imported post
Anyone who may equate my comments in this thread to possible paranoia may want to read again. All gun owners (and even non-gun owners) should play "what-if" games for their own defense on a semi-regular basis. That does not mean taking it to the extremes of barricading your home for when the Martians attack. It involves simple stuff such as walking into a restaurant and mentally making a note of all of the exits that you could go to in case of fire. Another example is when OCing in a crowded environment, simply knowing who is around you and what you can do in the small chance you deal with an aggressive and problematic individual.
With large gatherings that are politically based, it is always common sense to be extremely vigilant about your surroundings. A peaceful protest can quickly turn into a riot. The police can not always be trusted. These dinners are extremely successful and because of that are gathering national media attention (at least now that the guy carried the AR at the political rally). I'm sorry but I don't trust the government and especially not now. Obama, his administration, and his supporters do not want people to own firearms. They may not say this publically but they do not want power in the hands of the people.
We are not a militia group but just a bunch of pround Americans exercising our Constitutional rights to a peaceful gathering and the right to bear arms. That doesn't mean the media or the government sees it that way. Thesehigh officialssee large groups of people with guns as militias, anarchists, revolutionaries, and terrorists. Even though that is not what we are, I'd be shocked if the ATF/FBI/DHS has not already started investigating or at least documenting on these. I highly doubt our local, county, and state law enforcement would ever waste the time investigating any of this as this is Arizona and our law enforcement generally respects our 2nd Amendment rights. The feds area different story. I hate to break it to you but this is not a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." They don't want Americans gathering together and disucssing important issues, they don't want us exercising any of our freedoms, and they especially don't want us capable of resisting tyranny if we had to. They want Americans to sit in their living rooms remaining as stupid as ever, sedated in front of reality TV, preoccupied with their own dramas, and too distracted with their own meaningless lives to be thinking about anything of serious value. The last thing they want is for the "dumb masses" to suddenly start getting smart, reading important literature and materials, and then organizing. They definitely DO NOT want that.
With this in mind, we simply need to continue these dinners and other events but remain smart about them while doing so. I enjoy a good meal and great conversation which sadly is rare in a lot of circles these days. These dinners have really been quite excellent and I think the format used is good. Usually there is a sign up sheet and name tags as well as a time where everyone publically introduces themselves which is a great way to get to know each other. This makes it harder for someone to do something stupid. Any kook who shows up to defame us (such as pretending to be on our side and then starts spouting racist remarks to make us appear to be racists) should be quickly denounced and removed if needed. Anybody horsing around with a firearm (which has never happened and pray never will) will need to be kicked out and detained if necessary. Discussing these possibilities is not "paranoia" but simply being prepared to deal with anyone who may not truly be on our side trying to discredit the group.
That aside, I'm looking forward to the next meetup!
