A Gun Owner's Guide
to Campaign Work
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"...Obviously, we don't expect every NRA member to do everything. But there are enough tasks associated with a successful campaign that every NRA member must do something..." |
46 Days Left Until November 7!
This year's elections will determine the future course of our
Second Amendment rights for decades to come. In addition to
registering to vote and casting your ballot on November 7, it is
critical that you volunteer for the campaigns of pro-gun
candidates in your area as soon as possible. Whether you can
spare one day a month or a few days a week, any time commitment
will help.
Below is a summary of the activities you can expect to undertake
once you contact your EVC or the campaign directly. Please copy
and circulate this Alert to your family, friends, and fellow
firearm owners, and encourage them to take these actions as well.
CONTACT YOUR EVC
Your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) will be
coordinating many of the activities you will be undertaking to
assist candidates. Your EVC is an NRA member -- just like you --
who will be acting as the liaison between NRA members and gun
owners in your district and various pro-freedom campaigns. Your
EVC's name and contact information was printed on the cover of
your October NRA magazine. Meantime, you can get your EVC's
contact information on our website --
www.NRAILA.org\grassroots\evc
-- or by calling the NRA-ILA
Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT
Hunt Where the Ducks Are
While NRA boasts more than four million members, we need to
expand our corps of pro-gun political volunteers. That's where
you come in. You have the ability to increase our grassroots
impact by reaching out to your family, friends, and fellow
firearm owners -- informing them of the importance of the
upcoming 2000 elections; and getting them actively involved in
political campaigns in their areas. When recruiting pro-gun
volunteers, you should concentrate your efforts on the "natural
resources" of the pro-Second Amendment community -- gun shows,
gun shops, shooting ranges, and gun & hunting clubs. These are
the places where you are most likely to find supporters of the
Second Amendment, and, thus, where you need to focus your
efforts.
When visiting a gun shop, when shooting at the range, when
attending a gun show or gun club meeting, or even when casually
talking to your hunting or shooting buddies, use these
opportunities to recruit volunteers. And don't forget to contact
your friends and associates in your Rolodex or on your Christmas
card list! Whatever you do, though, make sure you get commitments
from those who have the most at stake on November 7. Get them to
commit some time to a pro-gun campaign, and then follow up to
make sure they follow through. Be sure you share these names and
contact information with your EVC, and pass along any relevant
notices you receive from your EVC or NRA-ILA to these new
volunteers.
VOTER REGISTRATION
Don't Let Others Choose For You
Sadly, there are some among our ranks who aren't registered to
vote. Maybe you know some of them. Definitely you've heard the
excuses before -- "I don't want to get pulled for jury duty...";
"It's too hard..."; and "My one vote won't make any difference."
Well, it's up to us -- more so, it's up to you -- to convince
these gun owners that these excuses don't fly. Let's briefly look
at each.
JURY DUTY. Gun owners know if the government wants to find us for
some reason, they'll find us. If you're not registered to vote,
you'll still probably get called for jury duty at some point.
Voter registration lists are not the only tool used for jury
duty. Your driver's license, state tax return, etc., may be used
as well. So don't neglect the most important individual political
action -- registering to vote.
IT'S TOO HARD. Most states allow mail-in voter registration
applications. You may also register to vote at the DMV or various
other state agencies. For an application for your state or more
information on voting, call ILA Grassroots, or you may complete
an on-line registration form at
www.NRAILA.org.
MY VOTE WON'T COUNT. Numerous elections and instances in history
have demonstrated the power of one vote. Problem is, it usually
isn't just one person who thinks that way, so the "one vote"
mentality actually translates into many votes. Consider a 1994
race for the U.S. House of Representatives turned in favor of an
anti-gun incumbent by an original margin of four votes.
Similarly, a 1998 U.S. Senate race was decided by some 400 votes
out of 400,000 votes cast! More recently, you'll recall, it was
just a single vote in the U.S. Senate (cast by Al Gore) that
passed the Lautenberg gun show ban.
CAMPAIGN SIGNS
Raising Awareness
Campaign signs are an integral part of a candidate's strategy.
These signs increase a candidate's name identification. With so
many candidates vying for so many offices, hammering a
candidate's name into the memory banks of voters helps ensure he
is remembered on Election Day. Signs are also an integral
component of the "good neighbor policy." While every voter may
not be familiar with every candidate, a well-placed campaign sign
on one's property conveys to neighbors that the candidate is a
solid choice. If your buddy next door feels a candidate is good
enough for you, that may be reason enough for him to cast his lot
for that candidate. Finally, signs serve as a constant reminder
that an election is approaching. Support for pro-freedom
candidates means nothing if a potential pro-gun voter forgets to
vote on Election Day.
Your role in assisting with campaign signs will mainly consist of
helping to assemble the signs (stapling & affixing them to
stakes), delivering them to voters who wish to display a sign,
and ensuring our "natural resources" have quantities for display
at their shop, show, range, or club. According to the Free
Congress Foundation, campaign signs can account for up to four
percentage points on Election Day!
LITERATURE DROPS
Spread The Word
As with campaign signs, distributing campaign literature helps
increase the candidate's visibility and educates the electorate
on his stances on issues. In addition to the usual places to hand
out campaign literature -- e.g., shopping malls, sporting events,
"back-to-school nights"-- make sure pro-gun candidates'
literature is provided to our "natural resources."
GET OUT THE VOTE &
ELECTION DAY ACTIVITIES
Crunch Time
The last few weeks of a campaign should be totally dedicated to
getting a candidate's supporters to the polls. This isn't the
time for debate, it's time for mobilization. Every registered
voter who supports the pro-gun candidate must be reminded to get
to the polls. Tactics include phone banks, going door-to-door,
and visiting gun shops, ranges, and clubs. Your GOTV efforts
should focus on the three "Ds" -- dialing, door-to-door, and
driving voters to the polls. In addition to these activities, you
may be asked to "work the polls" -- helping to place campaign
signs and handing out literature at the polling stations in your
area.
ATTEND A FREE GRASSROOTS-ELECTION SEMINAR!
More than two dozen of these free seminars have been conducted to
date, with nearly 20 more scheduled for the coming months.
Seminars feature candidates, lawmakers, EVCs, and ILA staff and
discuss what you can do in your own community to ensure pro-gun
candidates are elected to office on November 7. Topics include:
volunteer identification and recruitment, voter registration,
signs and literature drops, Get Out The Vote, and Election Day
activities. Remaining Seminars are scheduled in the following
states through mid-October:
Connecticut,
Florida,
Illinois,
Minnesota,
New Jersey,
North Dakota,
Oklahoma,
Oregon,
Washington, and
Wisconsin. If you're an NRA member in one of
these states and want more information on the seminars, or wish
to register for a meeting, call ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE.
WILL YOU ANSWER THE CALL?
Obviously, we don't expect every NRA member to do everything. But
there are enough tasks associated with a successful campaign that
every NRA member must do something.
If preserving the Second
Amendment isn't worth a few hours of your time in the coming
months, what is?
For more information on campaign activities in your area, contact
the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or visit
our website at
www.NRAILA.org.
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