Today's Rally's in Salem & Olympia

[mac9990]

I was there until about 1230. I estimated the crowd at 1130 at about 1500-2000. I went to sign in on the tally sheet, only about 60 people had made their mark. This tally is what the news organizations go by. EVERYONE needs to be counted. Maybe four or so tally sheets around the outer perimeter, would be easier to access. The bikers were loud, but the loudspeakers were very weak.

 

[hermannr]

I'm guessing there was 50% turn out from the first rally..so about 1500 or so. The sound equipment sucked. Very nice polite people in the rally. I do think we need to change a few things though...

Ditch the annoying bikers. Both rallys they have been there. I think they are primarily there to show their bikes off instead of being there to support the 2a. Both rallys they fire up and drive off, making as much noise as possible in the middle of speeches. Very disrespectful.

Dont bring confederate flags...

Don't waive your guns around. Holster them and keep them holstered the whole time.

Dont dress in all black and be carrying a tactical AR. Not a good image for us.

These are my opinions on what we could or should change for the better.

I read this a couple of times to analyze just what rang so wrong with it...Oh yes "DON'T" bla bla bla.

What we need is: BE polite, be courtious, and be legal....all welcome.

 

[Karma]

I for one, appreciate greatly every person who was there to support the second amendment. I also think this issue is being looked at all wrong. I'm not going to these events to try to persuade others to allow me to keep my guns. I'm going to let them know they better not try to screw with my RIGHTS!I think there needs to be a bit more outrage at those who think they can take our rights. I dare you to walk upto a pro abortion person and tell them you are thinking about taking their "right". You would need your gun to defend yourself! That topic is off the table for discussion completely. Why isn't gun rights? Abortion kills far more children. Hell, its even funded with tax payer money. Try to get your gun publicly funded. More people than not consider themselves prolife now, so it isn't popular opinion. What are we doing wrong? Maybe we are being too damn polite and allowing any conversation. The other side does not. This is not meant to discuss abortion, but just to look at how the two issues are treated completely different.

Thanks again to EVERYONE who took time out of life to show up. The fact of the matter is that gun owners come from every walk of life, and that should be represented, from the tacticooled out guys, to the young lady casually dressed and carrying an ak pistol. I appreciate you all.

 

[Dapapadon]

On behalf of the lazy gun owners I apologize for having to go to work and needing to earn a living. Next time I'll be sure to ask the bank if I can skip that months mortgage payment because I had to go to a rally. I'm sure my boss will understand too.

Really.... that's all you got? I can shoot up a days pay after taxes on a couple of range trips. It won't make me miss a payment.
We had 3 or 4 weeks notice on this, I put in for the day off. I made the last one by arranging to go in a few hours late.
So, really, tht's all you can come up with?

 

[coyote223]

I was there until about 1230. I estimated the crowd at 1130 at about 1500-2000. I went to sign in on the tally sheet, only about 60 people had made their mark. This tally is what the news organizations go by. EVERYONE needs to be counted. Maybe four or so tally sheets around the outer perimeter, would be easier to access. The bikers were loud, but the loudspeakers were very weak.

I was there for about 2 hours. Until I realized my parking meter ran out. Never saw the tally sheet going around, didn't get to sign it.

 

[oli700]

On behalf of the lazy gun owners I apologize for having to go to work and needing to earn a living. Next time I'll be sure to ask the bank if I can skip that months mortgage payment because I had to go to a rally. I'm sure my boss will understand too.

awww you got a mortgage ? me too

There are folks with legitimate excuses for not showing….you knows who you are and this isn’t aimed at you.

There were very few people who had a legitimate excuse for not showing up to this.
There is a level of dedication that is not there in America. The dedication that made this country what it WAS.
My expectation is most likely different than others and that’s fine.
I don’t believe I am special or in any way better than anyone else BUT I do believe I posses the level of dedication that made this country strong and unbending to the wills of those that will have under their thumbs, I have the American spirit burning in my blood.

