Hundreds of highly motivated citizens wait in a line wrapping around the grounds of Legislative Hall in Dover, Delaware. All were there to voice their opposition to Delaware’s proposed gun bans. (Photo: DGR/Facebook)
The Call
“They don’t hate your guns, they hate YOU!” was the call to action that put Delaware lawmakers on notice. Delivered by former NRA president John Sigler at a rally back in April, it perfectly expressed the sentiment of the awakening pro-gun resistance. Up until that point, many legislators viewed their “cut and paste” gun control bills as business as usual.
But it was John’s words that let them know that their 2018 black rifle ban, know as Senate Bill 163, proposed in the wake of the Parkland shooting in Florida, wasn’t going to be taken lightly. It was personal. Because Delaware is a Blue State, many Bloomberg-backed politicians saw gun control as manifest destiny. We were rising up to tell them, as president Trump would say, WRONG!
Grassroots via Social Media
That declaration severed to galvanize gun owners. Mitch Denham, a Delaware resident, took to social media. Denham started a Facebook group called Delaware Gun Rights (DGR). In its first 48 hours of existence, the DGR page accumulated nearly 22,000 members.
“I felt like I needed to do something. So, I shared that leaked [gun ban] bill on my personal Facebook page,” Denham told me. “While having a discussion with a friend he suggested I start a Facebook group. The thought was maybe we get a couple dozen people to call their legislators.”
What he didn’t expect was thousands of people uniting under the DGR banner. “That snowballed when I left it an open group and everyone invited their friends to join. By the end of the second day, we were at 22,000 members.”
SEE ALSO: Delaware in Trouble, Assault Weapons Ban on the Horizon
DGR has been used to organize and coordinate events such as “Meet Your Legislators,” keep members up-to-date on the latest emerging threats and acts as a general town square for like-minded and concerned citizens. I watched in wonder as I witnessed this true grassroots movement unfold like a new flower with time-lapse photography.
And it has not gone unnoticed at Legislative Hall in Dover, DE. Legislators have been inundated with phone calls, emails, and letters in opposition to every proposal to criminalize certain firearm and magazines, deny adults under 21 their 2A rights, mandate how one must store or secure a firearm at home, etc.
Organization Leads to Action
When a public debate was orchestrated by anti-gun lawmakers, they were not prepared for a crowd that was 90 percent pro-gun. (Photo: DGR/Facebook)
On the first “Meet Your Legislators” Day, the Capitol Police estimated 800 people took the trouble to arrive, pass through security, sign in to see their representatives and senators and make their voices heard. I was there that day, and what I witnessed was sensory overload on behalf of the elected. They were overwhelmed by the numbers and the unity of purpose of nearly a thousand people taking time from their jobs and lives to make a statement.
“I had never been involved in any kind of political activism prior to the inception of Delaware Gun Rights. In fact, I took a defeatists attitude to politics in Delaware,” explained Denham. “This was the last straw for me.”
It is this sincerity and lack of polish that makes the DGR group stand apart from the bussed-in opposition with pamphlets and matching t-shirts. Despite what they may say publically, I think the legislators clearly distinguish sponsored “activists” and voting citizens who have had enough.
This distinction is also noted by the state’s NRA affiliate organization, Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association (DSSA), which has had a recent swell in membership, not unlike the NRA has experienced. President of DSSA, Jeff Hague finds it encouraging that this group has organized itself so quickly around this critical issue.
“The advent of the DGR Facebook group shows that true patriots are still the backbone of this country. When our constitutional rights are threatened by misguided politicians… the people speak up,” said Hague.
“DSSA really appreciates all the work the DGR group does and is extremely appreciative of the cooperative working relationship we have with them,” he continued. “I believe if we continue to work together, come November, things will be different in the General Assembly in Dover.”
Takeaways
What does this heartwarming story about a little state called Delaware mean to you if you live far away and have your own battle to fight? It means that you can make a difference if you rise up as one and fight the gun grabbers who want to further their political careers by stealing your freedom. It means that while Mr. Sigler’s words are likely true, what they hate even more than our guns, and us, is losing an election. They need to be reminded that they can and will lose.
“The first thing I can tell people who are facing this sort of thing in their state is to get as informed as you can,” said Denham. “Then rally all the like-minded people that you can muster. The collective voice will help you sway a couple politicians your way, and maybe you can shut these kinda things down.”
