This Is How To Play The Game

Michael Bloomberg is spending big bucks to get his name and message out there. He is even trying to buy influence on social media with “micro-influencers” by paying them $150 to say nice things about him.

By contrast, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all volunteer organization that depends upon donations of both time and money to advance the message of freedom and gun rights.

So when Mini Mike as Trump calls him comes to town, who gets the headlines?

It was Andy Stevens, Grass Roots North Carolina, and a handful of others protesting outside the new Bloomberg 2020 headquarters in Winston-Salem.

Photo courtesy of Andy Stevens

In this case, Mini Mike himself was scarce but his campaign bus appeared in his stead. It looks like he also sent along some of his armed security staff to keep the non-elite at bay.

Photo courtesy of Andy Stevens

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

Protesters unhappy with Mike Bloomberg’s stance on gun laws greeted the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign bus in downtown Winston-Salem, as the bus made its way on a gun-violence prevention tour across the state on Friday.

The small group of protesters gathered at the corner of Liberty and Fifth streets, right beside the Bloomberg campaign headquarters there. The protesters held up signs in support of gun rights and shouted slogans as the bus parked in front of the campaign headquarters and discharged its passengers.

“Forsyth County just passed a Second Amendment resolution, so we are in the right place at the right time,” said protest organizer Andy Stevens. Stevens went on to say that the state would “not be bought by New York money.”

Only three paragraphs in the whole article were devoted to Bloomberg’s campaign.

For a business mogul like Mini Mike, that wasn’t a great return on investment.

GRNC, by contrast, did get a great return from their few home printed signs. If you’d like to help out, you could always send a few bucks their way. I don’t think they would turn your money down!

Photo courtesy of Andy Stevens

Winston-Salem (NC) Wants To Ditch The Park Carry Law

The City of Winston-Salem has been one of the most vocal and consistent opponents of HB 650 which forced North Carolina municipalities to allow concealed carry in city and county parks. Now, according to this alert from Grass Roots North Carolina, they are seeking to have the law repealed in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

Demands Repeal of HB 650 Expanded Carry in Parks…

Insensitively exploiting the recent evil mass-homicide within a “Gun-Free” Connecticut school, the Winston-Salem City Council announced a list of requested legislation they want to see from this year’s NC General Assembly. Among these demands is repeal of last year’s expanded park carry that was passed as HB 650.

Incredibly, the Council responds to murder in a “Gun-Free Zone” by demanding expansion of their dangerous reach within North Carolina municipalities.

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines was quoted as saying park carry is “a mixed bag, and it’s confusing. The legislature pre-empted local governments’ authority to control local parks. I think they should leave that up to us.” Compliance with this law is as easy as permitting law-abiding citizens to carry everywhere. Left up to the Mayor, we would be unable to defend our families in parks. This type of endangerment can no longer be tolerated.

Council Member Derwin Montgomery claims, “local governments have a right to regulate the time and place (arms are carried)”. So according to the Councilman, a right that “shall not be infringed” upon can be “regulated”?

Perhaps Winston-Salem’s efforts are more-related to an attempt to avoid responsibility for violating the provisions of HB 650 and the resulting lawsuit pursued GRNC’s partner, Rights Watch International?

Either way, Winston-Salem has earned a reminder from North Carolina gun owners that we will not permit expansion of dangerous“Gun-Free Zones” in our state, and have no patience for municipalities that violate state law by infringing upon gun rights.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

CONTACT THE WINSTON-SALEM CITY COUNCIL and let them know that you don’t appreciate their clear violations of state law and attempt to expand dangerous “Gun-Free Zones” of defenselessness within NC municipalities

CONTACT INFO

danbesse@danbesse.org; vivianb@cityofws.org; denisea@cityofws.org; robertc@cityofws.org; derwinm@cityofws.org; mollyl@cityofws.org; wandam@cityofws.org; jamestjr@cityofws.org; allenj@cityofws.org

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: Don’t make parks “Gun-Free” murder zones.

Winston-Salem leadership :

I am disappointed that you have decided to violate state law and continue to violate the rights of law-abiding North Carolina gun owners to defend themselves and their families in your parks. I am also disappointed that you are demanding that HB 650, last year’s expanded park carry bill, be rescinded. This important law decreases the area in which citizens are disarmed in our state. As we have seen with the increase in mass-homicides within “Gun-Free Zones”, places where citizens are prevented from being able to effectively defend themselves and their families are the most dangerous places in our society.

I urge you to stop your promotion of “Gun-Free Zones” in parks, and to embrace the common-sense expansion of freedom created by HB 650.

Sincerely,