How the mighty seem to have fallen. I first wondered when a few months ago a friend of mine noticed that their domain was in redemption, basically meaning they hadn’t renewed it, and the registar was giving them a grace period where they could get the domain out. We had designs on grabbing it and using it to promote a pro-gun message. Alas the folks at New Jersey Coalition for Self-Defense got it before we did. We’re happy it at least ended up in the hands of a pro-gun group and not a domain farm. Their previous page can be found here, in case you were wondering.
Of course, this could just be some carelessness on the part of a volunteer, or on Bryan Miller’s part. I know he’s been rather busy lately losing in Trenton on his gun rationing scheme, so renewing the web site might not be much on his mind.
But a quick look through GuideStar shows they haven’t filed a form 990 since 2000, which means they are below the $25,000 income threshold for years. A quick search of New Jersey’s public charity search turns up nothing. The last address listed for CeaseFire turns out to be a church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
But a quick check of their incorporation status turns up something interesting. From 2003 to 2008, their incorporation status was listed as suspended. They reincorporated last June, using a law office as their agent and mailing address for the corporation. Bryan Miller is listed as the incorporator.
I now believe CeaseFire New Jersey to either be entirely the creation and pet project of Bryan Miller, or very close to it. This likely means that CeaseFire is, in fact, effectively defunct as a political entity, even if it remains incorporated in name. In short, there is absolutely nothing backing up Bryan Miller, except perhaps his relationship with the media. For the “Garden State’s leading organization devoted to reducing gun violence,” their grass roots look an awful lot like a barren field of dirt. Legislators in New Jersey fearing Bryan Miller can threaten their seats should fear not. CeaseFire New Jersey truly is a paper tiger.
CeaseFire New Jersey truly is a paper tiger.
But it’s not.
n short, there is absolutely nothing backing up Bryan Miller, except perhaps his relationship with the media.
It’s a propaganda wing. You can fight it by pointing these facts out on his blog, until the reasoned discourse takes over, but he still exists to spew forth for the sheep.
It’s not legally, in the sense that it’s an active corporation, but they aren’t raising any serious money and I’m going to bet don’t have many or any volunteers. In terms of the things that really keep politicians awake at night, Bryan doesn’t have it. The only card he can play now is being able to embarrass politicians who don’t vote his way through his media contacts. Granted, that can be a powerful card, but with the media in decline, it’s becoming less powerful. Real grass roots trumps media any day of the week, if you can get your grass roots motivated and engaged.
The same thing effectively happened to Josh Horowitz’s Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. They could no longer afford actual offices and now work out of their homes. Apparently he’s now working w/ the Joyce Funded JHBSPH on a book.
Virtual offices for small non-profits are actually a trend that probably won’t go away. In fact, I don’t think it should, and I’d like to see it catch on even more. I wouldn’t consider that a sign of demise. As long as they have funding to do project work, they are alive and well enough.
Too bad. So sad.
I have NO problem being happy with the demise of such a group, because they were pursuing an unconstitutional, morally bankrupt, and intellectually untenable position.
Now … hopefully the Joyce Foundation’s endowments and investments are tanking, too.
I have been coming to different thinking lately … I used to look at these gun control groups as well-intentioned folks that were simply misinformed of the factors and the issues.
Now I am looking at them in a generally more scornful light.
Listen to this … it’s the committee hearing on a scheme in Illinois to punish those law-abiders who have a gun lost or stolen. I post it because the data and talking points taken by the bill’s sponsor, and by the Cook county state’s attorney, are all derived from Joyce Foundation funding, and Joyce Foundation-funded groups.
http://www.isra.org/legislation/media/HB845_testimony.mp3
I am begining to really dislike those people.
PS:
Todd Vandermyde, the NRA lobbyist for Illinois, KICKS ASS.
With only $5 to donate, maybe he should get a paper route.
A similar thing happened in Maryland. Maryland Ceasefire allowed their incorporations to lapse and owed money. So a member of the Associated Gun Clubs of Maryland bought the corporation lock, stock and barrel. Voila! Instant gun rights group committed to addressing gun violence in Maryland. The purchase also included the forfeited entity “Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse”.
The funny part is that Maryland law with regard to handgun approvals was written to allow a member of “Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse” to have a seat (by name) on the Handgun Roster Board that approves handguns for sale in the state. The idea was the seats on the board would be divided between gun rights, gun control and neutral public parties. Because Ceasefire MD had acquired the rights to the forfeited corporation “Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse”, in one fell swoop the gun community got a seat at the table. Notably, “Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse” had never sent anyone to actually sit on the board and the seat had always been empty at meetings.
The sheer chutzpah of this did not please lawmakers. They passed an amendment to the law that changed the wording for that seat from “Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse” to “an organization that advocates against handgun violence”. I don’t know if they ever got the seat but the argument is “preventing gun violence” is still part of their charter but the charter is mute as to the method.
So now “Ceasefire MD” argues in favor of gun rights bills in Annapolis. :) Makes me smile. We don’t get many coups in Maryland like this but the efforts of one man with an eye on the incorporation list singlehandedly wiped out the public facade of the anti-gunners in this state. The Brady Campaign doesn’t even show up anymore because “Ceasefire MD” gets a seat at their table now.
Bitter,
How then are they really any different from us? Maybe the 2ABB should incorporate.
The difference is they get paid to work from home. We’re stupid and do it for free :)
So we’re a group of interns.
Sounds a lot like Florida CSGV (http://www.floridaguncontrol.org/).
The website is clearly beyond defunct, although I guess someone has been paying for the domain at least. The president and sole member, Arthur Hayhoe, has a relationship with the media that gets him quoted next to Marion Hammer when there is an article about guns. I don’t think anyone in Tallahassee has ever even heard of this guy.
Even though he’s the sole member of a defunct organization, he’s still got a lot of support in the drive-by media and The Party. He was quoted in the Press of Atlantic City as recently as Feb. 25.
– NF
Perhaps he just found a way to use taxpayer dollars to fund his propaganda?
http://www.nj.gov/oag/ceasefire/
Except it’s not the same logo or name, and in their calendar of events, they don’t list any staff named Bryan as handling events, Greg. I can’t fathom a program like that would have more than one dedicated staffer, especially with how few events are happening. My guess is that they borrowed from the name (probably with Bryan’s permission or while the group was legally defunct there in the state) and are doing their own government program.
There are actually several different Ceasefire programs. There’s the blatantly anti-gun ones run by the likes of Miller et al. and then there’s the partially publicly funded ones like this and the one in Illinois that focus mostly on gang issues and conflict resolution.
Awesome news. Ceasefire is under the delusion planet earth is a civilized place. Bryan Miller still doesn’t realize that “police cannot police society and it is an individual’s personal responsibility and obligation to protect oneself. Our founding fathers understood and thus they enacted the second amendment to the US constitution. Miller should probably invest in breadcrumbs find a park bench and feed the Pigeons.
Nathaniel (#13) has it right.
It doesn’t matter whether the “organization” can do anything or not. It will still be quoted by news media and legislators as if it were important.
Well, if Cryan-Bryan Miller and his gun-grabber-group is really THAT broke, he could still earn some extra money for it by working as a clown at kid’s parties and similar events, right? I mean, the guy looks like he could be Bozo’s long-lost twin for Pete’s sake. All he would need would be some white greasepaint, a red bulbous nose, hair dye, clown shoes, and he’d be all set.