Message From Cumberland Riflemen - THAT APPLIES TO ALL OF US!

[John Boy 6]

Attention members:

WE ARE IN TROUBLE!

Last week we had our 1^st General Meeting of the year. We invited speakers from the New Jersey 2^nd Amendment Society (NJ2AS) to give us their view of what the future brings regarding Gun Control efforts in the Garden State. ONLY 26 CLUB MEMBERS FOUND THE SUBJECT INTERESTING ENOUGH TO ATTEND. Five of the attendees were officers.

On Saturday, I attended a meeting by the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) in Franklin Township on the same subject.

Both those meetings were run by the associations doing the most in our state to try to stem the flow of BAD legislation being proposed in the legislature. If you think the battle is over or in a lull, you are sadly mistaken. There were on Friday some forty bills having to do with Gun Control presented in the legislature. By close of business on Monday, that total had grown to 76 (see attachment). Most of those bills have to do with some pretty onerous proposals of law which will gut the gun ownership in New Jersey. They are coming after all of us – pistol, rifle and shotgunners).

We as a group need to keep up the fight. We now need to write personal letters to each of our State and Federal Representatives. I am told that it is a rule that in this state, that hand written correspondence must be answered by the legislator. What better way to tie them down and spend their time not writing legislation?

It seems as if our past efforts have had some positive effect on the leadership of the Senate. Senator Sweeney wants to come across as a supporter of the sportsman. He comes from the western side of “South Jersey” from a rural constituency. However, his caucus, the group responsible for his election to the speakership is pressuring him to put forth some sort of anti-gun legislation. It seems that one political faction has as its agenda the embarrassment of the current governor. If legislation gets to his level and he vetoes it, a strong case can be made that he is pro-gun. If he supports it, the opposite case can be made. It will present him with a lose-lose situation - and will affect him in the next election, even with his 70% current approval rating. Be alert to the fact that there is going to be some legislation getting through. It is going to happen. It is my hope that it is not as onerous as what New York and Colorado Shooters are now LIVING WITH,.

There are over 1 million gun owners in the State. Regardless of what is said at the gun buy backs, people in this state still want to posses firearms – whether for defense or for sporting reasons. Just go into a gun shop and look at the availability of firearms and ammunition. There ain’t a whole lot there. If the one million of us each wrote a letter or two; if one million of us showed up to the upcoming rallies - planned sometime in the next six weeks to protest these bills as they go to a senate vote - then we can make a difference. The 1,300 of us who showed up in the rain and cold in Trenton can be assured that it caught the eyes and ears of some of the senate leadership. If we showed up in mass 10,000 or a million strong, then the politicians would be afraid of our power in the election booth. Right now…. well the introduction of 70 bills gives some inkling of who is not afraid of us.

There will be another Trenton rally called for by ANJRPC and NJ2AS. We have to make it a point to get off the backside and into a bus and get there. Your Senator may be on our side but the rest of the party needs to know that we are taking a united stand. If you think that this whole issue will be resolved in the Supreme Court – well it might but you may not like the results (especially if the composition of the court changes by hearing time or if the swing vote swings away from us). If you take the tack that “I’ll leave it to the next guy”, then please understand that to someone else, you are the “next guy”. That attitude that seems to permeate our ranks -26 club members for a presentation on endangerment of our rights seems to bear that out. I know that in some cases, losing a day of work is tough especially in this economy but if you value your gun, your freedoms, your current way of life then you best change your mindset. In my opinion, too many people have died to give us and preserve the freedoms and way of life we supposedly cherish. Where are you going to stand? Do you intend to stand up for your beliefs, your way of life? If so, then plan on attending the upcoming rally, meetings, or sit with us in the senate to show that we are united and that we will take a stand come election time. Remember that to not make a decision or take a stand is to do so.

Paul Adamowski

President CRI

 

Gun Bills as of March 23rd ...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/132322748/NJ-Gun-Control-Bills-as-of-03-22-13

[JrzyGuy30 0]

Just sent out letters yesterday. I will attend the next rally now that I have paid days off from my new job. Keep us posted!

[raz-0 1,259]

Perhaps I'm not going to every meeting put on by NJ2AS because I'll spend my time at the rallies, counter protests, etc. Perhaps they are getting around to spread the word and there isn't much point if you already know. Not every informational meeting is going to be mobbed. If you know people being apathetic, work on them.

 

It's not new news to a lot of us, and there are much more efficient means of keeping up to date than going to physical meetings all over the state.