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Mommies Membership Meeting

poetdante

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
449
Location
Louisville, KY
Their "SMART" campaign is actually common sense, good guidelines. Sadly, they'll probably contort it with their rhetoric and ********.

I too found that disappointing. When I spoke to them how I liked their gun storage advocacy they said they wished it would go further, with guns in one safe and ammo in another, in another room. And for ALL guns to be locked up, parents shouldn't carry their guns in the home. Etc.


I had very high hopes for the group when I went to their first meeting, but I soon heard a lie in every statement they made, and every action they took.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
Since they are so committed to the SMART program, perhaps they will work to get it taught in all of our schools, so every child can benefit from learning gun safety. What are the chances of them doing that?

zzzzzzz....eeeee.....R......ooooo, even on a really good day, me thinks.
 

Ahareht

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
42
Location
Kentucky
So I did confirm today that TJ Unitarian Church does indeed have "no weapons" signs at their entrances. So if you come on the 17th best to conceal or leave them in the car. Honestly, I plan on attending just to see what they're up to.
 

poetdante

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
449
Location
Louisville, KY
So I did confirm today that TJ Unitarian Church does indeed have "no weapons" signs at their entrances. So if you come on the 17th best to conceal or leave them in the car. Honestly, I plan on attending just to see what they're up to.

Great job! Should be an interesting meeting.

I came across this image posted to their FB page today. Doesn't the grey-haired man in the middle look familiar... I'n guessing it's from the event on Broadway today.
MDA post 4.10.16.jpg
 
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Ahareht

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
42
Location
Kentucky
Well I tried to attend the meeting today, but Mom's hired private security it seems just to bar me entrance. I do find it funny that the security guard made a point of telling me he had his CHL. He didn't explicitly say he was carrying but he implied it, funny because the church is a gun free zone. Anyway, the members I met with outside the meeting were very friendly (like always Valor is a crowd pleaser) and a couple even remembered me fondly from Frankfort.

I'm disappointed however that they barred me despite never having any negative dealings with me or the fact that I'm a registered member of Mom's Demand Action. I have reached out to some of their members online, so we'll see where that goes.
 

BB62

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
4,069
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Well I tried to attend the meeting today, but Mom's hired private security it seems just to bar me entrance. ...
Hey, if upstanding citizens like us can't come to the meetings, then at least maybe we can force employment of yet another upstanding citizen!
 

Ahareht

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
42
Location
Kentucky
BB62, Absolutely none was provided. Since I have never had any interaction with MDA, I was curious myself. I didn't press the issue on site, as security was extremely nice (we talked about guns for 30 min or so outside the meeting), but I have written the national chapter inquiring why I have been banned without cause. I'll update you if they actually get back with me, but worse comes to worse, I'll ask in person at the Lexington meeting this Saturday with Dante.
 

poetdante

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
449
Location
Louisville, KY
You were probably banned, along with anyone who was in Frankfort in February. I wouldn't put it past them to have our photos in a folder at meetings to make sure we are recognized lol.
 

BB62

Accomplished Advocate
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Aug 17, 2006
Messages
4,069
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
BB62, Absolutely none was provided. Since I have never had any interaction with MDA, I was curious myself. I didn't press the issue on site, as security was extremely nice (we talked about guns for 30 min or so outside the meeting), but I have written the national chapter inquiring why I have been banned without cause. I'll update you if they actually get back with me, but worse comes to worse, I'll ask in person at the Lexington meeting this Saturday with Dante.
Having previously had no contact with MDA, I find it more than a little troubling that the church rents out space, or gives it free (!) to people who refuse entry to people on no supportable grounds whatsoever.

I'd be speaking to the church leadership, in addition to your other forms of outreach.
 

poetdante

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
449
Location
Louisville, KY
Rather well. Not so much false facts and propaganda as they usually have. Most of it was "stories" of children who lost their life through finding unsecured firearms. Basically: lock up your guns. Not a bad message.

They had 2 speakers: an officer with Lexington police and a pediatrician who investigates all childhood deaths in KY (I forget what her title is, but she travels all over the state)

The officer was awesome. He was very pro-2A, talked about how he trains his kids and teaches them the importance of firearms, and even with KY cases of children finding firearms he never even hinted that "guns" were the problem.

The pediatrician was the other end of the spectrum. She, and the presentation in general, focused almost exclusively on suicide. As such they wanted people to keep all guns and ammo locked up, separately. The pediatrician said by eliminating all guns we can eliminate the risk for suicide by gun.

Only 4 people showed up to the meeting in addition to the 3 ladies organizing the group and police officer.

The head speaker, the one spending the most time on the presentation looked really shook up. She didn't speak as smoothly as she did in Covington (I think) and at one point I thought she was going to cry. One of the members did tear up and cry at the end as we (fiance, Arahart, and I) were walking out. Throughout the presentation I think she was constantly taking photos of us given that in a room meant to hold 80, having only 10 people total made it look sparse.

There was also some griping about how the CDC says gun violence is a problem but isn't allowed to do research on it. I voiced that there is a yearly CDC-related study on gun violence, the CDC does compile all firearm deaths and categorizes them each year, and the DOJ has a study on all gun uses in self-defense and police every year. The Center for Gang and Youth Violence does annual studies on guns. So the CDC doesn't need to WASTE money on more studies. But they wouldn't hear it.

