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Madison Society annual dinner: October 11, 2008

CA_Libertarian

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I went to the Madison Society annual dinner last year, and was the only person open carrying at the event (though I'm sure about 80%+ were carrying concealed). I'm sure you have heard me rant and rave about this group, but here's the basics:

1) The Madison Society is a completely volunteer, non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Check the NRA and such organizations, and you will find that they often have "foundations" which they control, but the parent organizations are by no means non-profit.

2) The organization was established for the sole purpose of litigating to restore our rights. (And they share my philosophy that there is no such thing as reasonable regulation - they seek to, eventually, completely repeal 12025, 12031, 626.9, etc.)

3) The Nordye case, which they are sponsoring, is our best bet to get incorporation - and it's up for rehearing in the next few months. (The NRA may stake some claim to the Nordye case, but they work under written agreement that they answer to the attorney hired by the Madison Society.) Oh, and they got to the 9th Circuit (twice now) on a budget of $60,000 (IIRC - might have been $50,000).

4) I just applied for membership tonight - my first ever joining of any such organization. Despite my fierce independance, I have found myself aligned almost 100% with this group. If you read my posts and think I got my head on straight, you should check this group out; they're unlike all the others (the one exception may be the CalGuns Foundation). Their motto says it well: "Freedom First, No Compromise."


So, the annual dinner is October 11, 2008 at 6:00 PM in Modesto, CA. If you can commit to attending, please post here. If we get enough people we can buy a table (discounted tickets) or two. Seats are limited (I think 200 tickets total this year), so they will probably sell out by mid September.

Also, this is their big fundraiser, so be sure to bring money for raffles, books, shirts, etc. I think they raffled off 8 guns last year and said they hope to double that this year. They also raffle off various other items: hunting gear, fishing gear, there was a wooden sculpture of a bear (carved with a chainsaw) last year, ... all sorts of cool stuff.

Let's show them some support for the awesome job they're doing. This is also a great opportunity for us to get together again!

ETA: They're having the same catorers as last year; great food! And free wine to help you wash it down!
 

prcE6

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I was reading about this on their website recently, and was wondering if there would be a concerted effort to attend the dinner en masse.

I'm in....
 

D*

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I'm interested. I like the thought of our own table. The prices aren't bad either, on par with the NWTF dinners I attend.
 

CA_Libertarian

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I plan on buying my ticket in the next week or two. If you're certain you will be attending please PM me and I will see about buying a table for our group... if there's enough interest. If you're not 100% sure, just wait and buy your tickets when you know for sure. You can pay online and they hold your ticket(s) that the front desk. Last year I got a ticket a few days before the event, but there's a lot going on politically right now, so I'm willing to bet it will sell out a little sooner.
 

prcE6

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Haven't bought my ticket yet, but I will shortly. Just trying to round up some more folks tocome with me.
 

CA_Libertarian

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PRC-E6 wrote:
Haven't bought my ticket yet, but I will shortly. Just trying to round up some more folks tocome with me.
You get a discount if you buy them in pairs; same discount as the table rate, in fact. Let me know how many you have lined up so we can pair up for discounts.
 

cato

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
due to lack of interest, we will not be buying a table this year. If you decide you're interested, buy your ticket and then PM me and I will try to save seats at a table so we can sit together.
Ya, we're just too spread out in this state (for now).
 

CA_Libertarian

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Dinner Report:

To my knowledge, Marshaul and myself were the only openly armed attendees, and it didn't seem we got much attention. As the evening was winding down, a woman approached us and asked a couple questions about open carry, then expressed her support for our activism.

The real news is what's going on with the Madison Society. For those of you interested in CCW reform, buckle your seatbelts!

The Madison Society, with financial assistance from the Cal Guns Foundation, is moving forward 'in the very, very near future' with a lawsuit that will bring suit against the state in federal court to challenge our current permission slip system. This suit involves multiple plaintiffs and will be filed in multiple jurisdictions (if I undstand that correctly). CGF is fronting the money to get the lawsuit started. (Madison Society has most of its resources tied up in Nordyke, so they're pretty much broke until they get paid when we win that case.) This means CCW reform is coming! Thanks to CGF the ball is rolling 6 months sooner than expected.

