How You Can Help Us Win

Dear Friends,
     In the last few days since the American Rifleman, American Hunter, and America's 1st Freedom hit our mailboxes with my contact information, I've talked to concerned 2nd Amendment supporters across the 2nd Congressional District who have asked how they can help.  It has been very encouraging to hear from so many people willing to step up and take action to get the word out and elect candidates who support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
     One thing you can do is to sign up for the NRA's Frontlines. It is easy to do online and takes all of 5 minutes. There you can select a myriad of activities that fit your schedule, inclinations and talents. Some of the choices available to you include:

            - Registering pro-gun voters

            - Making phone calls

            - Contacting your lawmakers

            - Writing letters to the editor

            - Walking precincts

            - Attending town hall meetings

            - Yard sign distribution

            - Bumper sticker distribution

            - Election day activities/poll work

            - Literature drops

            - Working at campaign headquarters

            - Gun shows (registering voters, handing out yard signs, bumper stickers, & campaign literature)

            - All of the above

     If none of these things are appealing, you can also talk to relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers and hunting & shooting buddies. Topics include candidates who support the 2nd Amendment, the importance of voting, how they can join or support the NRA. Other great places to do this include gun shops, ranges, gun & hunting clubs, gun shows, etc. Just the simple act of wearing your NRA hat or shirt the next time you run errands can help.  I even heard one man suggest using an NRA yard sign as a sun shade in his car window. Use your imagination! If you have another idea, please send me an e-mail and I'll publish it here in a future edition.

     To all who have called or written to me asking how you can help, Thank You! Without people like you who are willing to get involved, our 2nd Amendment rights would be in an even more precarious state.  I really appreciate your patriotism, dedication and desire to serve.  These are the things that make America great.

     Sincerely yours,

     Tom Goffe

Lessons Learned, Part III

Dear Friends,
     At the NRA Political Victory Fund Kick-Off event last Saturday, the NRA's Manager of Political and Legislative Activities, Suzanne Anglewicz explained the NRA's endorsement policy.  As an organization dedicated to one specific issue - the preservation of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, they sometimes make decisions to support candidates with positions on other issues that NRA members might find irksome. Those positions do not and cannot influence the endorsements that the NRA makes. To do so would create a quagmire very quickly and dilute the value of the NRA endorsement. In other words, the word "Rifle" is part of the name for a reason, and we are the National Rifle Association and not the National Republican Association.  There is a fantastic National Review Online interview with the NRA Institute for Legislative Action's Executive Director Chris Cox that is well worth reading that gives a behind the scenes look at how endorsements are made. The official endorsement policy can be found on the NRA ILA's web site as well.
     Finally, Suzanne stated something that should be obvious to all of us - now is not the time to be complacent. While the explosion of interest in electing candidates with traditional values - including support for the 2nd Amendment - is heartening, we must take advantage of a rare opportunity. With the Supreme Court's decisions that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right and that the states cannot excessively restrict this right, both were decided by a single vote on the court. We need to ensure that Senators like our own Richard Burr who support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms are elected so that justices who oppose the Right to Keep and Bear Arms cannot be confirmed. At the state level we need to closely examine a candidate's support of the 2nd Amendment and elect those who will work hard to support and reinforce this liberty we all cherish. Even with the recent successes we must remain vigilant, engaged and dedicated. As I keep stating in this blog, you can contribute your talents and sweat by join me in working on the NRA's Frontlines.  I hope you will be able to do so.
     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe

