A reader came by with an idea of setting up a table at gun shows with a printer and some computers to allow people to write their representatives letters. I informed this person that my understanding is that due to the Anthrax scare, physical letters can take weeks to get to their destination.
Instead, I had an idea – what if you were to grab an old phone booth (mostly to keep the background noise down) and helped people find their representatives’ numbers so they could call? Right there, on the spot. Give them a few script-like paged, coach them a bit, and let them make a call. Sure, it’ll be the weekend and they’ll get voicemail more than likely, but in the end, it generally ends up being a tick in the “Does not support gun control” column.
I agree with Sebastian, a 9 to 1 pro gun to anti might sound good, but that should be 20 to 100 to 1 instead. Politicians are smart enough to know that sure, lots of people are buying guns, but if they can’t be bothered to make a simple phone call or show up, then they’re probably nothing to worry about in the voting booth.
Another thought, which is waaaaay too late in the game to make that big of a difference, would have been fliers to hand out at gun stores / shows to ask dealers to hand out with each purchase. Basically, something that says “Nice purchase, would you like to keep it? Then you better call!” and have a list of numbers for all state reps.
Might be worth thinking about. Black & white printing isn’t exactly bank breaking.
Thoughts?
Incoming Fire
Comments
I was planning to hand out fliers with contact info. I like the multiple script idea.
However, I haven't gotten any reply from the NRA with the hope of volenteering/coordinating.
Don't worry about coordinating with an NRA volunteer if they don't get back to you in a timely manner. You can still do what you talked about in the comments on our blog, and you were on to a good start.
I only suggested trying to hook up with another volunteer if they already had something planned. They might not. I'm not going to say that all EVCs or volunteers are on top of their game when it comes to that. Or, they might be working on some other idea.
I would suggest that, if you can, find a buddy or family member to help you out. Even if you're both in casual clothes, it looks more "coordinated" and serious if you have multiple people. If you can't find anyone else, it's fine. But, you might be surprised if you ask around. If you're kind of "taking charge" and are going to be there at the same time, more people are usually willing to lend a hand.
A 'booth' may not be what they should be concerned with...it all depends on where those people have chosen to vote from.
I'd like to think that there are congress-critters out there thinking about Claire's famous quote and wondering to themselves if it's no longer 'too soon' for a not-insignificant portion of the populace.
A smart promoter would also offer a free table(s) to pro-gun representatives. And potential candidates. Make 3 tables available at every show, first come, first served, to keep fringe candidates away.
I'm with Robb - this is the sort of thing we should be doing 365 days a year. One of the things that has infuriated me over the years is the NRA's reluctance to engage in supporting this sort of thing. The fix to that is Robb's idea of a national non-profit to do it.
Incidentally, it might pay to look into bulk mailing rates and rate reductions for pre-sorted mail. Those postage-paid envelopes from businesses don't cost the business 45 cents each.
And, I'd wager that a box of letters could be delivered by FedEx or UPS cheaper than USPS postage for each one of them. A box of 2500 letters would be disregarded if they were all form letters, but handwritten ones would have a substantial impact. And, a box of them wouldn't need envelopes, another cost savings.
Which means providing raised writing surfaces at the gun show table and pens on chains so people can write standing up and not have to hunt for a pen. Make it easy to do, a lot gets done. Posters behind the table with suggestions for key points to make in the letters would help.
Bitter - I wonder if scanning the letters and sending PDF files to Congressional email accounts would be worthwhile. Any ideas?
I second John Richardson's solution of faxing the letters. It's immediate, but still that written/typed letter in their hands.
Yes, you can do the many letters all at once, and it can be effective. However, I don't suggest FedExing them. If you're going to round up several hundred letters or more and deliver them to one lawmaker, have a representative who is well-spoken make an appointment and deliver them to the office in a box or binder. It is even more demonstrative that you're organized than them just getting a random box full of letters.
As for gun show promoters, many of them do offer up local NRA efforts a free table or two. However, it's highly dependent on whether they sell out or not. As for giving them to candidates, that sets them up for possible legal and in-kind donation reporting issues. It's usually better for candidates to buy a table. Now, if a promoter wanted to do something for the cause and not worry about in-kind reporting, they could contact political parties in the areas where they do shows and let them know that up until X number of weeks before the show, the promoter will hold a certain number of tables available for candidates to purchase. After that, they get released to dealers.
First on your phone idea, it would be feasible for someone to get a pay-as-you-go phone (or several) and set up the billing for you pay for every day you access it as opposed to per minute. It would be cheap and mobile. The only limitation will be if the show pulls largely from one Congressional district. It wouldn't be outrageous to assume that you could end up filling the voicemail of the DC office, but then you have the district office(s) to fall back on. Of course, they could fill up, too. The way that they temporarily won in Illinois was by basically shutting down the Capitol by overwhelming every phone, email system, and staffer. But, you need to have a plan in place in case the response is strong enough that you fill the mailboxes. The fewer district offices you have to fall back on, the more important it is to have a back up plan.
Second, the letters idea does have merit. But, it needs some effort and coordination. Mailing letters to the DC addresses is delayed by weeks, but I don't believe that the same applies to district offices. Don't discount the district offices! When I did my internship in the main district office of a Congressman, every constituent contact that needed a response was entered into a database that the DC office also used and basically downloaded a summary of every day. Every letter that came into our office got the same kind of attention and response of what went to DC.
The issue you have is that you really need three copies of every letter - one to their Congressman and one for each Senator. Getting them to remember to actually put them in the mail, that's another thing you have to worry about. However, there are a couple of ways around this. If someone is willing to donate envelopes and postage, you guys could gather them to coordinate mailing them individually. That could get expensive with a big response, though. (Though, if you did it and put out a tip jar for postage, one person throwing in a $20 will pay for 44 letters.) Another way around it is to have someone gather up all the letters destined for Congressman John Doe and see if he/she can get an appointment in a district office with a staffer to drop them off with a message that they sat down with a few of their fellow gun owners over the last couple of days and everyone had something to say. That person can then be a bit of a spokesman, but also deliver the letters from fellow constituents. They should politely let the office know that those folks took the time to write letters and would really appreciate a response. Most Senators have multiple district offices around the state, so they shouldn't be too hard to reach, either.
One final thought on letters is that you definitely want to make it as easy as possible for people. Many of our folks worry that they aren't good with words, so they just don't make the contact. They would like to, but they see talking to lawmakers as something that guys in suits do, not guys who work with their hands or someone who just has an "average" job. By the same token, if you help them out, you don't want to do form letters. It kind of goes the same with calling. If you want to have a script out (a great idea), then I would actually suggest writing up 3-5 scripts just to give a little variety and not make it sound quite so scripted. If each script has a little something different about the theme, it also lets the caller choose something that fits more closely with their concern or issue (i.e. competitive shooter, general Second Amendment support, say no to gun control with nothing else, address mental health & don't blame guns, etc.).