I'm sure there will be a post (or maybe there is already one) on CalGuns.net, but I don't want to assume everybody keeps up over there. I'll post a link as soon as I can find an announcement by Gene.

Further litigation news: Madison Society is moving forward with litigation for the restoration of gun rights. If your rights are suspended under state law they are also suspended at the federal level. After your suspension is up, the state restores your rights. However, the ATF will not. Apparently, they arbitrarily treat states differently. For example, they will recognize if the state of Arizona restores your rights, but not CA. This suit also has multiple plaintiffs.

The Madison Society is doing some great work. They are a tax exempt, non-profit organization working purely off member dues, donations, and volunteers. Their attorney, Don Kilmer filed an amicus brief for Heller, helping prove standing so the case could be heard. They are likely bringing us incorporation with their Nordyke case. Now they're spearheading CCW reform.

My hope is to bring 12031 and 626.9 into the organization's crosshairs. Even if that never happens, I support the Madison Society wholeheartedly. They need and deserve your support too. Here's what you can do to help:
  • Become a member - it's only $15!
  • Pledge monthly - they'll even send you a friendly reminder via e-mail. You don't have to pledge a certain amount, and can change it up every month to suit your budget.
  • Donate a firearm, ammo, or a remote controlled dinosaur (if you were there tonight you would be laughing right now) to be raffled off at next year's dinner.
Check out their website at http://www.madison-society.org.
 

marshaul

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
My hope is to bring 12031 and 626.9 into the organization's crosshairs.

What do you think it would take to accomplish this? Is there anything members of the forum here can do to get their attention? I'm also a member of the Society.
 

marshaul

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
The Madison Society, with financial assistance from the Cal Guns Foundation, is moving forward 'in the very, very near future' with a lawsuit that will bring suit against the state in federal court to challenge our current permission slip system.  This suit involves multiple plaintiffs and will be filed in multiple jurisdictions (if I undstand that correctly).  CGF is fronting the money to get the lawsuit started.  (Madison Society has most of its resources tied up in Nordyke, so they're pretty much broke until they get paid when we win that case.)  This means CCW reform is coming!  Thanks to CGF the ball is rolling 6 months sooner than expected.

This is what excited me the most. The current system is illegal and unconstitutional on so many levels that I imagine this will be an easy win.

I personally don't care much for concealed carry (for me it could only be the exception, never the rule), nor do I approve of carry permitting, but shall-issue permitting here in CA would do one great thing: it would enable OC activists in some of the "tougher" nuts to crack (like here in San Francisco) exemption from the school-zone prohibition, which could make the difference between OC at all times, and basically never.

I think it is especially important in California to demonstrate that the vocal minority are not representative of the people as a whole, and open carry has the potential to prove that, even in places like the Bay Area.

Also, once we have court-protected shall-issue, I would just *love* to be the person to sue Heather Fong for illegally revoking my permit as "punishment" for OCing.
 

CA_Libertarian

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marshaul wrote:
CA_Libertarian wrote:
My hope is to bring 12031 and 626.9 into the organization's crosshairs.

What do you think it would take to accomplish this? Is there anything members of the forum here can do to get their attention? I'm also a member of the Society.
Mostly, I think it's just a matter of time. They already tackled OLL persecution in Stanislaus County. Then they ramped up Nordyke. These two suits announced at last night's dinner have been on the back burner for at least a year. So to get OC in the spotlight we need to put it in the pipeline. Once we have Heller incorporated, it might be easy to get this ball rolling, but not before then.

Another thing we would need is a case. This is something Virgil McVicker mentioned last night: once one member has standing, every member of the organization has standing. This means if my rights get violated here in Stanislaus County, the organization can file on behalf of every member in their respective jurisdictions. I'm not sure if we would need a case like we've had in So Cal, or if we could simply request an injuction. That's something I would need to figure out with the board and their attorneys.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly: show them we support the organization. If you decide to apply for membership, donate monthly, etc, attach a letter stating that you appreciate what the organization is doing, but that you would like to see them address 12031 and 626.9 post-incorporation. Help them realize it's not just 2 guys that want this done. They will - as they should - serve the largest contingent of their financial supporters first. Right now Open Carry advocates are likely their smallest segment of their support base. That puts us at the bottom of the list. That's what we really have to work to change.
 
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