From: Heinrich Harke, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I read the rejection by Norman and Steve of my suggestion of wearing a
yellow star (not on an armband, though) on the day that the newspapers
report a case from Germany where anti-abortion campaigners are using the
slogan 'Holocaust then, Babycaust now' - and boy, have they got publicity!
Get my point? And what could these potentially offended, 'anti-gun Jewish
organisations' do to British shooters? Campaign for our handguns to be
taken away?? And no, I am not comparing what happened to us with
the wanton murder of millions of people - the yellow star was the symbol
NOT of extermination in concentration camps, but of social exclusion from
the society in which they had to wear them: the stars had to worn years
before the first Jews were killed in concentration camps.
To get back to basics: What shooters and gunowners in Britain desperately
need, is the oygen of publicity - and given the sorry state of affairs, I
maintain and repeat that ANY publicity is good publicity. Those cute
little ribbons were a lovely idea, and they are fine for politely
EXPRESSING something, but did you really expect them to ACHIEVE anything
at all? Ken Wyatt, in another rejection of my suggestion, warns against
descending to the level of our opponents. He is welcome to go under
politely - nobody will force him to do anything except hand in his
remaining guns (incl. airguns) in a few years' time. But his attitude
perpetuates a policy which has demonstrably failed - totally, utterly and
disastrously so. How can we, on the one hand, point out to politicians
that tightening gun controls simply continues a failed policy of crime
prevention, and then continue ourselves a course of action (i.e. polite
and rational argument) which we have seen to fail continuously over
decades now?
Yellow stars, handcuffing to government department gates, eclairs into
ministers' faces, anything - I'm in favour if it gives us media exposure.
But let's stop pretending that we can keep our guns, let alone get pistol
shooting back, by reasoned argument. In this kind of society and under
current circumstances, that can only be the second step AFTER getting
attention.
Heinrich Harke
--
I don't want to be too pessimistic, but have the anti-abortion
campaigners in Germany made any headway? Publicity is one thing, depends
on what publicity you get. Also, doing it at a public event is
different from doing it all the time - I'm not so opposed to the idea
at a public event, because the inference is clearer. When we had the
ribbons we wore them all the time.
What we need is a public event, I was of the opinion we should have
had a march or something last year, but no-one seemed interested in
the idea.
I have gotten something called the "voice of shooting" from BASC
today which seems more aggressive than anything I've ever seen
put out by a shooting association in this country before, so perhaps
a march is not a bad idea.
It largely depends on what the Government put in their response
to the HAC next week as to how fired up people will get.
Steve.
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