(sorry for the cross-post... I posted this to the General forum, but things move too quickly there!)
Most (if not all) of us got out and voted a few weeks ago, and Republicans now have control of Congress. (Of course, this does not mean that Congress will automatically be 100% against all gun control.) Many of us are now have been writing letters to our Senators and Representatives to voice our opinion that the silly "Assault Weapons" ban be allowed to sunset without being renewed (or, heaven forbid, replaced with something even WORSE). If you haven't already written to your congressmen, DO IT NOW! Yes, it probably won't make any difference if your politicians are rabidly anti-gun, but it certainly couldn't hurt.
One thing to note... ask for a reply. State your opinions why you feel like the ban should not be renewed (no significant impact on crime; attempts to unjustly stigmatize a group of gun owners; creates a situation where if you want normal capacity mags for your pistol, you need to cough up an outrageous $100; just plain silly to ban certain guns based on cosmetic and ergonomic features that make a gun look scary, but do not make them any more lethal than any other firearm, etc.), and request a response letter. If he/she opposes letting the ban go away, make them tell you EXACTLY why. If they reply with some lame reason why they support the ban, write back and politely point out the inconsistencies in what they have stated. If they reply that they will oppose any efforts to renew the ban, write back and praise this decision, let them know how much you appreciate it, and point out that you will strongly support them in their next election.
In addition to your own letter writing, there is another way in which you can help. Consider the following 3 observations:
1) A few weeks ago, I was in a local gun shop, and overheard a conversation between the owner and a prospective pistol buyer. He inquired about how many rounds the pistol would hold, to which the reply was "There's a new law that limits it to 10 rounds." New law? I guess to someone who's been in the gun business for 30 or 40 years, maybe something passed 8 years ago could be considered a new law. No mention was made that the ban will sunset in 2 years.
2) Last weekend, at a CCW re-certification class, the instructor talked about the "Brady Bill" (background checks, waiting period, etc.) and also mentioned the AW Ban (didn't really talk about "assault weapons", instead concentrating on the magazine capacity limit). No mention of the sunsetting, though I somewhat rudely interrupted and pointed this out, suggesting that everyone present should write their congressmen (the other students seemed genuinely appreciative and interested in this).
3) Yesterday at a different gun shop, there are a couple of guys looking at ARs, and the sales guy briefly discussed pre-ban vs. post-ban with them. Again, no mention of the sunset.
So, you can see a pattern here. I get the distinct impression that very few people are even aware that the ban is set to expire in less than 2 years. While I suppose it could be said that some gun owners are indifferent to the evil-feature-based AW ban, with a little pleading perhaps even these folks could be persuaded to get involved. And just about everyone wants the reduced-capacity magazine thing to go away. My point is this... if you really want to work towards fighting the renewal of the AW ban, be PROACTIVE! Not only should you lobby for the ban to not be renewed, you should try to get others involved too.
For my part, I plan to design an anti-renewal poster, which I will distribute to local gun shops and shooting ranges. These will contain some basic information about the ban, why it should be allowed to sunset without renewal, and a suggestion to contact your congressmen. I'm in the graphics business, and have access to a wide-format printer which I can use to output very large posters (though I'll probably keep these around 12x18 or 16x20... if they're too big, it will be difficult to find a suitable place on the wall in a crowded shop).
NOTE: If anyone here wants to get involved in this way, and wants some of these posters for their area, e-mail me. I will supply posters FREE to anyone who asks (within reasonable limits... I can't afford to send everyone 50 of these!). All I ask is that you pay for the cost of postage (I can only absorb so much).
Joining gun rights organizations is good... but we also need to get a serious "grass roots" thing going here to better the chances of the ban going away. Get involved!
--Mike