Between The Blaze, ARFCOM and various gun enthusiast and gun rights forums Connecticut gun owners have been beaten down by their own for “not doing enough” and “falling down to the man for registering” (not knowing, our guns are de facto registered with a DPS-3 or DPS-3-C at purchase and this new registration is simply a registration of a registration). There’s been no shortage of criticism towards CT gun owners by their own kind. The Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) has been actively getting people involved. With all the media coverage going on you’d think that ALL gun owners would know what is going on. Well you would be wrong. [See video above.] To those who say Constitution State gun owners aren’t fighting a few points to consider . . .

1.  Connecticut gun owners are pounding the pavement and getting the word out. They are organized and fully committed to replacing anti-gun politicians.

2. For everyone who believes it is so easy, you should try it sometime

3. Not everyone is as informed as you believe they are. Even with TTAG with its millions of page views, it still represents a small percentage of the overall gun owners who are informed and involved. I’ve met people at gun shops and even gas stations who do not know about the new CT laws.

I have a CCDL sticker on my SUV and have often found a group of people around my truck, not knowing if they want to kill me or talk to me, more often it is the latter — “Who are the CCDL” I am asked — I was once given a free Subway foot long by the manager after he saw my CCDL shirt and I explained the cause.  Not everyone is informed not everyone hangs out on gun forums all day long.  The few must actively inform everyone else.

Next time people criticize gun owners in CA, NY, NJ, CT or D.C. for not registering or not putting up some type of civil disobedience, perhaps they should ask of themselves — what have you done for gun rights today? As many like to quote “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” All of these fights are our fights. You do not have to live in Colorado to donate to the recalls campaign — you can fight by donating to various local groups like Calguns.

The anti-gun crowd has no borders (see all the places Bloomberg money goes; Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey have been to the NYC mansion for fund raising). Why does fighting for gun rights stop at the border of your state? Even here on TTAG I have been told to “clean up my own damn mess.” We cannot be divided on this fight. Obama’s term may soon end, but Hillary is next up on deck. Do you want the same anti-gun policy going forward? Because the left will demand it and she will give it to them.

2014 is here — will you vote?  will you get involved in something other than a forum?  Will you do more than just go to a rally with a funny sign?  While donating to the NRA is all fine and dandy, unless you vote in the primaries and/or work the campaigns of pro-gun rights politicians, it will not be enough.

CT is fighting — you can help us fight, you can help others fight or you can fight in your own backyard — this is an election year, the only mistake you can make is not to fight. How will you fight this year in a way that has real meaning? I am sure the AI will beat me up, but to what end, what goal, what value? Happily give me shit (I am already numb from the various forums), but then ask how will that forward the cause of gun rights we all want?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

104 COMMENTS

  1. Pascal I feel ya!
    I am stuck in California along with Dr. Vino so we know exactly how you feel. Fighting from a place of strength like Arizona, Texas, or other places is easy. When you are deep down in it, like we are, it is enough to give me blood pressure issues.
    Everyone in California is upset, yes I am being nice.
    That is an understatement, but we have progressives in Sacramento that seem hell bent on disarming us all! We worked hard last year and killed 80% of the laws that they threw at us. Some got through, but we are fighting. This year will be no different, we know they will be back again. Pushing the same or modified bills again!
    So for those who simply tell us to move, guess what we are saving you from this mess spreading like a cancer. We are the surgeons trying to cut it out before it moves to your state. Just ask the good folks of Colorado how they feel. New Mexico is also going to face a big push this year. Even good old Texas is dealing with a heated Open carry issue. We have not had open carry in California for a long time now.

    • “Stuck” meaning “I refuse to leave for greener pastures”. As I’ve pointed out countless times, if gun owners in Soviet States fled to Free States, the balance of power in Congress would swing towards gun owners to the point that no new Federal gun control laws could be passed and we might have a chance at improving things at the Federal level.

      • Yes, totesack, you’ve advanced your idea numerous times. Turn millions of people into refugees in their own country. Surrender territory, and by so doing admit the constitution is not the law of the land. This is your plan. And you wonder why no one is rushing to implement it?

        Might I suggest a new plan. At least if you want some credibilty here.

        • “Surrender territory”? More like choosing to fight another day on terrain of your choosing.

          Dispensing with the military analogies, we live in a federalist system that allows for and is designed to encourage people rewarding states that protect their rights and penalizing those that don’t. In my state, NY, the fight is nearly unwinnable (12 million commies/die-hard unionists in NYC Metro vs. 8 million normal Americans upstate). Better for us to leave the state and let it continue its slide into the next Detroit while we hook up with friendlies elsewhere.

