A pretty good article from the NRA-ILA

FROM THE TRENCHES

HUNTING WHERE THE BIKES ARE!

Glen A. Caroline, Director

NRA-ILA Grassroots Division

In encouraging gun owners to recruit additional volunteers, I am fond of instructing
them to always “hunt where the ducks are.” In short, to ensure they get the
best return on their volunteer outreach investment, to focus their efforts with rifle-shot precision on the natural resources of the gun-owning community—gun shows, gun shops, gun & hunting clubs, and ranges. On September 23, in Indianapolis, I modified this concept and hunted where the bikes are.

First a little background. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I meet that watch
CSPAN at odd hours. Earlier in the year, a presentation I often give at American University in Washington, D.C., was aired on CSPAN. A few days later, I was contacted by the head of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) asking me if I’d come to their annual meeting, to give a similar presentation. After some thought and research, I accepted.

Despite her assurances and my gut instinct that many in attendance at the MRF meeting would
be either NRA members, gun owners, or Second Amendment sympathizers, my suspicions weren’t validated until I arrived at the hotel. The room next to mine had a “Don’t Tread on Me!” flag in its window. Everywhere I turned attendees were adorning T-shirts with references to the Constitution and freedom. Except for a little more leather, and louder vehicles that got better gas mileage, this could have easily been an NRA event!

The reception my new MRF friends gave me was just incredible. Their support, attention,
hospitality, friendship, and appreciation were nothing short of amazing. I knew I was among friends when, about three quarters of the way through my presentation, I glanced down at the head table next to me and noticed a check. As I was listening to the question posed to me (and let me say the level of sophistication of the questions was first rate and quite impressive!), I peeked at the check and noticed it was an unsolicited $100.00 contribution to NRA-ILA! I thanked the donor from the dais, and afterwards, tracked her down to thank her again. She was a widow, a biker, and an NRA member, who literally welled up when she spoke of her support for the Second Amendment and her appreciation for the work of NRA. That experience made an indelible impression on me—like many others I’ve had in my 15 years of work with NRA—and it is one I will not forget any time soon.

While at first blush, the nexus between MRF members and NRA members may not have been
obvious, it really is quite clear. In addition to a third of the room in Indianapolis being NRA members (and I suspect 100% either being gun owners or supporters of the Second Amendment), they, like us, are also patriots. They just want to be left alone by the “protect me from myself” government mentality, and practice their hobby in a lawfully responsible manner. While much of their activism and support for their candidates may not be based on gun-related issues, I’m supremely confident that many of the candidates they will be supporting for office this year are the same as those who we are supporting.

As I often point out, and as this recent trip reinforced, it matters not what issue motivates
someone to vote for a pro-gun candidate, as a vote for one of our candidates is still a vote for a pro-gun candidate. Of course, we as gun owners need to focus first and foremost on rallying our own, and making sure that every one of our family, friends, and fellow firearm owners is registered to vote and is volunteering some time to a pro-gun candidate’s campaign. But we must also remember, that when an opportunity to work with pro-freedom patriots knocks, we should answer the door.