I drove over mountain passes in ice and snow, 200+ miles , one way.

I don’t have extra income, my wife lost her job.
I have not had a raise in years and I have taken furloughs at work for the past 3 years….that is a day we have to go home with no pay, a missed day taken off your pay, a pay cut. I scheduled a furlough day for yesterday so I could go,We get to give those ONCE A MONTH
If I couldn’t do that it would have been a vacay day
if not that a sick day
if not that I would make something up…..yes I would lie to my employer to attend this.

I am not in the best of health either.
I have worked like a slave since I was 17 years old, wore out parts. My job leaves bruises on you at the end of the day.
I have had a tree fall on my head, chipped variable in my neck and permanent nerve damage ….
I played 8 years of football, every joint of my body has had an issue, 5 broken fingers, broken hand….
I raced dirt bikes for years…..One torn MCL in EACH knee, a broken foot, broken collar bone, dislocated shoulder……
I have been told I will have to have a hip replacement before I am 60

Standing on the pavement for 4 hours with my knees locked hurts, all my EX injuries ache , places numb from nerve damage…….
I stood net to people in wheel chairs,
I stood next to people with canes,
I stood next to people who don’t know if they will find a job in time
I stood next to people from other places where people have given up

In the military the government tells you what you stand for, they do great things and are brave for doing it.
Citizens chose to do it on their own accord, no one helping, no one coaching, not having the confidence that an entire Army at your back brings but instead stepping out of their comfort zone to the mix finding like minded folks, finding a way, finding this all on our own time, our own dollar.


This is my dedication level and I have A LOT left in the tank…..

I’m sorry if my expectation level is too high but the facts are that this is the dedication level need to retain our way of life, this is the level of dedication that it took to forge our way of life.

Those of you that ARE making a difference, I thank you, you know deep inside if you are

Those of you pissing in the wind and talking bubblegum, step it up and prove your worth or go to hell, go straight to hell and I mean that

That’s all I have to say , thanks for listening

 

[mac9990]

There was no tally sheet going around, they announced it. It was on the Appleseed table.

 

[Bigfoot]

I think that dressing like an Occupy Anarchist hurts the cause. I was happy that most people in the photos looked normal, but the newspapers don't print normal

He's got a point, the media wants to make us look crazy and dangerous, don't help em.

 

[ls2gto]

There were very few people that had a legit excuse for not showing up to this.
I am disappointed in the turn out, this one was in the works for longer than the 19th rally and the 19th blew this one out as far as attendance.

As for as who to "ditch"......this I still a free country and I know I wasn't personally invited to go to this and the bike clubs probably weren't either , but at least they showed and swelled numbers, made folks take notice.
That I a s#!t ton more than a lot of LAZY gun owners did. Aside from the few that really had a legitimate excuse for missing it , the rest of you reading this and know inside you could have and should have been there, go to h#ll, give your guns to real patriots......your anonymous typing on lame forums, your emails to your enemies get nothing done, getting off your lazy *** does.

Some people didn't like what others were wearing! OMG that is the exact mentality that is trying to undermine our entire way of life. People are so blind, so self centered that they think someone wearing black is going to give gun owners a bad image.....What gives them a bad image is weakness, lazyness, bickering about wardrobe, day of the week, parking, cold weather, loud motorcycles, sound systems....some states only had bull horns....spoiled , entitled prima donnas are what comes to my mind when I read their weak willed, titty baby list of offences that people commit .

Everybody always worried about what other people are doing, make sure your doing the "right" thing in your eyes and other will do what they thing they need to do. It was a good diverse crowd , with the same common goal.

It's the idea, the show of people, everything else is second fiddle. I'll show for the next one and I hope to god all the black wearing ar15 toting people and bikers show because I would gladly stand beside them and fight for our rights

Its quite obvious you are not an analytical minded person. The liberals/left/democrats have a well thought out, calculated plan against us and our 2nd amendment. We must be even more calculated to over come this issue. We already know the media is biased and will make us look stupid or discredit us in any way, shape, or form possible. So when you say its fine for us to do or say or wear whatever we want... then you would be a fool. They will use this against us and make us look stupid/crazy.