        • The Constitution hasn’t been the law of the land since Lincoln wiped his ass with it in 1861.

      • Yes, he should totally pick up and leave for another state. To heck with his current obligations, whatever they may be. Job? Meh, who needs one? Food on the table for his kids (should he have any)? Little brats need to start earning their keep. And they’re probably fat anyways and could use a diet. Mortgage? Who cares how much debt he carries, that’s what bankruptcy is for.

        Completely giving the state over to the gun grabbers? Who cares, if we can’t win instant victories, it’s not worth the fight.

        Yes, he totally needs to move.

      • Tote – you’ve got cred to me. While you are moving to a deep blue state, swing by my place. I have some Molotov cocktails and a zippo for you.

      • You may have pointed it out, but that does not make you right. In fact, you sound like a prick. If you don’t have the stones to fight anti-freedom laws behind enemy lines, then you could at least withhold your criticism of those who do.

      • Hey, Totenglocke!

        Oh ye of the pack up and move to greener acres crowd; you must be enjoying the freedom of having little going for yourselves where you live and nothing to lose should you choose to pick up and scoot on down the road to another place of abode. Since it’s such a simple thing for you to pack up your guns and meager possessions, hop in a u-haul and truck off to your next apartment when you feel the anti gun heat, then you go ahead and do so, but mind you’ve got nothing to say to me nor anyone else like me who has roots, obligations, family and is invested in our community even if it is in enemy territory.

        Some folk tuck and run, others put up the fight because they refuse to retreat and pay a second time for the ground they have toiled and sweat to achieve. We of the ‘militia’ will keep resisting every way we can in enemy territory – so that your greener pastures be safe a little longer.

      • @ Totenglocke, No disrespect, but not every body (including myself) can afford to pick up and leave our blue states. Believe me I would love to but financially I can’t. With that said, I think Blog warriors are more talk than action, the powers that shouldn’t be should have been run out of town long ago, look at Egypt,they for the most part had no guns, we do. proportionally for the amount of people that protested in Egypt, over one hundred million Americans would have shown up. I felt P.O. about CT. when I first heard about it, but If a S.W.A.T. team showed up at your house at three in the morning would you really resist with the barrel of a gun shoved in your face.
        The only guy I know of so far that went all the way was the guy that shot the T.S.A. agent at L.A.X. and he was instantly demonized. You will need balls of titanium to fight this war, I think for the most part Americans are to damned scared to lay down their all to pay the price.

    • I would leave the state. But in reality if we ever hope to get that state back SOMEBODY has to stay behind in the resistance. For those brave souls who stay for THAT reason, they deserve some support from those of us safe on the outside.

    • Texas is a place of strength because we fight all the time, not like these other states that wait until its decades too late to wake up. You people seem to think our freedom was left under our pillows by the freedom fairy. It wasn’t. We fight the liberals constantly, and don’t wait until it’s too late to start whining.

      I’ve no doubt that the first two little pigs are decidely anti-Big Bad Wolf…….now. I’m just saying they should have thought about that when they were building their houses…..then.

    • This is a reply to Chris Mallory, I am not an historian so I’ll ask. What do you mean “The Constitution hasn’t been the law of the land since Lincoln wiped his ass with it in 1861”.

  3. i live in CT and theres been rumors that the state is gonna take those DPS-3s and cross reference them with the registrations and possibly track down what happened to the other rifles that were bought.

    not only that but if we dont register our AWs and magazines and we get caught with one, we will be classified as a felon after the fine and never be able to own a firearm again. your weapon and/or mag will probably be confiscated even when you just get the fine because you cant register it after jan 1st and will be considered illegal to possess.

    • My concern is that they will try to do that with Pre-2014 DROS records in CA. It would be an intrusion and power grab or immense proportions.
      I don’t want to speculate what it would precipitate….

    • What’s really ironic/awful is that even if you do register everything, some of the DPS-3s are so messy that there will be glitches when serial numbers are alleded not to match, etc.

      • There is already that same problem in the registration records; they are incomplete, have inaccurate information such as wrong serial numbers, and are behind.

  4. Vote. Give money. Contact reps. Schmooze with the great unwashed masses and maybe, just maybe, convert a few.

    • All of the above, anything but letting them drive you out of your own state. If you do, the example you set will make gun control follow you.

