| Fight the "Soft War" NOW! |
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| Written by Tim Schmidt | |
| Friday, 09 March 2007 | |
The following article from the U.S. Concealed Carry Association is reprinted with permission. I want to start by saying something very simple. I LOVE America... I really love my country. I love the history of America during the days of "The Revolution". On a quick side note, my wife bought me a framed reproduction of the Declaration of Independence for Christmas recently. We just hung it up on the wall in a very prominent position near our front door. It makes me proud to read that document! Okay, where was I? Ah yes... Tim loves America. I believe that the Godly principles that this country was founded upon are the sole reason for the success of this country. These principles are SO powerful that they've been able to carry a country that really no longer deserves the freedom it enjoys. (This is just my humble opinion!) I truly believe that a country gets the government that it deserves. If the citizens of a country are unwilling to elect honest & morally sound people to lead them, then they deserve what they get. If the citizens of a country are unwilling to fight to preserve the inalienable rights they were born with, then they will lose those rights. Over the past few years, I've gotten into the habit of reading the articles that "M-14 Fred" writes in every issue of ShotGun News. Fred talks a lot about the importance of fighting the "Soft War" now so we don't have to fight the "Hard War" later on. The "soft war" is a war of letters to congressmen, discussions with friends and political activism. The "hard war" will be a lot worse than most of us can imagine. If you haven't started your soft war yet, well I think it is time. Oh and by the way, the soft war is NOT... 1. Posting on internet forums explaining why the gun-banners must go. 2. Writing letters to the editor calling names and making unsubstantiated claims. 3. Complaining to your friends about the state of our country. Heck, doing all of the above things is EASY. Anyone can complain and call names. As usual, just like everything else in life, doing the RIGHT thing is usually the most difficult. Here is what I'm talking about. Here is the RIGHT way to fight the soft war. 1. Learn to communicate. Learn to persuade. These are both skills that can be learned. Heck, I've got a lot of books on how to persuade people with the written word. By the way, if you're trying to change someone's mind with logic, you're fighting a battle that you'll NEVER win. You must persuade and sell with emotion and only then can you confirm with logic. 2. When you write your letters to your paper or elected representative, appeal to human emotions. Tell emotional stories that people can relate to. Learn how to use these powerful tools to make your point. I guarantee you will be amazed at the results you'll see. 3. Don't worry too much about the big picture. Changing the way a society thinks is a BIG elephant to eat. This can only be done one bite at a time. So... What is the point of this giant diatribe? It is my attempt to motivate you to become a true warrior in the "soft war". Don't just send an e-mail to some nameless congressional staffer complaining about your 2nd Amendment rights. Come on...! Anyone can do that. I want you to take the time to teach yourself how to persuade. Learn how to be a "killer" communicator and then go out and put your new skill to good use. Here, my fellow patriots, is a perfect example of some excellent persuasive writing... This is an excerpt of a letter from a USCCA Member: *************** I don't hunt. Don't want to. That said, I support hunters because they've generally done more for land and wildlife management than most any conservation organization I can think of. But I don't hunt. The rifles and pistols I own and that I intend to purchase are not to shoot deer with; they are intended, if it ever comes to it, to shoot dirtbags, those who would callously attack me or other innocents. My guns are intended to defend my life and the lives of others. Because of that orientation, I had never heard of Mr. Zumbo, much less did I know who he was and is, until late last week. Since then, I have read his original blog post, his apologies and other comments, and many articles and forum entries by those who attacked him and defended him, who have forgiven him and who still refuse to. And in all those articles and entries, up to the original posting by and subsequent discussion of Mr. Zumbo's first entry here, I continue to see something which concerns me greatly. What I saw originally from Mr. Zumbo and others and what I still see is a disconnect, a mental and emotional separation of what they consider a hunting or "sporting" weapon and, well, everything else. Even when someone talks of hunters and shooters, my overwhelming impression is that they refer to "sport" or competition shooting as opposed to shooting intended to train someone for defensive combat. This concerns me greatly, very greatly indeed. Why? Because it offers me no hope that the majority of "sportsmen" will fight for my rights to keep my weapons. They're not hunting weapons, after all; they're not sporting weapons, after all. They're not OUR weapons, after all. This worries me because even now, Mr. Zumbo and others posting here don't seem to understand that I AM THE CANARY IN THE TUNNEL. The liberals, the Democrats, they will start with me. "You don't hunt, you don't have hunting weapons. You must be dangerous to us!" Some of you will nod your heads and not protest; they're not going after the hunters, after all. YET. They'll take me first because I'm a small group compared to hunters and "sportsmen." That will give them momentum and set a precedent. That snowball will get bigger as it picks up power. They may not need as much to get me as they do you; they don't care. They'll get what they need, just like the Australian government did; just like the English government did. Look at Australia. Look hard. Seen any guns? Rifles? Shotguns? Heirlooms? Anything passed down from father to son? They'll be hard to find; government picked them up and melted them all to scrap. INCLUDING HUNTING WEAPONS. And I'd be willing to bet they lied to the hunters before they did it, too; just like the politicians are lying to you right now. So, please, I beg you, help me to keep my defensive arms. Help me not because you like "black rifles", but because you like your scoped, bolt-action Remington 700; not because you're fond of AKs but because you like your Ithaca; not because you necessarily want me to keep my guns, but because I WANT US ALL TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM NO MATTER WHAT KIND THEY ARE. So maybe you don't like the NRA any more. Well and good. Try the 2nd Amendment Foundation; the Gun Owners Of America; even Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership (you don't have to be Jewish to join). By this time next month I intend to be a member of all of them--not because I agree with every line of their respective platforms, but because I know that a kind word and an active organization will get me farther with Congresscritters than a kind word alone. I invite you to join some of them with me. Please. Don't do it for me personally. I'm just a canary. Do it for you, so the gas won't flood the mine and destroy you as well. *************** The U.S. Concealed Carry Association, parent company for Concealed Carry Magazine, was founded in 2004 with the goals of being the ultimate resource for the armed citizen, promoting education and training, and working to return all gun control laws to a stutus of "Vermont" or "Alaska" style. Visit their website at www.usconcealedcarry.com for more information. |