As of this writing, another tragedy in a Texas school has anti-gun politicians feeling emboldened again – even though none of the firearms used in that spree killing were included on Senate Bill 163 – those who seek to steal our liberty don’t care. The fight continues, and we must remain ever vigilant.
Disclaimer: Justin Opinion is a member of the Board of Directors of DSSA.
Noone “wants” a civil war. Doubt they did in 1860 either.
Would it be worth the pain and suffering? If we look at all of the people throughout history who were not armed, and the horrors that they experienced because they could not defend themselves, then the answer is that a civil war would clearly be worth it. I think we would win very quickly by sheer force of numbers – that was the intent of the 2nd Amendment. Might not last a week.
Good luck in your fight. Do WHATEVER IS NECESSARY to win.
The biggest enemy is the media. They aren’t just the enemy to gun owners. They are the enemy of a free people. No longer will you find unbiased news reporting and professional journalism died long-ago. People with integrity in the news media don’t exist. Its all propaganda.
There have been shootings everywhere. Not just in the US but around the world. Even in countries that have strict gun control.
The issue is not gun owners as a group, its crazy people and criminals who are the issue.
I’m happy to see the fine people of Delaware dig their feet in [if you will].
It’s a great state even if it’s next to New Jersey[where I’m from]
In NJ you are lambs waiting to be slaughtered!
Just about every type of firearm was at one time the ‘state of the art’ and most advanced killing machine. At one time they actually believed the maxim mg would destroy all mankind. That was the last rational thinking related to the gun subject.
It’s surprising that facebook has not taken their site down. Seems like they only allow those sites that don’t go against the “progressive” view that all guns are bad and need to be confiscated. The only free speech they allow is the liberal B.S. spouted by those “progressives (a.k.a., liberals, socialists, communists, fascists, etc.). Keep up the good work. Voice your opposition to the gun-grabbers and vote against them.
Hey! I’ve got an idea. Join a pro 2A group. 95% of gun owners have not. Give them a little leverage to deal with politicians. Numbers people, that’s all a career politician understands. I am member of the NRA,GOA,SAF and my state club. Grand total for all four? $85 bucks a year. Or around $7.08 a month. Give up one shitty, overpriced coffee drink a month and it’s paid for. Or just continue to sit on the sidelines like most gun owners.
It will eventually take shedding blood to stop the destruction of our constitution. Water the tree of liberty.
And at what point do we Not just sit back and take a \”beating\” from these self-serving politicians, who pander to those who scream the loudest and put-up the most cash?The previous federal gun ban, a dismal failure, wasn\’t about confiscation. Now the curtain has been pulled back on the Left\’s REAL agenda…….. total disarmament of the citizenry. Are you going to just sheepishly turn-in your \”assault weapons\” because some jerks in suits & ties say so?At what point do you reject subversive \”laws\” and defend your rights??
When any rational thinker recognizes that EVERY political move against our civil rights does not fix the problem, and would not have prevented the latest gun-free-zone shooting, you at art to understand the true nature of this game the ruling class plays.
start
I am truly disheartened by the rabid fervor of the anti-gunners, how they seem to continue to gain momentum. As well as how large numbers of people seem to be signing on to their cause And these entirely inconvenient but “perfectly “ timed firearm incidents that seem to come in succession to kept their rhetoric moving forward.
With as fanatical and frequently vile as they seem to have become, I don’t see how this whole thing will end well, thus the disheartening feeling but also amazement that so many people would be willing to undercut the rights we confirmed by the Constitution.
Perhaps they are nothing more than useful drones/ idiots for a “deep state/ new world order” movement behind the scenes that ultimately wants to subjugate this nation? Conspiracy theories, yes I know, but once you sift through it all, can that be totally discounted given that UN Agenda 21 speak directly to small arms control and disarmament?
I suppose if the fight (and I certainly see it becoming physical eventually) has to happen, better in my life than my son’s, but it will certainly tear this country apart like the first Civil War.
A concerned but resolute Patriot.