      “My fellow wankers in CT passed unconstitutional laws and all that happened was a bunch of gun owners ran before they could vote in the next election. I’ll do the same.”
      -Politicians in Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania etc. a few years from now.

      • If the courts won’t do their job to check executive power, then the statists will do whatever they want no matter the election outcome.

      • “If you do, the example you set will make gun control follow you.”

        Possibly, but that becomes less and less likely as more gunnies move. They have to go somewhere, and wherever they go, they’re strengthening the pro-gun movement in that state. If a million gun owners left California, that’s a million more pro-gun votes in other places.

        It could also give on-the-fence politicians pause, because we could then point to the millions in tax revenue that those migrating citizens represent.

        The best tactic, though, better than voting, giving money to pro-gun groups, calling your reps (all good things to do, but of limited value), is getting someone new to the range. Take a friend or co-worker and show them a good time shooting some steel, or just plinking at cans (reactive targets are always a hit with newbies). Show them that the media stereotype is false, that guns can be fun, and convert them. The money you spend on range fees and ammo that day could not be better spent in the fight for our rights.

  5. Robert sorry to say but America still has it’s head in the sand , many gun owners will still never vote, I have worked my area hard, and I have 100% congressman in the house, even gave out tons voting records, but if you look at The New American, freedom index we (the GOP) has a very BAD voting record , even Rubio ,(70%),McCain (44%)Kirk (60%)Ayotte (60%) , Hoeven (70%), Portman (70%), Graham (60%), Alexander (70%) ,Corker (60%), Hatch (50%), with a GOP sell out like these we are in DEEP TROUBLE , WE have a million tons of work to do and the DEMS all get a score of (0 %)…and the local records are bad too………

    • A “red” statist is just as bad as a “blue” one. If you’re dead-set on voting Republican, then get rid of the statists in the primaries, where they’re the most vulnerable.

      • Read my comment again the Dems have 0% the GOP is getting more liberal, and the independents are a joke they are getting nothing done ………It’s WAKE UP time or gun rights will go FOREVER in 2014 ……..COUNT ON IT…..

  6. Outstanding. Five ways around a wall…and when at the bottom of ladder the way is up. Mr. Silverman, I’m in Elk Grove and can assist in any effort.

  7. Well said Pascal. This law was carefully designed to paint all gun owners into a tight corner. Sandy Hook happened and the opportunistic pieces of shit who have wanted to ban most guns since the 1980’s finally saw their opening.The language makes it obvious that the same people who wrote Feinstein’s federal ban wrote this, or they just cribbed it. Assuming one can’t just up and leave, or has property out of state (which I am fortunate enough to have in VT) it is a very hard choice to make when all the facts are clear, including the severity of the penalties (felony conviction, prison time, permanent loss of gun rights and all the other horrid consequences that come with that) and the sheer variety of firearms and magazines that have been declared “assault weapons”. For example, the state banned all handguns with a threaded barrel. Some poor schmuck could have bought a P22 or SR22 years ago, never bothered to remove the thread protector, let alone buy the required adapter, and has no idea that he is now in possession of an “unregistered assault weapon”, because not even the grabbiest gun grabber would refer to a .22 plinker pistol as an “assault weapon”. As others have mentioned, the state has records of every gun sold at an FFL and every pistol legally sold FTF, so maybe they will compare databases to determine compliance. With the kind of absolute hatred that the current state government has towards gun owners, it is certainly possible.

    • Threaded barrel pistols, don’t get me started. The antis in CT have a long history of obsession with the concept of the “barrel shroud” that they think is the reason to have a threaded barrel. They obsess about MAC-10 type pistols and the concept of a non-suppressor shroud that allows a two-handed hold and facilitates the “spraying” of bullets. Going after threaded barrel pistols had nothing to do with .22 plinkers nor even CF pistols as hosts for registered suppressors, it was the shrouds they were after. Damned evil shrouds that emit brain-scrambling waves and turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into evil rampage killers.

    • Indeed it is a damn tight spot. This is not the hill to die on. Confiscation – THAT is the hill to die on, so to speak. Get thinking now, we’ll need to be real creative when that day comes.

  8. Hello from behind the lines here in NY state. If you want a glimpse into what those of us here in NY are doing, fee free to visit NYFirearms.com. Many of us that are are committed to fighting for our rights here in NY donated time and money to the recall elections in CO to try to stop the plague from spreading nationwide. Face it, once states like NY, CA, MA and CO fall, it will only take a few more before new Federal laws succeed where they have heretofore failed. Join us in defeating the gun-grabbers while this virus is still contained to a few “progressive” states.