Lessons Learned, Part II

Dear Friends,
     In her talk at the NRA Frontlines Kick-Off event last Saturday, Suzanne Anglewicz gave me another reason to help candidates who support the 2nd Amendment.  The short version is this: 2nd Amendment supporters clearly embrace the Constitution and the Constitution is the foundation of American liberty.  If you value your liberty, you will use it to work for candidates who fully support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
     This election there are many issues that concern all voters, regardless of ideology. Jobs, war, taxes, spending, schools, health care - they are all important.  But all of those issues have one thing in common: liberty. Liberty to decide who represents us, liberty to fully voice our beliefs and opinions and the liberty to hold our representatives accountable to our will. Opponents to our Right to Keep and Bear Arms hold that this right is different. It cannot be fully entrusted to us and should be limited based on local needs that in practice are subject to changing conditions. Indeed, gun control advocates would say it is not really a civil right but a privilege based on their "enlightened" perception of "modern realities."  I disagree, and no less an authority than the US Supreme Court does as well. In their recent decisions, they have stopped the march of tyranny and restored the rule and spirit the founders envisioned. That is why we support the 2nd Amendment, work for candidates who value this civil right and hold them accountable. Nothing less than liberty is at stake.
     As Patrick Henry once said, "When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: Liberty, sir, was the primary object." I think Governor Henry would be encouraged to know that 210 years after his death that the word "liberty" remains on our lips and the spirit still burns in our hearts.
     I hope that you will join me in working for liberty and continue to support candidates who embrace our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Learn more about what you can do and join the NRA's Frontlines.
     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe 

Lessons Learned From the NRA Kick-Off Event

     Dear Friends,
     Last night I returned from the NRA Election Kick-Off Event in Monroe, NC - just outside of Charlotte.  It was fantastic to see so many NRA members who gathered to learn what they could do to contribute their talents and effort to ensure a victory in the elections next month.  Suzanne Anglewicz of the NRA made a great presentation of how we as members and volunteers can achieve maximum impact in getting candidates who support the 2nd Amendment elected to office.
     One thing Suzanne emphasized was that people who support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms are pretty easy to find. Go to a gun store, a range, a gun show or a sportsman's club and you are certain to find like-minded people who share our interest in guns, the shooting sports and hunting. Many of them might not be aware of the importance of the coming election and how we have a unique opportunity to make our voices heard in the current political climate. We need to talk to them about pro-gun candidates, the importance of voting and recruit them to join us on the NRA's Frontlines. When we engage people in places like that, we are less likely to get mired in a time-wasting, unproductive and ultimately frustrating exercise. While the NRA has about 4,000,000 members, there are over 80,000,000 gun owners who benefit from our efforts on their behalf. We need to get out where they are and get them involved.
     Suzanne was joined by Tom Korman, North Carolina's very own Campaign Field Representative (CFR).  Tom is working full time marhalling volunteers to help in key races across the state. Not every state has a CFR.  His presence emphasizes just how important our state is to the NRA's overall national effort. Suzanne and Tom's powers of persuasion were on display when it seemed that after the presentation was over I did not see anybody who left without getting stacks of bumper stickers, campaign literature or signing up to join the Frontlines.
     That was not all that happened yesterday - far from it.  I'll talk more about the event and lessons learned in future postings.  Until then - get out, talk to your families, friends and neighbors and educate them about how they can ensure the future of liberty by voting for candidates who support the 2nd Amendment.

Sincerely yours,
Tom Goffe

NRA Endorsed Candidates in Our District

Dear Friends,
As it stands now, the following candidates have received the endorsement and support of the National Rifle Association.  I've included their campaign web sites as well as their official legislative office sites so that you can become acquainted with them.

United States Senate: Richard Burr (campaign web site)
US House of Representatives, District 2: Renee Ellmers (campaign web site)
North Carolina State Senate, District 7: Doug Berger
North Carolina State Senate, District 11: A. B. Swindell (campaign web site)
North Carolina State Senate, District 22: Harris Blake (campaign web site)

In the days and weeks to come more NRA endorsements should be forthcoming and I will update this list accordingly.  There are many races that are important to all of us where an official NRA endorsement has not yet been announced.

One thing that every candidate for office has in common is that they are competing for OUR vote. They want to work for us, and just like a job interview we as the employer need to evaluate their resumes, question them and make an informed decision on which one will do the best job for us as supporters of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. For now, I invite you to become acquainted with these candidates and to consider how you can lend your talents and efforts to their campaigns.  One great way to help out is to join the NRA's Frontlines - a group of concerned 2nd Amendment supporters dedicated to ensuring victory in the 2010 election.

Sincerely yours,
Tom Goffe