Why shouldn't we fly the confederate flags at the rally? Because they will call us racist bigots and inbred white trash. That will discredit us.

Why shouldn't we wear all black and carry a tactical AR? Because they are already scared of the tactical looking guns, you dress like you are getting ready to go on a mass shooting or look like you are some kinda whack job that is obsessed with guns, then that doesn't help us. We want to look normal and say to the rest of society " hey! we are just like you! " not make us look like out casts. The media and libs have already used this against us and will continue to. We don't want to feed them more ammo on this situation. Don't believe me? Why did the state capital staff freak out and request a bunch of police for friday, because they were scared that we were nothing but gun psychos waiving our guns around. These are the people we are trying to convince! We have to connect with them at some level to gain their trust. Showing them that we aren't crazy gun toting psychos is just that. You should pay attention to what the media and the left say about us...

Why should we holster the guns and keep them holstered? Well that's pretty much common sense, but i'll go ahead and explain that to you since you aren't analytical minded. There are dumb people out there. Some one will bring a loaded gun to the rally and swing it around and likely drop it or discharge it and make us all look stupid. How does this make us look stupid? Well, we are saying guns are safe and they don't hurt anyone, its the people that hurt others, but then we accidentally discharge a gun at a rally and possibly kill someone. That will absolutely destroy our whole argument. We are the pro gun people but then we can't even control those guns ourselves...

In closing, don't be a fool. We must be smart, calculated, organized, kind/polite in our rallies or we will lose.

 

[Mark W.]

wow this is productive lets work real hard at pissing each other off.

 

[Mezzovex]

On behalf of the lazy gun owners I apologize for having to go to work and needing to earn a living. Next time I'll be sure to ask the bank if I can skip that months mortgage payment because I had to go to a rally. I'm sure my boss will understand too.

I showed. I had to work, told my boss I was not coming in. I didn't even take vacation. My gun rights are worth more then only one days pay. If you can't pay your mortgage because you missed one days worth of pay, then you shouldn't be buying guns at apacolypse pricing. Give up tv or your Oreos, not your gun rights.

 

[Provincial]

I was at the Salem rally Friday. It was respectful and orderly. This is important to get the message across that we are good citizens. I didn't stay past 2:00, but it looked like the grounds were left clean and neat, a factor for which we were complimented about for the January rally. Believe it or not, the legislators observe and consider this!

The State Troopers were also complimentary. They felt that we were very orderly and were respectful of them. At this point I believe that they regard us with respect.

I was part of a small group that visited our State Senator. He conveyed the information about the orderliness and cleanliness. He also verified that the police presence was the same as an ordinary business day at the Capitol. He indicated that the Legislature has a focus on other issues at this time, and barring an incident that creates a negative image of firearms, they are unlikely to take up Burdick's bills.

That said, there are key legislators that control the process, and they should be contacted to reinforce the impression that gun owners are responsible and should not be penalized for actions of criminals and the mentally ill. Communications need to be reasonable and rants will only damage our cause.

My overall impression is that we have a good chance to block further restrictions on firearms, but there is still a serious risk if an incident happens or a key legislator is pressured by the other side.

 

[James 61]

This thread is the first I've heard that there was a rally going on in Olympia. I would have gladly made the drive from Vancouver if I had know about it. There appeared to be plenty of announcement about the one in Salem but nothing about Olympia. This probably explains the poor turnout in Olympia. Hopefully a better job of spreading the word happens before the next rally. Maybe making announcements about rallies a sticky would help keep it at the top of the page and increase its visibility.

