But in ourselves...

November 5, 6:50 AMGun Rights ExaminerDavid Codrea

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It is what it is. The spawn of the Chicago political machine has won, bringing with him all that implies.

The election results could not bode more seriously for gun owners. Get ready for a renewed push for gun control, unlike anything we've seen since the Clintons ruled.

We can Wednesday morning quarterback, we can analyze what went wrong, we can blame McCain for being a flawed candidate and Bush for laying the groundwork for "change," and we can point fingers--but we'd do well to remember the old adage about three fingers pointing back toward ourselves.

There's a line in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" spoken by Cassius: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves..."

I question how many of us got truly involved, not just in this election, but in influencing our political destinies on a regular basis.

A few years back, I was trying to help a friend get elected to the California assembly. He was excellent on guns--and, in fact, hosted a monthly gathering of local activists dubbed "ATF Night," as we met at a restaurant to enjoy adult beverages, lively discussions about promoting gun rights, and a good cigar after dinner.

With all this going for him--and with local gun rights groups in several surrounding Southern California cities, I still saw no more than a dozen "activists" turn out to physically help with his campaign.

Unbelievably, of the many thousand gun owners in the district who had signed up to be on a local gun show's mailing list, less than a tenth of these were even registered to vote. To add insult to injury, after losing the election, my friend was stuck with a $10,000 campaign bill, with little financial assistance in sight.

We expect politicians to champion our rights, but how many of us make it worth their while to do so on such a hot button issue--one that is radioactive in most urban locales? Yes, true, a principled person does not shrink from hoisting his colors, but most politicians, even the ones who vote our way the majority of the time, view it as but one of many issues. And even though we don't like to hear this, most constituents do not consider gun rights their major concern.

If that's to change, we can't elect someone to do it for us. Representative government doesn't mean we abdicate our own initiative and go back to sleep.

My goal is to see politicians not just vote our way, but to actually lead and teach. Aside from a rare few, how many do we see go the extra step of educating their constituents about the right of the people to keep and bear arms? How many can defend the right to the press, or in legislative debates, in a persuasive way that resonates with the open-minded?

Thing is, if we want to see leaders like that, it's up to us to convince them they can count on our support, by proving it, with donations, with volunteer time, with letters to the editor, with rallying our friends, with...

"Not I, said the cat" just doesn't cut it.

Enough politics though. I'm sick of the whole thing right now, and weary.

But we can still do something, and soon, to lay the groundwork for the future efforts, assuming we're still all committed to the good fight.

We can go shooting. It's good for ya. And, here's the important part, take a new person. They won't jump in the pool until they dip their toe in first and see the water's fine.  Who knows, some of them may even end up diving in the deep end.

I have a feeling we're going to be needing reinforcements.