Doug,
When FACTS AND EVIDENCE far outweigh ‘the official narrative’, then it’s no longer a ‘theory’, but the government has inculcated the sheep to repeat that 1960’s, CIA-coined term (for Kennedy’s murder), to discredit anyone who doesn’t go along with a blatant lie
Like in Vegas, as each lie was exposed (by alt-media – NOT by MSP; mainstream propaganda), they kept changing and rechanging their story, and when outed, it simply ‘went away’.
Few even know or listened to the officers body mic’ recordings as they breached so-called ‘shooter’ Paddock’s room;
“We have no broken windows here”. How many know that first weapon was a belt-fed 7.62? How many know (and saw) the helicopter videos with muzzle flashes below the aircraft?
(And notice how that was so nicely timed to kill the Suppressor Act up for a vote?)
Virtually the same thing in Parkland. Where’s all the video INSIDE? Why did people see 3 men, with a TEACHER reporting; “he was dressed in black, carrying a weapon I’ve never seen” ?
Why did one girl walk outside with the street clothes-dressed supposed shooter? WHILE SHE HEARD GUNFIRE STILL GOING ON?
If the sheep in this nation would wake up, they’d quickly see ‘theory’ is actually FACT – with insurmountable evidence to prove it. ‘Sandy Hoax’ is a good example of such, and the volume of evidence that PROVES it was anything more than a ‘drill’ – at a closed/condemned school – is overwhelming.
It’s great to see gun owners stand up for their rights but the ones in power don’t care. In CT we did all of the going to the hearings and protesting they pass what they want anyway . Once the law is passed you’ll never get your rights back. After loosing in court the judge said it may be an unconstitutional law but it was in the public interest for safety to uphold it. We’ve already all lost even if you don’t know it yet there will eventually have to be a civil war to regain our rights I just hope I never see it.
1934, that was the year the citizens of the USA started giving the Government control of the 2nd Amendment! Since the passing of the law on possession of automatic weapons and the taxation of those weapons we have let the government chip away at our God given right to self preservation. Enough is enough and we need to lead the fight in the other direction before it is far to late! We are at War and unless we want this to end in the streets of our country, we better get rolling hard and fast!
Would someone educate me on the definition of assault weapon?
I have always known that AR stood for Armalite Rifle. Armalite Corporation Genesco, Illinois.
A division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation.
The term assault rifle is generally attributed to Adolf Hitler, who for propaganda purposes used the German word “Sturmgewehr” (which translates to “storm rifle” or “assault rifle”), as the new name for the MP43, subsequently known as the Sturmgewehr 44 or StG 44.
Seems to me that history is repeating itself, in the present day mental morons of history.
\”Assault weapons\” actually started during WW1. They were any weapons that proved effective in \”assaulting\” the enemy\’s trenches. Shorter-barreled rifles, bayonets, knives, clubs with steel spikes(maces), sharpened spades, and the most feared of all- the Winchester 1897 pump shotgun.
You haven’t lost. You still have that right. The gubment punk thugs lost when they started to INFRINGE on your right. Ignore them because they act illegally.
In Oregon, a group of religious “leaders” is trying to get a citizen petition on the November 2018 ballot that will ban all sales, and possession of “assault weapons”. It’s called IP43, and it defines an assault weapon such that almost all semi-auto rifles and pistols will be classified as assault weapons. You can keep currently owned ones IF you: pass a background check, register the gun with the state police, prove to the state police that you store them in compliance with their rules (which they haven’t made up yet), pay the required fees, etc. Same rules apply to large capacity (> 10) magazines. Read the text of IP43 here:
http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2018/043text.pdf
Another citizen petition mandates storage requirements for all guns:
http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2018/044text.pdf
We’re fighting to keep them from getting required signatures necessary to put it on the ballot.
Good luck to all law abiding gun owners – looks like the feds are going to continue allowing states to deny our constitutional rights.
I am a member of DG and one of the admin. on the page. We are showing the state legislator that will not take our Second Amendment rights. The Founding Fathers put this in place so that our Republick would not be taken over tyrannical forms of government,
We are standing by the Constitution. We are at a critical place in our history just as they
Inwere in the 1700’s.
It’s more critical than ever to be involved at your state and local level. The gun-grabbers have decided it’s easier to chip away at the city-county-state level than at the federal, so this is where all the anti-gun legislation is being formulated. Until/unless SCOTUS steps in and shuts them down, you could be living under these unconstitutional regs for years.