As many of you know, I’ve been trying to recruit volunteers for pro-gun campaigns. I’ve had a fair amount of luck getting people on my mailing list, having roughly doubled it in size. But I’m having a real problem getting people to even show up at a rally with the possibility of great seating. I’m wondering whether I’m doing something wrong, or not making the right pitch.
One reason people court our vote is because when it does come for election time, sportsmen typically do turn out to the polls. But it takes more than that. Candidates have to see sportsmen, and they need to talk to them. They have to understand us, and understand our concerns. They don’t get that if we’re just a number buried in sheets of polling data. Already, in my district, I’m down to two endorsed state representative candidates. I have two other Republican candidates that didn’t even bother to turn in their NRA questionnaire this election, and so are big “?” in the voting guides.
Politicians aren’t going to notice us if they don’t see us at rallies, in the volunteer offices, on the streets, and in the election booths, and in their mailboxes. The reason my county is slowly pivoting from pro-gun to anti-gun is because sportsmen, who are numerous in this area, are doing nothing to prevent it. It takes more than voting and complaining. Gun owners and sportsmen really need to get off their butts and make the politicians pay attention to them. That means supporting the good guys, just as much as it means bashing the bad ones.