    • Amen. It ain’t easy fighting behind enemy lines. Many of us dream of the freedom people in free states have, but if we abandon our homes to communists they will only be further emboldened. We in NY appreciate any help even if it’s getting the US Senate back in non- RINO Republican hands.

      • But be sure to stay home if the Republican has “only a 70% freedom index. That will show ’em,

  10. This is an excellent article. Points very well taken.
    Not being close to those areas, the only thing I could do was write folks I knew, write congress critters and donate money.
    I’ve donated to Colorado, CT, and CA. Not bragging, I’m just hoping that others know how easy it is to do. Especially when contributors here post links and make it easy.
    It doesn’t have to be much folks. 5 bucks here, 20 bucks there…
    Pascal is right.
    We need to get, be and stay involved.

  12. As a CT resident, I’ve made the decision to stay and fight. Yes, I could have packed up and moved to another state. Many have. I will stay and challenge these laws. I am a proud member of CCDL, NRA, GOA, SAF, and other organizations.

    I did register my magazines and firearms, begrudgingly and under duress. But I don’t want them to turn me into a felon over night so that the anti’s can point and say “See they really aren’t law abiding gun owners.”

    I do believe that registration is a step to their ultimate goal of removing all small arms from the population.

    There are organizations that are fighting the good fight in Connecticut and other “non-free” states. Some, I just financially support, and I am a very active participant in others.

    Colorado was able to recall two anti’s and get another to be forced to resign by her party so the party could retain control. (That says a lot right there, its about power and control, not the children.) We can win this. This isn’t a short, quick battle. This is a prolonged conflict. We will gain some ground and lose some ground before this is over, but we will be victorious. Our ideology is solid and rooted in facts and historical examples.

    Don’t turn and run now. Stay the course.

    • It’s good you guys are in it to win it. As Washington State gun owner that’s pisses me off that you guys are going thru what your going thru to exercise a right. I believe people like you will put Senator Murphy and Governor Mallory’s head on a stick! Registration is nothing but legal extortion from the people.

    • Good on ya’, Freeman.

      Keep up the good fight. Never give up; don’t give ’em the satisfaction.

  14. Now might be a good time to read/reread HDT’s “On Civil Disobedience”. Let your conscience be your guide. The choice that you make today will impact generations. Choose wisely. Our rights transcend and trump their unconstitutional laws. Just because a law is passed in a constitutional republic by a majority of our representatives doesn’t mean necessarily mean that the law is right, just or constitutional; it was merely passed by a majority, notwithstanding whether those representatives understood the rationality or gravity of their vote. Essential and fundamental human rights are not subject to negotiation or arbitration; they are immutable, irrevocable and permanent. That said, it doesn’t mean that you won’t have to defend them with your last dying breath.

  15. I agree with Pascal. To simply say to gun owners “move to another state” is not realistic. It is also not fair to blame them for complying with the law (since they are law-abiding citizens). Besides, why should I have to leave my state of Colorado because of the progressives and the recent gun laws that they passed? Me leaving with my vote will not help the cause. Also, this doctrine of gun prohibition is not limited to state borders. Gun control in Colorado was about as popular as poison until the progressives took over the state government.

  16. this is an election year, the only mistake you can make is not to fight

    Bravo, Pascal. We took everything they had, and now it’s our time to give it back to them, in spades.

    • Ralph, as H.L. Menchen once said; “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”. I truly hope that “we” give it back to them in spades in the 2014 midterms, but given the current demographics and zeitgeist, I’m not all too confident that that is where the smart money would bet. Fight we will, but the questions remains at this juncture; are there enough of us fully engaged to carry the day?

      • The problem with purists is that they would rather the other party win if their preferred candidate isn’t on the ballot. That’s what happened in 2006 and 2012. It never happens to the Democrats because as long as there is (D) after the name Democrats vote for Democrats. If you want to protect your gun rights never vote for Democrat. Even the Arlen Spector of the South Lindsey Graham is a Second Amendment absolutist. Remember that in November.

        • If you want to protect your gun rights never vote for Democrat.

          In the entire history of humankind, no truer words were ever spoken.

        • Graham would grant amnesty to 10 million illegals in a heartbeat, all of whom would promptly vote Democrat for life. It makes no sense to cling to semi-conservatives like Graham or McConnell or Cornyn who will, at best, only slightly slow our descent into tyranny, while rapidly feathering their own nests. Short sighted half measures will only stretch out the surrender process. We need bold, no-compromise visionaries to regain ground and roll back the assault.

