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On Being an Activist By Maria Heil, According to the old Webster's Unabridged Dictionary in my bookcase, an activist is "an individual who favors, incites, or demands intensified activities, especially in time of war." Intensified activities? Well, since I became involved with Second Amendment Sisters (SAS), my activities certainly have "intensified." I really, honestly thought that I was just giving five weeks to saving the Second Amendment when I accepted the position of Pennsylvania State Coordinator in late March of 2000. I was very new to "activism," and also very naive. What I didn't know going in was that this effort to keep our Second Amendment rights, our gun rights, intact was that this is not merely an effort, this is a war! Yes, I used the "W" word! We are battling a war to keep our rights. Granted, we are not actually physically arming ourselves and going into an actual battle, such as our armed forces are doing in Iraq, but it is a war we are engaged in, nonetheless. I was not aware of the scope of the attack on our rights. However, when I read on the so-called "Million" Mom March website in March of 2000 that "regardless of the interpretation, the second amendment is irrelevant." I knew that there had to be much more to these gun grabbers than "child-safety." It was simply astounding and very telling of the group's true agenda, to just relegate an entire section of the Bill of Rights to irrelevancy. It's the Bill of Rights, not some little resolution passed by a local township! The Second Amendment is merely one of the ten amendments which make up the entire Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights should be revered, not picked apart and trashed to fit a group's agenda. If a group doesn't like one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, or any of the other amendments to the Constitution, then there are procedures to follow in order to change our Constitution, or the Amendments. The question begs, "If the gun grabbers want to change the Constitution, why don't they just follow the rules?" The answer to that is, "If they followed the rules, the Second Amendment would never be repealed! People really don't want to be unable to defend themselves and their country." Contrary to what the anti-rights mob (yes, they want to take away your rights, and yes they do act like a mob at times) is saying, more people than not support the right to keep and bear arms. The anti-rights mob does have the movers and shakers in the mainstream media in their pockets, or at least believing the twisted statistics they spoon-feed them. It was my good fortune to have been a guest on "The John
Walsh Show," a daytime talk show hosted by John Walsh of
"America's Most Wanted" fame. I was amazed at the purely
anti-gun statistics that Walsh was spouting. Chief among his
out-an-out lies was his statement, "Nine kids a day die
from gun accidents in the home." (Emphasis added.) John
Walsh, a man whom so many admire for his work in catching criminals,
told a flat out lie on national television! Remember the old
adage, repeat a lie often enough, and people start to believe
it. Interestingly enough, one statement Walsh made when he and
I got into a debate over the statistics never was aired in the
final show. What's the biggest gun-rights group in the nation? The NRA?
Wrong! There are over 90 million gunowners in this country, and
the NRA only has about 5 million members. Remember, the media
has portrayed the NRA as representing all gunowners, but that's
not because they wanted to inflate the NRA numbers, it's because
the gun grabbers needed to create a single identity to attack.
So, if the NRA isn't the largest gun-rights group, then who is?
YOU ARE! If you own a gun, Granted, you are not an organized group, and you don't have a catchy name, but you do have the power, the power to make a difference. So, how can a person like you make a difference in a war? You don't have a television show? You're not a celebrity? You're not rich? Well, I guess all that means is that we are going to have to do this together, the old fashioned way. Think about it, 90 million people, that is an awesome number, even when you factor out the hypocrite gunowners like John Walsh, Dianne Feinstein, or Rosie O'Donnell ("I don't personally own a gun") with her armed bodyguard. Yes, I am telling you that you need to do something! I don't like debating an anti-rights mob member on television, but I do it. I don't like having a messy house because I am too busy doing SAS work, but I do the SAS work. I don't like spending time away from my husband and kids to make speeches across the country, but I do it. Why do I keep doing things I really don't like doing? Because, it has to be done by someone! I became that someone when I "stepped up to the plate" with Second Amendment Sisters in March of 2000. We all have talents, some of them hidden within, but they are just waiting for an opportunity to be used. What can you do? You tell me-after all, you know yourself best! But, the first step is for you to make a call or send an email to the pro-Second Amendment rights group where you think you can really make a difference. It's your choice, not mine. (Of course, I would love it if your choice were Second Amendment Sisters!) Below is contact information for a number of groups, in no particular order. I urge you to contact one and become active. You are part of the biggest gun rights group there is, now get involved with one that is organized!
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