LEAST accessible. They ain't just walkin' the streets side by side in Eugene, Salem or Portland with their lib/anti counterparts to be easily 'sought out' and educated.

Is no secret the greater number of conservative/Pro 2a live in Eastern Oregon - and probably more the farther East it goes and this makes it MUCH more difficult to access them.

Trust me - I have traveled Eastern Oregon extensively and some of the things I have seen, experienced and people I have met are literally eye opening and sometimes hard to accept

This whole notion of 'prepping', SHTF, TEOTWAWKI etc. are NOT concepts that are just 'bloviated' by people on forums such as this, but are in fact ways a LOT of people live in Eastern Oregon and spans a wide range of income and abilities but the fact remains there are a LARGE numbers of them and I can guarandamteeya these people make up the majority of non - voters. Heck I could take anybody for a ride just a few miles out of LaPine and show them Mad Maxville - and I ain't talking about homeless people either.

Also a lot of these people no doubt have limited access to social media - most likely by CHOICE as opposed to having access but I do know a lot of people who do NOT own computers and rarely use their cell phones.

My point being is the majority of who we need to BECOME voters are likely either never going to, or very difficult to reach on the scale necessary to make any large changes.

While it is true we are being 'clobbered by outside money' whats 'clobbering' us MORE is the fact the majority of the antis/libs tend to be easier to access, are congregated in larger, tighter bigger cities and towns AND are very active in the use of social media.

I understand what you're saying. In this case we don't need to move mountains. Almost 2,000,000 people voted on 114 and we lost by 25,000 votes. That means if we had changed 13,000 people's mind we wouldn't have lost. Most people don't look past the ballet title, and they are almost always written to be misleading. If we even educate a small number of gun owners and they have discussion with coworkers and friends about what's really in the bill we can move the needle. Not to mention signs and advertising. Ther other side spent almost $3 million to our $280,000. I really don't think it wouldn't have taken a lot to get those votes.

 

[Oregon Rob]

A lot of great points made here, thanks for everyone's input.