Speaking of numbers, several of their slides were "from the National Shooting Sports Federation" on gun safety and handling. I found one slide with the cardinal rules of firearm handling, but nowhere could I find claims such as "do all adults in the home support having a gun?" They cited a couple of statements, but could not provide evidence showing that firearms were the most "successful" use in suicide. They also would not talk about firearm accidental child deaths vs non-firearm accidental child deaths, despite having an expert who has ALL the information on ALL child deaths in the state. I felt that given her body language and face, she KNEW the answer when I asked, but deflected saying it depended on the age group and region, etc.

At one point they also brought up how videogames have taught children to not appreciate "finality"; that in videogames you get second chances, can die and still win, etc. When we walked into the library many of the children at computers were playing shooting videogames.

There was also a heroin spoon in the parking lot. Kudos to the officer for saying a lot of factors play into deciding the "risk" of a neighborhood, and it's often drug related, especially with the heroin epidemic we have. Lots of focus on that. One interesting thing is that in KY, "home invasion" doesn't exist. By KRS it is either a robbery or burglary, depending on if you are home or not. As for the "random door kick-in", never (almost?) happens (according to him). It's always some connection, that someone knows the victim personally or there is some connection. Criminals don't "randomly go kicking in doors" apparently. Why do I bring this up? Because that is their reason to have all guns secured in your home. Granted he did not say to have them unloaded. Like I said, I liked this guy.


It will be interesting to see how they show this meeting. I just wish we could have taken some photos and posted their huge failure.
 
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BB62

Accomplished Advocate
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Aug 17, 2006
Messages
4,069
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Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Rather well. Not so much false facts and propaganda as they usually have. ...
Thanks much for the write-up.

The sentence I quoted above reminded me of one of the questions I was asked by a couple Miami University students this past Thursday. Basically, they were "What can we (gun owners) do?" and "Why can't the two sides get together"?

It was nearing the end of the class at that point, and although I said we could spend multiple class sessions addressing what "we" have done and would like to do, I also made clear the lies/misrepresentations of the other side that I've had personal involvement in. Of course, I said we all agree that 13 year-old gang bangers and mentally ill people ought not to have guns.

If I were asked the question again, I'd say that the two sides will never get together as long as one side stops engaging in lies and misrepresentations - if for no other reason than "How can one possibly reach 'agreement' about various things when one side has repeated shown a willingness, or even a determination, to cloud facts and/or demonize the other side?" You simply don't engender trust by such behavior.
 

poetdante

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
449
Location
Louisville, KY
Why was that not done? Would have thought that was SOP.

We sat in the front. There were very few people. And honestly I wanted to hear what they had to say. I think the shame of their failure reflected in their faces and the awkward atmosphere that was thick the entire event. Plus I had heard good things about SMART, how bad could the idea of securing firearms when children are around be?

I feel that the local leadership of the chapter is starting to see they are losing the war and winning few battles. They made more concessions on owning guns than demonizing them. Sure they tugged at heart strings to get sympathy votes, and they borderline skimmed on facts. However, I chose not to mention the number of cases where children used firearms to defend themselves. Where an unsecured firearm saved a life in a home break-in. I read a dozen every month in American Rifleman, and see others pop up in news feeds on FaceBook. I believe that 36 children were killed by the misuse of a firearm in KY last year, including suicides. That number is unfortunate, and gun storage is part of the solution. They were polite enough to acknowledge that it was a way to help, not prevent all or even one death, just a simple way to potentially help. They even praised concealed carriers for usually taking measures to secure guns in homes, but not in cars. It was an interesting event.

I felt, the enemy was defeated that day, before the battle began. If they said things that were true, and offered some reasonable suggestions, even giving ground to arguments that we have made to them, well, why kick someone when they're down. If Moms Demand Action was not funded by a man heading a coalition of politicians who's goal is to disarm the populace, I could see Moms Demand Action being a force of good. Unfortunately, SMART is the nearest, and not-to-say without needing of improvement, program they have. And when "well if we can't take your guns...yet...we can at least make sure you don't hurt people with your own stupidity for owning them" becomes their selling point, you feel like there is hope for their members yet.
 
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1245A Defender

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,365
Location
north mason county, Washington, USA
Wowwie!!!

Well I tried to attend the meeting today, but Mom's hired private security it seems just to bar me entrance. I do find it funny that the security guard made a point of telling me he had his CHL. He didn't explicitly say he was carrying but he implied it, funny because the church is a gun free zone. Anyway, the members I met with outside the meeting were very friendly (like always Valor is a crowd pleaser) and a couple even remembered me fondly from Frankfort.

I'm disappointed however that they barred me despite never having any negative dealings with me or the fact that I'm a registered member of Mom's Demand Action. I have reached out to some of their members online, so we'll see where that goes.

cross posting here,,, the moms had a meet near Seattle,, like yours, this week, see this thread
its a long one that you dont need to read about general meets in the area, sooo
start reading at page 35, post 1378,, enjoy... http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?93687-Whatcom-County-OC/page35
I cross posted your meet to the Seattle thread too..
 
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