        • OK, Jonathan, so what you are telling me is you would rather have Democrat who vote for amnesty and to take away your right to bear arms? Now that’s really smart. That is why I refer to people like you as the Kamikaze brigade.

        • In the last election, one of the two major candidates had signed a gun ban, it wasn’t the Democrat.

      • Mike H. in WA; That really summarizes the problem. If certain elements on our side can’t get 100%, they’re all too willing to let ideological purity torpedo good progress that will move our position further. Pragmatism and a view towards the long game will be more beneficial to our ideological advancement than will adherence to dogmatic absolutism. It’s not like our opponents will one day, thunderstruck, say that yes, you guys were right all along. Ain’t gonna happen. We’ll be much better served moving the ball, socially, politically and ideologically, a few yards at a time than by expecting a reversal of the political poles. Our message is logically, intellectually and morally unassailable, it’s just going to take time to convince the ignorant majority.

        • No, try faulting squeemish Republicans who can’t be bothered to vote for an un-PC candidate. Akin and Mourdock in 2012. Angle and O’Donnell in 2010. All were winnable, even winning, until the candidates did something stupid. Democrats will let that nonsense roll off like water off a duck’s back and go vote for their candidates. Squishy Republicans, not so much.

          Instead of blaming allegedly unbending party purists, try looking at spaghetti-spined Republicans who can’t stand up to their in-laws, neighbors, co-workers and themselves and vote for the true conservative despite an inopportune gaffe or two.

        • Here is the diffrence between Republican and Democratic voters. In the general election a Democrat will always vote for the candidate with the (D) after their name. Republican voters from either end of the spectrum will not vote for the guy with the (R) if they don’t hold to their slate of values. The “RINO” will vote for the (D) and the anti-RINO purist will stay home. That is why the Senate remains in Democratic hands and Obama was re-elected.

  17. I can see the various arguments many ways, and indeed more
    than a few have merit. However, the ones I give no quarter to
    are those that choose to remain uniformed. We live in an era
    of mass media and technological innovation. If someone is
    uniformed it’s because they choose to be. And it’s not just
    gun-rights but every aspect regarding government and
    the path of our country. I save no sympathy for those that
    finally take an interest in the affairs of state AFTER they are
    directly impacted.

  18. So, I went to NYFirearms.com and couldn’t figure out how to give money directly towards either getting rid of the so-called SAFE act or getting rid of the politicians. There are people ready, willing, and able to give money as long as they know it isn’t about some general fund. I’ll give money to recalling anti-gun politicians or to direct efforts (lobbying) to get rid of anti-constitution laws. I hope we can do more but we need more information. How do we give directly to the fight?

    • Donations can be made to various NY gun rights organizations such as: Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPENY.org); the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association [NYS NRA “affiliate”] (NYSRPA.org) or even the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF.org).

      One of the organizations fighting the hardest for us is the Tresmond Law firm from Buffalo, NY (AND THESE GUYS ARE DOING THE WORK PRO BONO!)

  19. One if by land,two if by sea, three if from within.We need leaders,someone with great leadership quality needs to come foreword.When Connecticut needed help Texas,Tennessee the Carolinas should have answered the call and marched with Connecticut.Buses from every State should have rolled in.We think we are organized and yet we bury and run.We stand in line like cattle led to slaughter .I don”t have the answer but if we stay the corse I fear the outcome.

    • I don’t think “insurrection” is precisely accurate. What we need to do is restore the Constitution to its rightful place as the Supreme Law of the land, sort of a “re-surrection.”

      They say coincidence is God’s way of keeping his anonymity. God wants us Free, that’s why we have Free Will. God’s Will is Free Will.

  21. Anyone know….

    What is the least populated state that’s been overrun by anti-gun legislation? We couldn’t possibly get enough pro-gun voters together to shift the politics in CA – it’s just too populated. But in a less populated state, with voters moved to the right districts, could we move people in to shift some states back?
    I know it’s an idea that borders on fantasy, but I think often as not, when we win, we win because we are more committed than the other side. We each write a dozen letters and donate a hundred bucks to fight anti-gun legislation… but our opponents rarely do more than “like” something on Facebook. In a nationwide campaign for some real fighters, could we assemble 10,000 of our people to register to vote in a “bad” state long enough to shift an election? Maybe. We are pretty committed.