 

[ARKLITE881South]

I keep hearing that nobody knew about these rally's, then, its OUR RESPONSIBILITY on this site, to pass the message on to EVERY MEMBER of this site. Remember Paul Revere? He PASSED the word, its up to US to pass the word, some of us failed this time. Make it better next time, a lot better. Put more and more effort into contacting people, and stay on them, post signs , talk about it in the line at wally world, bimart, grocery stores, every where you go, tell some about the next one. I was there i was a little disappointed at the turn out, but, i talked to quite a few people who, like me are very set in their 2nd amendment beliefs. And, that's what it takes to keep it alive, THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER.

AND, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED now, next time all of us invite, and or BRING 3-4 people who didn't get the message.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

This thread is the first I've heard that there was a rally going on in Olympia. I would have gladly made the drive from Vancouver if I had know about it. There appeared to be plenty of announcement about the one in Salem but nothing about Olympia. This probably explains the poor turnout in Olympia. Hopefully a better job of spreading the word happens before the next rally. Maybe making announcements about rallies a sticky would help keep it at the top of the page and increase its visibility.

James, you would certainly be welcome in Salem, there is no ID check! I understand that you would rather make an impact in your state, but if that is not an option for some reason, welcome!

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Fellow Members, I'm going to whip out a liberal mantra on 'ya! "Can't We Just All Get Along?" Part of our problem is that gun owners tend to be individualistic, leaders not followers, and most of us aren't a bit shy! When we see or read something we don't like, we speak right up! This is both a weakness and a strength. When we see that our 2A rights are under attack we cry out, but when we see differences in how we cry out or how our views on 2A differ we go after our fellows like rabid Pit Bulls! Those who call for moderation become sissy, appeasers. Those who call for a tactical image and ostentatious OC become provocateurs. And, boy, do we go at it! Before the January 19 rally, I was one who heatedly urged that we shouldn't show up with AR's, etc. I was wrong and I freely admit it. I don't believe that it had an impact, good or bad. What did matter was our numbers, and our over all demeanor and conduct! So, I have learned to take a step back and keep my yap shut when some little thing about these events PO me! And believe me several things have! I will be at the next rally with as many others as I can muster and I swear I will be tolerant! I hope that we all can! See you there!

 

[RyanGun]

I thought it was great. Of course, the more the merrier, but for me, coming from liberal Portland, it was really nice to be surrounded by such great company. I called friends, made facebook posts, and ended up getting 3 people to come. We all enjoyed. Next time I'll get more, but moderates are hard to get on a workday.

As for non-moderates, or REAL patriots, take the bubbleguming day off unless you really cant...but you know you can. If you dont care, maybe sell your guns to someone who does. ...maybe. Not to be a dickhead, but we really need you in case you havent been paying attention to the national discussion and the absurd amount of asinine legislation being proposed. They WILL get some of that bubblegum.

The speakers were good, but I had to leave at 12:45 (did not drive) so I didnt get to hear the entirety or enter the capitol. And as for the bikers, "hell yeah brothers!".....I think it was more a weak PA system than loud bikes. That being said, it would have been nice if they parked and hung out instead of doing drive-by's during speeches that we were already having trouble hearing. No big deal though, I'm a motorhead.
I would have liked to see a younger crowd. Im 26, but I'll see if I can recruit some youngsters. If you're a parent and have teenagers, bring your damn kids and tell them to bring their friends, maybe they'll learn something! Take them out of school like my dad used to do to go skiing! They wont argue.

And I do agree with the sentiment of being well-represented. Its great when people are orderly and the irrational anti-gunners dont expect them to be. If they want to take your ammo away, take theirs too! Im all for being whoever you want, but I personally made the decision to shave and come well-dressed (relatively). Only because I'd like to make a good showing for the more suburban demographic. You all know how the media works! They are not on our side. I like to speak well, dress well, and be polite, but thats just me. You can represent whatever demographic you'd like! I can argue well, so I dont have to be intimidating or offensive. I have converted many liberals, and I never did it with force!

Overall it was very positive and I felt I was in great company. So whens the next one? And any idea who to contact if I'd like to speak?

edit: lol, this is my first time posting any swear words...i was wondering what all that bubblegum bubblegum was about!

