I’ve got news for you. If you haven’t been paying attention, the “all or nothing” folks always get nothing. As much I would enjoy upsetting the applecart, it doesn’t happen. It might not even work to our eventual advantage if it did. As you know there is an opposite, in many cases harsh, reaction to every action.
Have I been frustrated to no end by what appears to sometimes be an inability to govern the way I’d prefer? You betcha. And have I witnessed gradual and strategic gains throughout. Yuppers. I’d love to get all my wishes in one fell swoop, but that isn’t often the true possibility before me. What I need to focus on is the continual chipping away at the mountain. Eventually, this seemingly impossible rock will a pile of rubble with you and I standing atop it. We’ll be in full view, smiling from ear to ear, and we’ll know that instead of trying to eat the whole pie in one sitting, we ingested that sugary yum yum over a small period of time just the same. Our path was virtuous, calculated, and executed. We were and are diligent.
I can quantify this for you. I remember listening to the claims and cries of “blood in the streets” a decade ago over the change from “May Issue” to “Shall Issue” from everyone ignorant to the truth. Read all about the decade+ fight to continually restore 2A liberty in THIS blog from IFC. Fast forward to this year with some of the same insane characters present for the debates, news, and discussion on “Constitutional Carry” and I never heard a single person from the opposition make the same claim in regards to carrying. They have abandoned their own rhetoric. Why? Because we chipped away at it over time, and the proof of Iowan’s ability to carry themselves with integrity and honor has cast those silly aspersions aside.
When I read Dean Weingarten’s article on Ammoland regarding 2A Incrementalism, it was as if I’d written it myself. You should go read it and give it some honest thought. The shock and awe organizations get rich off your outrage but accomplish nothing tangible. If you consider high blood pressure tangible, I guess they do accomplish that, but otherwise nothing. Their claimed victories as always the works of others. Again, I’d love to have it all in an afternoon, but I’m not going to apologize for getting it done right with interlocking components all along the way. Consider the analogy of a dream home you’ve always wanted to build. Do you need to carefully erect each portion with strength and planning so each piece touching another does so in harmony and with longevity, or do you want it completely done in one day? What kind of house would you have if it were even possible to do so? …One potentially riddled with flaws.
Being a small part of legislation teaches one some significant lessons. When carpenters tell you to measure twice and cut once, they’re not kidding. I’ve witnessed some really flawed things that get done through high emotion and knee-jerk reactions. A well-conceived and executed plan over the course of time and eventual acceptance holds tremendous value and also has inherent staying power.
Check out Dean’s article, “2A Incrementalism vs All or Nothing: Restoring Second Amendment Rights,” he wrote recently. This is a consideration and understanding that savvy advocates need to grasp and celebrate.
In Liberty,
Michael Ware
IFC Chairman
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