    The truth is that by staying in free states we may not be doing ourselves any favors. Maybe we’re just mice hiding from the cat that’s eventually going to make its way to Wyoming and Texas. Maybe it’s time to take the fight to them and give that cat a bloody nose (metaphorically speaking). It’d only take a year or so of your life… which is less than most do in the military in defense of freedom and a damn site better than the prison sentence you’ll get when you refuse to register your 30 round AR magazines. Some of us wouldn’t need much more than a family member who lives just across the border in a bad state who’d put us up in a spare room.

    • You do not have to move to a non-free state. You need to donate and support the grass roots groups in other states and you have to keep an eye within your own state. there are no boarders in this fight.

      Help other states, keep an eye on your own and do not allow the anti’s to get a foot hold.

  23. After having suggested people move in another thread, I’m embaressed to read what you brave souls have written. Bravo! Let me wish you well as you stand up for your rights.

  24. Logic tells you, these laws wont stop, this will lead to confiscation, they violate the constitution, this is the very definition of Tyranny.

    Emotion tells you that non-compliance will make me a criminal. I’ll lose my job, end up in jail, lose my guns etc.

    Principle is doing what is right in defiance of both logic and emotion.

    The CCDL is fighting the fight based on emotion and fear. You need to fight on principle. Non-compliance, direct confrontation, no-compromise.

    Because if they will be cross checking as some say, the harassment will be coming, the illegal searches, and the confiscations. If they want to make you a criminal, they will.

    Time for CT gun owners to grow a set of principles.

    • Spoken like someone without much to lose. Family, kids, livelihood, etc. Hundreds of us showed up to speak on the record at the public hearings in Hartford in January, on the record. Our names and hometowns are available for anyone to find with some simple searching. Some of us are quite vocal and are worried about having our homes “swatted” by antis who want to silence us. Are you suggesting we should be non-compliant and run the risk of becoming a news item that not only ruins our lives but also provides fodder for the antis to show that their laws worked? I moved some stuff out of state and registered everything that remains and I will be part of the efforts to roust those politicians who voted these restrictions in, will work to register voters, will work to get out the vote and more. But I will not jeopardize my family’s well-being to make some point by ignoring the laws, like them or not. YMMV but do not tell us we need to grow principles or balls.

      • I’m saying exactly that.

        Thomas Paine went to jail for his principles. He understood that trying to use the system to change the system is a foolhardy endeavor. He also would SWAT his own house and live stream it, knowing it would be a very powerful piece of propaganda.

        I can live without a lot of things; money, a house, family. My family, employer, and the free market will also be fine without me. What I cant live without is freedom.

        So should you be SWAT’d. Or they call social services to take your kids because you are “armed and dangerous”. Or become a felon because you failed to register one magazine you left in a range bag you threw into storage. Or you get a confiscation letter, because the government screwed up the paper work. What will you do then? Because all of that has already happened elsewhere.

        • Paine was jailed in France (where he lived for most of the 1790s before returning to the USA in 1802) for treason. His arrest had nothing to do with the American Revolution and had to do with his critiques of the French political system, of which he was a part as an elected member of their government. An amazing man during the American struggle and as responsible for our independence as any of the Founders and Framers, he was also unmarrried, without children and was an atheist. In his later days, he questioned the principles of private property and suggested there should be a minimum income paid out to citizens in France. His “arrest” had nothing to do with American liberty from British oppressors. That said, yes, I will not put myself in such a position for the simple act of registering arms that the state already knew I owned. And I WILL leave CT before we get to a point of confiscation.

          What you might not know Mack is that certain Dems, the Sandy Hook Commission and CAGV/March for change called for an outright ban, without grandfathering, of all modern rifles as well as all 10+ round mags and more. The cooler heads in the Dem side as well as the GOP leadership in Hartford said that was a non-starter because they could not get a “bipartisan” law with defacto confiscation. I wish they HAD allowed such a law in and had passed it on party lines, it would have been far easier to challenge. But the Brady people and others got to the most vocal takers and told them they would jeopardize the entire effort if they went “too far” with a confiscation law that has never been court-tested in the USA.

          I do NOT believe confiscation is in CT’s future so, especially not in the 2014 legislative session ahead of an election. If the Dems are able to hold their super majority in November, including the governorship, then they might make a move in 2015 IF there is another horrific event upon which they can capitalize. Lacking such an emotional catalyst, new laws requiring confiscation are unlikely to pass anytime soon. There is not a single poll that I have seen where a CT politician who advocated for stronger gun laws has received a significant boost in voter approval as a result of their vote on SB1160, especially Malloy. And the several Hartford Republicans who think they can challenge Malloy will have to first secure the nomination from the state-wide GOP and I and thousands of others will work toward withholding that candidacy from anyone like Boucher and McKinney who voted for 1160.

