Rally Reports
I’m not at any of the pro-gun rallies scheduled for today. But if you are and want to let me know via email or in the comments, I’ll link that way.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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April 19th, 2010 at 11:49 am
I’m not there but the Brady Campaign is at the one in VA:
http://daysofourtrailers.blogspot.com/2010/04/brady-campaign-on-2a-march.html
April 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
So far the silence is deafening
April 19th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I didn’t go. From what I gathered, the numbers on the mall were insignificant (ie: my buddy had no idea there was a rally going on as he drove by the monument at 11:00 am).
The few stories I’ve seen about the “ared” rally in VA all state reporters outnumbered participants. And the pictures they have run (both in the Post and on Yahoo) haven’t been flattering.
Most telling, if you go to the official web page they have a big graphic to announce a goal of raising $50k by April 19. They’ve raised, by the tally on the page, $15,950.
This strikes me as a bit of a failure, as far as marches in DC go. Will it hurt our cause? Doubtful, but it isn’t doing much to help us either.
April 19th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
.
Well hell, I wondered at the wisdom of having it on a workday. After all, most of the 2nd Amendment people are responsible members of society, with jobs.
April 19th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I went to the one at the AZ capital building. Small group, several legislators and canidates spoke. The media was there to cover the new illegal immigrant law.
April 19th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Well, you know, here in Illinois we have our annual Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) in March and this year we had 7,000 folks in the march and then swarming the capitol building (on a workday).
Not one word in the major media outlets in the Chicago metro area, not in the Tribune, WBBM-AM Newsradio (the most listened-to radio station in the region), or practically anywhere else.
Next year we’re going for an even 10,000, so at least the crickets will have someone to listen to the chirping.
April 19th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
WPX
perhaps no word in major media, but I had clients from Illinois calling to ask if I had her what they accomplished (te answer, of course, was yes) and plenty of folks on Cap hill were aware of it.
I think the success in Illinois, on top of the hue crowds the two partiers generated raised expectations. The incindiary press statement prior to the march – and Mike Vanderjagerwagerwackoassholr made about bricks and windows only further ratched up the attention.
April 19th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Well, I was there and it was indeed disappointing as far as turnout goes, though most of the speakers were good. We arrived at 10 and left at about 3:30. I’d estimate the crowd of supporters at somewhere between 500 to 700 people at the peak. Probably about a third of the folks there were 65+, there was a handful or two of families with kids and I’d be surprised if the crowd was less than 97% white. Everything was calm and congenial as one would expect of sensible citizens. I didn’t notice any outside agitators though there were a few folks with a pinkish/purpleish banner saying something about the Black Panthers supporting gun rights and they proved to be a little obnoxious at times. There were a handful of John Bircher’s as well. Other than that, there was no real drama.
The high point for me was meeting David Codrea along feral son Uday and we had a nice chat for a couple of minutes. He also gave a very good speach.
If the crowd was representative of the militia movement as a whole I’d say that the movement needs to get down to some very serious PT and pronto.
Of course the NRA was there signing up folks or renewing memberships at a discount. But did they lift so much as a finger to help?
I know the whole marching on Washington thing is so very ’60s counterculture-ish and anathema to most of the folks on our end of the spectrum, and sure, the event took place on a Monday, but still, you’d think that on a fine spring morning in our nation’s capitol, a day commemorating the shot heard’round the world that changed the course of world history greatly for the better, that our movement of 80 million plus gun owners and citizens could muster more than a few hundred souls to stand up for our fundamental and essential civil rights. It’ll be interesting (and very predictable) how the media will spin this largely non-event.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Greg
I wouldn’t read into it that the NRA was there just because they had a booth there.
The NRA licenses (well, that’s not really the right term, they give folks permission) large numbers of people to work gun show, etc and shill for members. My understanding is that these folks get some reward for the numbers of members they sign up.
So, the fact that the booth was there, in no way signifies that Wayne La Pierre had anything to do with it other than some NRA member thought it would be a way to possible score a few members and raise his total numbers.
Of course, it doesn’t mean they weren’t there either. . . . .
and yes, I agree. Based on the picture’s I saw, the RKBA crowd could use some much needed PT (speaking as one of those guys who could stand to lose 20 or 30 pounds)
April 20th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Countertop, I’m not reading anything into the NRA’s presence at the event today. In fact, I’m positive that the only reason the NRA was there was to trawl for members/dollars. I renewed my membership at the booth today. After I had done that I spoke with one of the gentlemen manning the booth and had a nice conversation with him. I thanked him for all that the NRA has done over the last couple of decades for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which, in fact, is almost (but not quite) nothing. His name is Peter Goggin, Marketing Representative, Shows & Events NRAHQ, Fairfax. He stated that he was in charge of marketing for the NRA for the Northeast region and he gave me his NRA business card. I know that the NRA booth folks at the gun shows and other events are often just members who “volunteer” and get a small cut of the action for their troubles; sometimes for personal gain, sometimes going to their gun club or other related organization. The guys at the booth today at the Washington Monument were operating out of HQ, though they may well have had other volunteers there who aren’t on NRA’s payroll.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:53 am
Workday, most of crowd over 65? Duh, retired. Younger still working and trying to stay employed in this economy. Many more of them will show for the fight should it come, than showed today.
Not to mention, that most, like me, have suffered a death in the soul. A death of hope that this can be settled peacefully.