 

[James 61]

James, you would certainly be welcome in Salem, there is no ID check! I understand that you would rather make an impact in your state, but if that is not an option for some reason, welcome!

Thank you Sgt Nambu for the invite. I was invited by my friend Kimber Custom but I didn't get the txt he sent me inviting me along until I was walking out a dr.s appointment and he was already on his way. Besides I had a term paper that I needed to finish up and turn in Friday. If there is a time that the Salem and Olympia rallies are not on the same day I will consider it. (I'll also make sure I get my term paper done sooner so I can go.)

Also right now I want to put my support here because we have an ammo tax and ban on private party selling to defeat and an SBR legalization bill to support.

 

[RB87]

He's got a point, the media wants to make us look crazy and dangerous, don't help em.

The problem is no matter who shows up, the media will demonize gun owners how ever they want to fit their agenda. Tea partiers can take all the pictures they want of them standing arm and arm with minority groups but they'll still be racists. Same with various groups who are supposedly conducting a war on women, they're evil sexists. Despite the NOW ladies supporting Clinton after his intern affair, they're still taken seriously. After awhile, it makes no sense to keep dancing to their tune, they're leading you.

 

[oli700]

Its quite obvious you are not an analytical minded person. The liberals/left/democrats have a well thought out, calculated plan against us and our 2nd amendment. We must be even more calculated to over come this issue. We already know the media is biased and will make us look stupid or discredit us in any way, shape, or form possible. So when you say its fine for us to do or say or wear whatever we want... then you would be a fool. They will use this against us and make us look stupid/crazy.

Why shouldn't we fly the confederate flags at the rally? Because they will call us racist bigots and inbred white trash. That will discredit us.

Why shouldn't we wear all black and carry a tactical AR? Because they are already scared of the tactical looking guns, you dress like you are getting ready to go on a mass shooting or look like you are some kinda whack job that is obsessed with guns, then that doesn't help us. We want to look normal and say to the rest of society " hey! we are just like you! " not make us look like out casts. The media and libs have already used this against us and will continue to. We don't want to feed them more ammo on this situation. Don't believe me? Why did the state capital staff freak out and request a bunch of police for friday, because they were scared that we were nothing but gun psychos waiving our guns around. These are the people we are trying to convince! We have to connect with them at some level to gain their trust. Showing them that we aren't crazy gun toting psychos is just that. You should pay attention to what the media and the left say about us...

Why should we holster the guns and keep them holstered? Well that's pretty much common sense, but i'll go ahead and explain that to you since you aren't analytical minded. There are dumb people out there. Some one will bring a loaded gun to the rally and swing it around and likely drop it or discharge it and make us all look stupid. How does this make us look stupid? Well, we are saying guns are safe and they don't hurt anyone, its the people that hurt others, but then we accidentally discharge a gun at a rally and possibly kill someone. That will absolutely destroy our whole argument. We are the pro gun people but then we can't even control those guns ourselves...

In closing, don't be a fool. We must be smart, calculated, organized, kind/polite in our rallies or we will lose.

Well sir that is your opinion, try mine on for size.
You and everyone like you are part of the problem.
You bow down to the will of others and then try to impose your will on everyone else. People like you would have a dress code for a 2nd amendment rally. Permit only the ones who pass the requirements to represent the masse. You are what's known as an easy win. You come play my game and play by my rules, I'll win every time......just like the media and politicians have already conquered your free will.
The entire idea of America is based on diversity.....Just because you were born here and own a gun doesn't make you a patriot. I am not about to get in the mud with you Benedict, as much s I appreciate the free psychoanalysis and your somewhat keen eye for the obvious need for firearms safety I will leave you with this Mr. Nice Guy.....
Ask the fine citizens of New York State what bowing down to the media, politicians gets you

If you're going to be a turd go lay in the lawn, and the lawns in California....I here they have real fashionable gun rallies there