M-14 Rifle
Posted on 04/06/2003 8:48:22 PM PDT by grady
If you're a New Jersey resident who has had enough of the state's march toward the total elimination of the rights of law abiding gun owners, please take some time to learn about the New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense.
NJCSD is a new organiztion formed by frustrated gun owners who feel that they have no voice in the state and that no reasonably coherent agenda is being advanced in Trenton.
This is the first step for NJCSD which intends to carry a far more aggressive message to our policy makers and the general public than has been expressed in the past. In order to turn the tide in New Jersey, a constant and persistent presence is needed.
Your support is crucial if NJCSD is to achieve a presence that is significant enough to facilitate a change. Please read the Meeting Announcement below and try to attend.
A fundraising "Fun Shoot" is also scheduled for May 31st at the same location.
Please don't ignore this opportunity to learn more about the state of your rights in New Jersey and to contribute to the cause. Your help is the key. Thank you.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very proud to announce that the New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense is now officially ready for operations. We incorporated under Nonprofit status, and are very excited about our upcoming meeting, where we have a great many things to discuss.
Who should be there:
Anyone who thinks that the laws in NJ favor the criminals, and place normal law-abiding citizens in jeopardy... anyone who believes that the political landscape in NJ needs to change dramatically.
Place and Time:
Buckeye Gun Club, Sunday April 27th, 1PM.
Lunch will be provided (pizza and beverages). The Buckeye gun club is located at 501 Route 72 in Barnegat NJ (about 20 minutes South of Toms River). Please let us know who will be attending, so we can get a head count for lunch, and provide directions via Email.
Also, please understand that we are willing to move our meetings around the state to different locations, so we can bring our message to like-minded people in other areas, provided the loction can support our group. If any of you have access to a large conference room, or auditorium, please let us know, so that we can accommodate those who are not able to travel the distance to Barnegat.
What we'll be covering:
* Where we are, where we're going * Who's who in the zoo (our organizational structure) * How the NJCSD is different, and why we'll be successful * Membership packages and benefits * What you can do to help
What we'll be doing:
* Membership sign-ups * Raffles for fundraising * Fundraising sales (NJCSD T-shirts) * Recruiting Volunteers for field work and committee chairs * We are also working on a guest speaker
Why you should come
If you have to ask, you're in the wrong forum. (IMG:http://reefcentral.com/forums/images/smilies/eek2.gif)
It will be a good time for all, and we're looking forward to meeting again with all of you who have been on the board here, stirring the pot, to keep our community aware of just how wrong things have gone terribly wrong here in the Garden State. On behalf of the Board Of Directors, we look forward to seeing you all at our meeting!
M-14 Rifle
The existing gun-rights groups in New Jersey, if they have any presence at all, are purely reactive and only make the scence when harmful legislation is out of the gate. Of the groups listed, only the NRA affiliate, ANJRPC, is ever heard from, and when they do speak up, the argument made, both in the press and at committee meetings, is foucused on the negative impact of propsed legislation on competitive shooters.
They're inexplicably married to a politically correct approach and are satisfied with limited "competition exemptions" to broadly prohibitive legislation. This isn't acceptable.
In order to carry a more aggressive and proactive message, one that seeks affirmative change rather than merely damage control, a gun-rights organization must have a constant day-to-day presence in Trenton. It has to be an organization that is dedicated full time to lobbying and grassroots efforts and should be patterned after the model of Trenton's several successful lobbying organizations representing the state's business interests.
Right now, the groups that are out there, perhaps rightfully so, would rather go about their business of shooting and competing and show up only when a problem arises. By then it's too late.
NJCSD plans to make noise every day because there is no lack of problems that need to be resolved. To simply wait for the next problem to arise and raise an objection after a bill is already through committee is to concede that the last battle that was lost is no longer worth rectifying.
The business groups have it right...they never give the legislature a moment of peace. The gun groups are nice people who play nicely and get walked on.
NJCSD wants to do everything possible to change this but, like anything else, support is going to be needed.
If the old guard was getting the job done, the frustrated founders of NJCSD would have had no reason to get together independently, but we all know that is not the case.
Take a trip, see what it's about and judge for yourself whether a new group is necessary. Thanks.
But Coleus' post had good questions: Who are you? Were you once members of ANJRPC? Gun Owners of New Jersey? New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs? Are you still members of those groups?
Your website is vague, frankly. While I have no problem if a hundred pro-2d amendment organizations flower, I'm already a member of a whole bunch. And I won't join a new group before knowing whether it's a RINO accommodationist cover group for "reasonable" restrictions. With ANJRPC, you know it's part of NRA and, despite some personal quibbles I may have with NRA on occasion, they are responsible for the fact that we even have guns today.
