Attack on another gun rights organization

Agent Provocateurs Going After KeepAndBearArms.com Allies

from Brian Pucket
Co-Founder, Citizens of America

Ladies and gentlemen:

A COA correspondent recently received an email that contained a startling quote regarding COA. Here's the text of it:

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"Well we're glad to have you participating on our message boards, I did remove your posting about marathon.com because we have a policy of only promoting organizations that we officially recognize and it's definitely not in the interest of our organization to advertise Citizens of America.

I don't know how much you really know about them, but they're widely alleged to be a fraud. This is the opinion of many associated with various statewide gun groups that we associate with, and we don't want to promote them in the slightest on our website until questions about their fundraising and expendatures are answered. As of this time, COA refuses to report how much money they've collected or what it's really spent on."

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We at COA don't know which message board this was, nor who wrote the actual message, nor do we much care. Nor do we believe that COA is "widely alleged to be a fraud". However, our correspondent asked that we respond to this email, so here it is --

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COA has not received any unanswered inquiries as regards our expenditures. We would be happy to respond to any such inquiries. Just for the record, in the year 1999 (we began in September of that year) we took in (in rounded figures) $16,000. In the year 2000 just ended, we took in $102,000. We're sorry it wasn't $102 million, because we think COA -- or ANY organization doing what COA does -- could make a tremendous difference in halting the citizen disarmament agenda.

As require by law, we have ample records of all expenditures, including funds paid to run print and radio ads. Considering the relatively small amount of funds we've taken in -- most of which came in the form of $50-and-under donations from individuals -- we have been able to run, or help others run, an amazing amount of pro-gun advertising. This is due in part to the many stations that have run our ads for free as Public Service Announcements, or that have given us discounts because they believe in the cause, or because we're a non-profit corporation, as well as the dozens of community access TV stations that have run our program of repeating COA pro-gun ads at no cost to us.

There are no false statements on COA's website. COA is a CA tax exempt non-profit organization, and thus if it were a "fraud" we would be criminally liable.

In fact, I can't quite figure out where the "fraud" would be: The broadcast-quality radio ads that we produced are right there on our site, to be downloaded and used by ANYONE (and they have been). The publication-quality print ads that we produced are right there on the website to be downloaded and used by ANYONE (and they have been). We send out -- free of charge -- CD's, DAT's, audiocassettes, or VHS tapes of our ads to any legitimate radio station or individual that requests them.

COA has worked with or corresponded on pro-RKBA ideas with Gun Owners of America, JPFO, KeepAndBearArms.com, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and many others across the country. Call them if you wish.

COA is the creation of a group of dedicated pro-RKBA activists in the LA area:

* Steve Silver, co-founder of Lawyers Second Amendment Society and GunTruths.com;
* David Codrea, co-founder of Guntruths.com and nationally known gun magazine/internet writer;
* Dan Schultz, co-founder of Lawyers Second Amendment Society and GunTruths.com;
* Charles Carner, co-founder of GunTruths.com and a television and motion picture writer/director;
* Jim Houck, advertising professional and internet writer;
* and myself, Brian Puckett

Personally, I am not really enjoying the job of running COA. Like the writing I have done on Second Amendment issues, which I am humbly grateful to say has been seen fit to be published in national magazines and on many internet sites, I do it because I believe it's necessary. I look forward to NOT spending all my time on these matters.