The Less Than One Percent Supporting The Right To Keep And Bear Arms

It is said that only three percent of the population of the 13 British colonies (that became the United States of America) actually fought in the revolution to overthrow English rule. On this past Saturday, by my estimation, only 1 percent of the membership of Long Island Firearms showed up to protest the evidently unconstitutional gun control law passed by the NY legislature and signed into law by governor Cuomo earlier in the week. There are over 6,000 members of Long Island Firearms, an organization that has dedicated itself to protection of our right to keep and bear arms on the local level. That only 57 signed up for the bus trip there and maybe a few handfuls more drove up on their own is absolutely shameful as far as I can see. Yet, that may have been better than the percentage of overall gun owners, in NY State, who showed up. It appears less than one percent of all gun owners in NY State participated in the rally and protest; the crowd maybe reached 2,000 at most.

I guess, like too many others in our nation, the firearms owners who did not attend can give as many excuses as there are days in a month about why they did not participate. Perhaps they can also come up with as many reasons as to why they seemingly, like so many on the left, expect someone else to do their work for them. I just don’t get it but I’ll be sure to know on whom to vent my anger if we lose this battle and it will not be reserved solely for liberals – there will be plenty to go around for the armchair conservatives and libertarians.

Getting back to the protest, the one in Albany, NY probably had a total of about 1,500 to 2,000 pro-Right To Keep and Bear Arms people at it. I have seen scant news reports about it. There was only one van there from the media, something called YNN News.

As for the folks who actually participated in the protest, they went at it 150%. Many came from different parts of the state and had a long journey to get there. It took the LIF bus about 3.5 hours to make it there. Once there, we piled out onto the street and realized, heck it was going to be a cold one. Not terribly cold but cold enough that you would not want to be standing around outside for 4 to 5 hours. I think we got there about 1030 or 1045. That was well before the noon starting time for the event. There was only a small handful of others there by then but sure enough, more protesters came rolling in. We all assembled in a park that was about one square city block around, surrounded by government buildings. Brendan and I went off to grab a quick sandwich and when we got back, at about 1145, it had already begun.

There were speakers from New York Rifle and Pistol Association, from the media, from the NY legislature, from pro-gun groups and the like. The speeches went on and on but to what avail since almost no one from the media was apparently listening or watching and thus would not spread the story. I saw a total of two news cameramen videoing the event and one guy, maybe a reporter and maybe not, going around interviewing people while recording audio only and none  of those there seemed to be working too hard.

I got a good amount of photos of the protesters using my phone camera (sorry I could not find my regular camera before we departed for the protest) and some of them appear here in this blog post. There were all sorts of folks protesting, from moms and dads with young children to octogenarians with canes and even one guy in a sort of walker/wheelchair.  People of every race were in attendance and it was obvious of many ethnicities and nationalities. There were tactical shooters, preppers, target shooters, plinkers, hunters, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, military personnel, security professionals, politicians, media personalities (a radio talk show host from Albany gave some good speeches), firearms rights organizers and just about any other type who had a love of freedom and who realized that being at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms has kept us free. My guess would be that there were folks there from most every political party found in the USA and all were pro-RKBA. As I said, the protesters were giving 150%, chanting and urging on the speakers always in support of our liberties to exercise our RKBA. They who participated have done something of which to be proud; I only wish there had been more of us there – many more of us. If we intend to win this battle, we need support from the whole firearms community – each and every one of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



This youngster apparently finally had enough
and seemed to be telling Cuomo where to go.

I guess it all went on until about 3PM instead of 4PM as had been planned but it started early and the point was made more than enough times by the time it broke up. Besides that, the size of the crowd was evidently dwindling somewhat by then; I am guessing though that there had to have still been 1,000 people then when it finished up.

Brendan and I are ready to do it again. I hope the next one is on a weekday when the legislature is in session and Governor Cuomo in his office and when the media decides to show up in good number (that last hope is probably pointless, why would they want to support us). Oh well, just one other thing for me to say. There was a handful of Albany city police officers there and also a few NY State troopers and some officers in plain clothes in the crowd with large dogs, as in K-9 units. The truth is, none of them were needed there since this was an absolutely peaceful form of protest by people who respected the property on which they stood while protesting. Never once did anyone in the crowd lower themselves to the likes of those in some of the Occupy Wall Street events I saw on the news; but then I never would have expected anything but decent respectful behavior from law abiding gun owners - at least until they are pushed too far - then, who knows!

All the best,
Glenn B