* Heckling is not free speech when it’s specifically orchestrated to drown out a speaker. It then becomes the opposite of free speech. One cannot “debate” loud, obnoxious, continuous catcalls.
So, last week when I saw this Illinois State Rifle Association notice to its members, I wondered how things would play out…
The gun control movement is on a roll in the northern suburbs. They will be holding a rally to recruit and organize new gun grabbers into their campaign to take your guns away from you.
IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ATTEND THIS RALLY!
As a patriotic firearm owner, you have a responsibly to defend our Constitution by challenging those who would tear down our Bill of Rights. If the gun controllers are left unchallenged, then they and their friends in Springfield will walk all over YOUR constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: Sunday, January 20, 2013, 2:00 PM
WHERE: Glenview Police Station, 2500 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL
(was: Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL)
WHO: This event is being hosted by a band of gun controllers including Mark Walsh of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence; Lee Goodman of Stop Concealed Carry Coalition and; Jennifer Bishop of the Million Mom March. These people are the real deal - the hard core top dogs of the gun control movement. These are the people leading the charge to raid your gun safe and confiscate and destroy your guns. These are the people who want to prevent you from carrying defensive firearms. These are the people who don’t care if you or your family members are raped, robbed and murdered by violent criminals. They only care about one thing - disarming you.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRO-GUN PEOPLE
1. Plan to be at the Glenview Police Station between 1:00 and 1:30 so that you can get a seat. At past events like these, the anti-gunners try to play a game claiming that the room is “full” so as to deny entry to pro-gun people. Our aim is to ensure that there are more of OUR people there than THEIR people.
2. Be observant of abuses of your First Amendment rights by village officials. Get the name and title of any official who attempts to suppress your right of free association, assembly and speech.
3. If you have an I-GOLD t-shirt, hat, or badge, wear it! If you have an ISRA hat or an NRA hat, wear it!
4. If you see members of the media there, don’t wait for them to come to you. Rather, actively approach them, tell them you are a law-abiding firearm owner, and then tell them that you adamantly oppose punitive gun control laws being proposed by the organizers, Obama, and Emanuel. Make sure the media hears our side of the story first, and often!
5. Bring your children, grand children, and other young people with you. They are the next generation of patriots. Let them see how effective grassroots organizing works! If there is a question and answer session, have your children ask the organizers why they want to leave kids and their parents defenseless against criminals.
6. Be polite, but be assertive. Do not let the anti-gunners shout you down. Defend your 2nd Amendment with passion. If you have a smart phone, video as much of the proceedings as you can.
7. Remember, this is our Lexington, this is our Concord. Be prepared to teach the gun controllers a lesson in Liberty.
8. Please share this Alert with your friends and family - encourage them to show up at the rally.
9. Please post this Alert to any and all Internet blogs and bulletin boards to which you belong.
REMEMBER - YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRESERVING YOUR FREEDOM - IF YOU DON’T DO IT, NOBODY ELSE WILL
Notice the token mention of politeness parachuted into the middle of an otherwise frenzied diatribe. “Be prepared to teach the gun controllers a lesson in Liberty.” Sheesh.
* And the gun guys were certainly fired up when the meeting started…
About two-thirds of the audience sported Illinois State Rifle Association or National Rifle Association hats or tee-shirts. Many held up “Don’t Infringe My Rights” signs. Many photographed the crowd and speakers with phones and cameras.
[Mark Walsh, campaign director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence] was the first speaker; he reviewed the gun control measures proposed last week by President Barack Obama and told the audience that a recent Pew Research poll indicates 88 percent of respondents support implementing stronger background checks at gun shows. Minutes into his presentation, crowd members began shouting him down.
Walsh later characterized the interrupts as pretty tame, but Walsh is known for his, shall we say, understated manner.
Look, booing is a natural human act. But it doesn’t have to be done in a way that drowns out a speaker at his own event. Liberty requires at least a modicum of civility or we might as well just all be anarchists. Even some of the gun guys understood that…
The crowd’s greatest criticism was reserved for [Lee Goodman, of the Stop Concealed Carry Coalition] and a commentary he read, which focused on “the babies – children and young people killed by gun violence.” Audience members yelled at him, asking his views on abortion.
Goodman said public support for stronger gun control has strengthened as a result of the latest mass shootings, but heckling continued until a gun rights advocate in the audience came to the front and asked everyone, including his colleagues, to be calm, reminding them that they were at the event to gather information.
* But this sort of stuff is most certainly wrong as well…
Things got really heated, however, when [Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins of the Million Moms March] displayed a photograph of a Nazi rally on a screen with the caption, “this is what a gun show looks like”. Following that he displayed a picture of a chihuahua with the words “this is what I think the NRA really is”.
Great. You got a room two-thirds full of gun rights activists and you basically call them Nazis and little dogs.
People gotta stop being morons.
* Meanwhile, a former Sangamon County resident tried and failed to get a charge of concealed carry dismissed…
A man charged with carrying a concealed handgun in Sangamon County is asking that the charge be dismissed because Illinois’ ban on concealed carry is unconstitutional.
A hearing on Donnell L. Jackson’s motion to dismiss a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon was continued Wednesday until Feb. 6 to allow the Sangamon County state’s attorney’s office time to review the legal ramifications of whatever action it may take.
Springfield attorney Daniel Noll objected to the continuance, which was requested by assistant state’s attorney Travis Strobach.
“Moore vs. Madigan makes it pretty clear this is unconstitutional,” Noll said. “There is no gray area.” […]
Jackson, now of Champaign, was arrested about 2:10 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2011 when Springfield police patrolling the 1900 block of South 14th Street saw a vehicle stopped in the road and a man wearing a blue, hooded sweatshirt walk away from it.
Police reports said Jackson was asked to remove his hands from inside the sweatshirt, but he removed only one hand. When he was patted down, officers found a gun in the sweatshirt, and Jackson was charged.
* Also, the pro-gunners have filed their response to Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s motion to rehear the federal concealed carry case en banc. You can read that response by clicking here.
* Related…
* Gun backers move to block AG Lisa Madigan
* Lt. Gov. Simon forming working group on concealed carry
