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Hmmm...somehow I knew this might be a little bit like herding wet cats in the middle of winter.
Guys, it is not about having a forum. It is about establishing an organization to advocate for open carry rights in the State of Ohio.
1) Hare, I applaud your enthusiasm, and I'm not saying you shouldn't start any board you want. However, a forum is just a tool to use to meet some objective.
2) Eyes, I agree with you that it is not about one person owning a site, but it's not about the a forum nor a domain. Your post, #10, starts to get at my original intent.
3) TheQBN, nothing taken personally.
My point, to reset this thread a bit, is that I've been impressed with the Michigan Open Carry organization. (I have property in both states.) They have a clear set of objectives and methods to achieve those objectives. They have a clear set of by-laws, operating structure and executional organization. I believe there is, potentially, a need to start an organization in Ohio. A forum MAY be one of the methods to meet a stated set of objectives, among other methods, but it is not about a forum.
I started this thread with two objectives: 1) gauge interest/need and 2) identify individuals that are interested in helping to establish the organization, structure, objectives and methods. I firmly believe, if we want to have an impact, these need to be clear. I also believe that it won't happen with a broad "collective" of people trying to figure it out on a forum. JediSkippDog's comment is really close, it is about establishing an organization with clear objectives. My experience is that it will take a smaller group of individuals to figure out if there are a set of clear, achievable objective that can be established and a set of mechanisms we believe a broader group of people can execute. IF we can get a group of individuals, who have enough experience and insight to agree, then we figure out the best way to establish the organization including structure, by-laws, financing mechanisms etc. There are many ways to create an organization, but it is jumping the gun (pun intended) to assume what that organization might be (i.e. 503c etc.) However, a forum, a web page, meet and greets, governmental communications, et. al. come after we figure out the objectives, methods, bylaws, organization etc.
I'm not into "owning" this, but I do believe that I have the experience to work with a tighter group of passionate, knowledgeable individuals that are willing to commit time to figuring this out in the short term and potentially lead the organization in the longer term. There are lots of needs, if structured properly, for people that can execute, when the time is right.
If you think this is the wrong approach and think, through a forum with a collective, this group can figure it out, I will bow out gracefully. My experience is that, much like theqbn noted: "these kind of efforts spring up all the time and then die as quickly as they started." They die quickly because they are not organized appropriately and there is a lack of clear objectives and a leadership team in place to execute. I believe a forum with a collective, will die quickly.
As in my original post, if you think you have the passion, knowledge and are interested in committing time to figure this out, send me a PM. I'll try to get a smaller group together to figure out if we can establish a clear set of objectives and a framework to move this forward.