          We in CT do have principles Mack, we just choose to exercise them differently than you suggest.

        • Tell me, have you ignored the unconstitutional laws that apply in your state? Laws against carrying in banks or government buildings or the hated NFA? I doubt it. Keyboard warriors are very good at criticizing others but very bad at acting on their own principles.

        • Name calling? C’mon.

          Listen, I commend you for fighting within your comfort zone. If you believe that you can actually use a corrupt system to change it, then by all means continue.

          But ask yourself, does the fear of becoming a criminal, outweigh the abject surrender of your freedom? Registration always leads to confiscation.

          I walk the path of non-compliance, because history tells me its the only way to remain free.

  27. Voter registration and then voter turnout is key. Gov Malloy acknowledged that as of mid-week last week, 17,000 gun owners had registered LCMs. I find that number incredibly low and the final number should be at least double or triple that. But consider that the NRA suggests that between 20 to 50% of gun owners do not vote depending on the election. In 2010, Dannell Malloy only beat Tom Folley by 5,800 votes state-wide. Given the number of gun owners who have been impacted by SB1160, is it unrealistic to think that this November could see a few thousand more non-Malloy gun-owning voters come to the polls? Malloy has not had an approval rating over 50% since before Newtown and his polls since Newtown have shown no movement overall due to his push for tighter gun laws. Sure, jobs, taxes, economy and other factors are restraining his support but that just means that he is vulnerable. A little organization, voter registration and turnout CAN vote the dial in ways it matters.

      • Getting to vote out will be critical — if you checked the local CT forums you know that our gun shops are now being flooded with calls from those who now could be felons under the law. We need to capitalize on those emotions and start pumping everyone to make sure they are registered for the primaries and the for the general election — one good way is to go to the gun clubs and speak to their membership — we do, we definitely do have enough to swing the election but it is going to take a lot of door knocking, phone banks and of course money to support the candidates we want.

  28. The reason we aren’t utterly trouncing every anti-gun politician or community out there is that many gun owners aren’t politically active. They keep to themselves and frankly have more pressing things to think about… usually. They’ll get active and it’s past the point in some states like CT where this issue is starting to become a priority. Most people it only takes once disgracing them and treating them like criminal scum for them to become active.

  29. Does the ideal gun owner live in a free state, quietly minding his own business? He can enjoy his hardware unmolested, carry his desired firearm in a manner he see fit, and vote occasionally for a pro-gun candidate.

    How about the gun rights advocate? Perhaps he lives behind enemy lines. He could be stuck with either reduced capacity magazines or the threat of punishment for the real deal. Virtually every state has bad laws, and he’ll fight to change his. Knowing the plight of others, he’ll also donate to causes in other state. The Colorado recalls. NYC. Calguns. He’ll call reps and write letters. He’ll encourage other to apply for CCWs, buy AR-15’s, and search ammobot. He shares a unity with anyone who appreciates freedom, and makes efforts to advance the same.

    I’d rather live in a nation of gun rights advocates. We need a whole lot more unity and a whole lot less disdain.

    • I’d rather live in a nation of gun rights advocates. We need a whole lot more unity and a whole lot less disdain.

      Truer words could not be said — this fight can easily be won if everyone was a little organized.

      Thank you, for your service and your words

  30. CT is a high tax, high cost of living, low freedom state. Until people vote with their feet and move to better places, this will continue in the Northeast. The vote at the ballot box is no longer enough, it’s not working.

  31. You say we need to fight by sending money for the cause, or voting, or whatever. But here is the real problem in CT, I’m sure everyone has seen and read the article with the long azz line of people waiting to register their guns. My question is why are these people standing in this line? Why is anyone registering their guns? You know why unions don’t work now days, because no one unites. Not one person should have registered their gun in CT. And don’t tell me it’s the law, because what are they going to do if no one registers, throw half the state in jail? I think not. Unite people and refuse to play their stupid games, they’ll have no choice but the repeal the law, or it will be another one of those useless laws that no one even knows about because it’s not enforced.

  32. So the prison gate is open and you choose not to walk out.

    Calling, knocking and donating is nice and all but what are your projections? Absolute best case scenario? Flip 10% of Hartford? 20%? 30%? Grab the governorship? Say you get the governorship and 40% of Hartford. Still not enough to repeal anything. CO is apparently riding a wave of successes but what is it going to get them? It takes twenty years to repeal a law that takes twenty minutes to pass.

