Fellow Shooters and Hunters,
  Here's a novel idea for your next Gun Club function or a Friends of NRA event. Make it open to the public, and invite elected representatives to it. While still in the Navy and stationed at Whidbey Island, WA, our gun club had our first Friends event, and we put out flyers all the way to Seattle and darn near to the Canadian border. The turnout was incredible. There were urban folks showed up that never handled a firearm in their lives. I recall a single mom with an 8 year old boy, who got to shoot a pellet rifle and a .22 for the first time, and they had alot of fun. The mother actually decided it was a great sport for her son to participate in. All these people left there with a positive view of shooters, hunters, and firearms. The point I'm trying to make is, we have to get the public on our side. It is absolutely ridiculous to have these functions and just cry and moan amongst ourselves about how bad things are. Just what good is preaching to the choir doing us? 
  I'm living in Oregon now, but I am originally from Montana, a so called "Free State". I'll make no bones about this, there are alot of folks who moved to Montana from the "Left Coast" because of liberal agendas that they were tired of fighting. On the other hand, there's an increasining number of gun-banners and anti-hunter loons moving there as well. I hate to tell ya this, but your problems are following you around. The time to turn around and fight back was yesterday. 
  By the way, John McCain was in Portland yesterday, and he was busy schmoozing our Democrats here, and discussing Gun Control with the liberals. I'm not sure how the NRA grades him, but he's earned an "F" in my grade book. 
  As far as the lawsuits that plague us, as hunters AND shooters, I think maybe it's time we went on the offensive using the courts. After all, the best defense is a good offense. We need to put them on notice and make them spend THEIR money in ways they can't afford to. It's up to us to bring suit against a regulatory agency or gun ban group, and force them to show solid data why these laws or regulations are effective and exactly what impact they will have on crime.

Merwin.

I tried to find the article but I can't.  I am pretty sure that it was a delegate from either fairfax or Virginia Beach, but CRS is still hanging on.  Sorry.

Brad