So please, take another shot at answering Coleus' questions for Garden State Freepers.
We're all NRA members, some are ANJRPC members. We strongly support both organizations and agree that what little we have left is due to their presence.
Nonetheless, we feel that someone has to "take the fight to them" rather than the other way around. If we fight to prevent further losses, then there is no upward momentum and compromise will only degrade the situation. Active advancement of pro-rights positions is an option that absolutely must be on the table for legitimate consideration or regression will be the only movement.
Our interests are not in conflict with the other organizations. They are fully complimentary in that Trenton is more responsive to a variety of voices seeking the same ends. We are simply prepared to take a more, shall we say "confrontational" approach with the decision makers and are ready to be the constant, persistent, pervasive presence that is necessary to get attention. NRA affiliates are not always able to do this as they are often bound by the dictates of the national organization which has a longstanding interest in preserving cordial relationships with legislators.
New Jersey requires more focused attention than can be given from D.C. They have limited resources and cannot throw them away on battles that appear to be lost causes. We cannot expect NRA to carry our ugly load alone, so we have to change things enough that NRA can look to New Jersey in future debates and perceive a reasonable chance of success.
And I won't join a new group before knowing whether it's a RINO accommodationist cover group for "reasonable" restrictions.
NJCSD is far from RINO or accommodationist. Agreeing to "reasonable" restrictions is a losing proposition because, as you know, know matter how "reasonable" a postion may be, an organization will be painted as extremist simply for advocating gun-owners' rights. There is no sense in trying to appear reasonable when it is known that no pro-rights group will ever get the benefit of being labled as such.
If we fight hard, we'll be called extremists; if we compromise, we'll be called extremists who lost the fight. So, we may as well fight hard.
We want repeal of laws that make us feel like criminals every time we go to the range or even step out our front doors or into our cars. We want CCW legislation. We want the same rights that are enjoyed by those right across the Delaware River. We know we can't get those things today, but we have to start making a push for change at some fundamental level, or those things will never be on the table and the situation will simply continue to get worse.
Hope this is a more thorough answer. Let me know if you need to hear more. You'll certainly hear a lot more on the 27th, but we need to see that there are many others who feel as we do. We can't do it alone. Can we count on seeing you there?
Agreed. Proper Web development is something that needs to be done and we hope to have a topical and informative website that can be relied upon for up-to-the-minute information concerning the state of affairs in New Jersey.
We are operating out of pocket at the moment, however, so for the time being, the web site is limited in scope to the current forum format. When we get off the ground floor, these things will change.
A number of us have been meeting regularly for the passed several months and have been brainstorming ideas the entire time.
Some individuals involved have significant experience with Trenton politics and lobbying and NJCSD is designed to take advantage of that experience. Plans are already in place and operational strategies are ready for implementation. The meeting in Barnegat is the next step intended to bring the message to the rest of the state.
While there is no objection to continued communication on this forum or at the developing NJCSD forum, the biggest obstacle to getting momentum in endeavors such as this is the first step of getting people in direct contact and moving forward.
The meeting will in fact involve a vetting of ideas, but it will be much more than that as well. It will be the first opportunity for everyone who feels as you do to step up to the plate, meet other like-minded individuals who are ready to act - not just talk - and to get the whole thing off the ground.
Talking, brainstorming, and analysing are all necessary, but it's been happening in this forum and others for years with no progress. Internet communication is easy - any uncommitted individual can do it. Actual in-person head count will demonstrate a legitimate interest and commitment and that is crucial at this early stage.
NJCSD will continue to talk, but it is also moving forward and taking action. If you value your rights and sincerely want to see a change, please make the trip to Barnegat.
A lot of people have worked very hard to get it to this point, but it will all fall flat without supporters.
Many have said that New Jersey gun owners are uninvolved and deserve our current mess. NJCSD is counting in this to be untrue, believing instead that gun owners here have simply not had a proper vehicle to carry the message.
We know that Barnegat is a long trip for some...but if there are going to be future meetings at more convenient locations throughout the state, there must be a groundswell of support to justify continuation of the effort.
We sincerely hope to see you there.
Yes, we have an individual on board who is in charge of directing all legislative, regulatory, and political activity. This will not be limited, however, to committee testimony after a bill is posted. By the time a bill is posted for consideration in committee, its release from committee is usually a foregone conclusion.
Our legislative activity will be geared toward stopping bad bills cold before they get that far. That can only be done by increasing our profile and making sure that legislators know, well in advance, that they'll have to contend with stiff opposition.
This approach will also be used for advancing positive legislation, but everybody will have to do their part in getting friendlier committee chairs in place at the next election.
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