by Michael Z. Williamson

Often, rot from within can destroy an organization faster than overt attacks from the outside. Here’s some more subversive thoughts on equalizing the playing field:

Membership in the MMM isn’t that expensive; many local anti-defense groups are even cheaper--on the order of $10 to join.

Why give them money, you ask? Well, as the ad says, “Membership has its privileges.”

Thinking of showing up to their meeting to trash them? They won’t let you in, you say? Pay ‘em the lousy ten bucks and show up. Take the stand and speak your piece, in front of the camera, under their banner. Your friends can do it, too; bring the whole gun club. The press can jump all over this as “dissension” in the group, and you may win a few converts. The harder they try to shut you up, the more you can hassle them. Demand a refund. Sue them if they won’t let you speak and won’t refund you.

Attend the meetings with lots of free stickers--you know, the ones that say, “This is a gun free home.” See how many you can hand out. If they get burgled after using one, point made. If they don’t take them, point made. If they refuse to let you hand them out, PRESS RELEASE! And be sure to clandestinely slip lots of real crime statistics, available from this or any other site, onto the freebies table.

Send letters to the paper, signing yourself as a member of their group. This will create so much confusion, they’ll be out of business before they can figure out what actually happened. Your choice is either a rational, compassionate, pro-defense letter (“State Citizens for Safe Firearms opposes dangerous gun locks and endorses child safety training. Signed Mr Smith, SCSF.”), or a flat-out, bigoted, frothing-at-the-mouth attack on gun owners. The more outrageous, the better. The worst they can do is ask you to stop, refund your money, and ask the paper for a page 45 “correction” that you don’t speak for the group.

Attend their rallies. Carry pro-defense signs. Carry signs so anti-gun-owner that they get headlined as “extremists.” I of course, do NOT endorse vandalism or misdemeanor assault either within the ranks or against gun owners, even if it would generate great publicity. Especially if you’ve ever belonged to a pro-defense organization that could have the blame shifted to it. 

If you can afford to, donate a chunk of cash, enough to get on the platform as a speaker. Have two speeches prepared by experts. The first mouths their party line. The second, which you switch to in front of the cameras, either announces your belief that you were wrong, and urging them to change sides with you, or is a rational admission that the other side has valid ideas that should be examined.

Once inside, one is privy to all kinds of things, like mailing lists. Like free handouts to take to “church” and “work” or any other euphemism for “dumpster” you can think of. This can cost them far more than your membership. You may even be able to get in charge of mailings and send out other literature to their members, like lists of people killed because they couldn’t reach a gun.

Think about it--if your local anti-gun group is 30 people, your gun club could move in, show up at a few meetings, vote a new president, and change the entire flavor of the group. Or you can just monopolize the first meeting you go to. You won’t convince the extremists, but some well-thought out questions can destroy any chance of them swinging fence-sitters who show up out of curiosity.

(c) 2000 by Michael Z. Williamson. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to copy this article in its entirety including this credit.
The above is an intellectual exercise only, and is not intended as advice. Before taking any action against a competing group, consult with your attorney as to legality. This is not necessarily an endorsement of any of the above by this organization, this website, or any of its management, visitors or members. Other articles by Mr. Williamson are available in his archive at http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/Williamson.