    CT was lost when the state renewed the AWB without a peep. I paid my dues, I talked it up but even folks at Blue Trail and Chris’ and Hoffmans while I lived there were largely locked into the Fudd mindset and looked at me like I was the problem with my evil black rifle and desire to have a bayonet lug. It was radicals like me that caused CT to renew the AWB according to them.

    But we have the courts, right? I mean, nothing wrong whatsoever with asking Pol Pots lieutenants to rule on the genocide. I’m sure they’ll be completely logical and impartial.

    The ‘state’ hates you. You can’t work with an entity that hates you.

    • Everyone has to make a choice, and you made a choice to leave. I respect that choice as you believe that to be the best option for you and your family.

      Many of us have made the choice to stay and fight. Respect our choice and either help us or support us but stop telling us how wrong we are your choice is superior. There are many reasons why many cannot simply leave, there are many reasons to fight – stop trying to make everyone take your side. Everyone already knows moving is option, it does not need to be spelled out.

      Blue Trails had its own issues with a bogus law suite which they won, and then either they got tired of fighting or simply given up. It was costly fight and I did not see the gun owners rally to help pay their bills. Scott Hoffman et al have always been they way they have been and now they are fighting for their livelihood. Scott has enough money to easily cut and run, but instead, he is fighting this with the rest of us including donating a lot of money. I wish he would do more in his shop to promote the law suite, but that is another fight for another day.

      I do not see the boys at the Freedom Shoppe running away — one of them was even up in Hartford everyday. We will fight this….it will take time, it will take money — but we have made the choice to stay and fight.

      Your rants do not help — either help us, or support us but do not take every chance to knock us down. What value does discouraging those fighting have? Stand with us, fight with us even from afar, but stop the non-sense of discouraging those who have chosen and are committed to see this fight to the end.

    • Shire-Man,
      You are talking about AWB 1.0 from 1994 right? I’m a young guy and I know lots of young guys and old guys who all have ARs, AKs, M1s, M1As, SBRs, etc etc. My age group wasn’t old enough in 1994 or 2004 to really have a say then, but the landscape has changed quite a bit in just 10 years and I would hardly call it FUDD dominated.

  33. Thanks Pascal! I’ve been saying the same thing for a while now so its nice to see it published here so maybe people will start to believe me/us. We in CT hardly didn’t just roll over and die, far from it! All the evidence one needs to review is the 40 or more hours of 90%+ pro gun testimony from the 3 public hearing we did have. Plain and simple the legislature and governor ignored us and did what they wanted.

    • Matt, and as long as there are people like you and me who will continue to fight, we do have a chance. The laws that have been passed make no sense — yes, in Hartford we were 3 to 1 and sometimes 5 to 1 pro-gun but the legislature was taking orders from the DNC and Team Obama — there was no other outcome — but, now they have to deal with us and as long as we do not stay silent, we will be a continuous pain in their butts. Thanks for being in the fight, hopefully you can recruit more

  34. Regarding the CCDL, of which I am a member, I would like to share a story. Last January, the anti-domestic violence group held an “information session” at the Wilton Library. This was less than a month after Sandy Hook and emotions were still raw. Most of the 50 attendees were either anti-gun or neutrals who were horrified by the massacre. I was in attendance along with several others from our local gun club. The keynote speaker was Ron Pinciarro of CAGV and the amount of misinformation he spewed to an unknowing audience was appalling.

    At one point Pinciarro, trying to suggest that the gun control crowd was in an inferior position nationally to the gun rights crowd, mentioned CCDL. Paraphrasing: “There’s even a group in Connecticut called the Connecticut Citizens Defense League which I do not know much about but it sounds like some vigilante organization or something.” The gun control types in the crowd chuckled at that, along with some that I bought were neutral but the gun folk were far from amused.

    But that is how Pinciarro, a 20+ year veteran of the gun control movement! positioned CCDL to a group where most did not know any better. “vigilantes” with all the connotations and implied meaning that goes along with that.

    It is an uphill slog but one where we can make progress by informing and busting false narratives.

  35. HOLY FLIPPIN’ CRAP!!! Even Illinois is less restrictive. My FOID is good for the purchase of handguns, long, guns and ammo, none of which require registration (outside of Chicago). Hell, once I move out of Aurora, I won’t even be bound by an AWB.

    I guess that’s a sign of how bad a state is for gun rights. When a guy from the Chicago burbs says “sorry man, you got it tough.”

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