There has been a lot of debate in the Member Forums of KeepAndBearArms.com. Many of us realize that change is needed. The disagreement comes down to the unification of gun owners from various �splinters� of our �culture.�

The biggest problem with uniting Gun Owners is that most of us are extremely independent: individualists if you will. Most of us don�t care for politics and don�t like to be bothered with the effort of watching what�s going on around us in modern society.

Fortunately, many of us are overcoming our tendencies. Angel Shamaya, the Director of KeepAndBearArms.com, is one of the gifted individuals who can organize Gun Owners. My personal problem is organizing others. I can speak publicly with some proficiency, I can write fairly well, and I try to get involved in as many organizations as I can to protect what I consider important. I am, however, terrible at organizing events (or my house, as my wife would point out).

A problem I had to overcome was political involvement. I tried for so long to ignore what was happening. That was wrong. Since then, I have re-joined the NRA (not always a blessing), joined the GOA, joined the Libertarian Party, joined KABA, and spend hours on-line spreading the word about the Second Amendment. Not everyone is geared for political office. But, you can help spread the word about the wrongs and ills of society�email, faxes, letters, word of mouth. Use any tools at your disposal. Join the organizations, like KABA. The members of those organizations that CAN organize people will utilize your money to accomplish whatever good works that are possible.

One forum poster at The Armed Citizen forum suggested that police, both former and current, who cannot afford to donate to Pro Gun organizations donate their time as security for large events. Specifically, the poster suggested a police officer can donate his off-duty hours to Second Amendment Sister marches, to protect them from the violent MMM marchers.

Most gun owners I know are individualists. We are independent and dislike people telling us what to do. For that reason, many of the �mainstreamers� see us as crazy rednecks (or Bubbas in Texas) that �just don�t get it.� Regarding that point, as a group, we must be cautious in HOW we present ourselves and our arguments. We must keep the moral high ground. Responding with TIT for TAT will lose ground for our cause. We must also remain logical in our arguments. Instead of flipping the bird to an MMMer, remain calm. Instead of verbally attacking somebody who expresses anti-gun views, logically disarm them^(1,2). That individual may not change their mind, but someone else who is listening may start to �see the light.�

Despite the fact that �we� are individualists, we must organize. Organizations such as Gun Owners of America, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms, KABA, and yes � the NRA, are our best hope for peacefully retaining our rights. Many of these groups spend lots of money �teaching� the people who do not truly understand what is at stake. This takes money, usually gained from memberships. Support Pro-Gun business. Many of the Pro Gun businesses donate to these organizations.

The single, most deadly threat to the Second Amendment and the Pro Gun Movement is the politician who is willing to compromise and turn on the voters who put him or her into office. There are more examples than I wish to site here: Governer Bill Owens of Colorado, President George Bush, Sr., and the list goes on.

Our mistake as Gun Owners is voting for the �lesser of two evils.� Well guess what, you�re still being sold �up river.� Try opening your eyes to the smaller political parties. The �wasted vote� argument holds no water folks. The only truly wasted vote is one that is not cast. Start at the local level and vote for the candidate that truly will do as they promise. Typically, the Libertarians are a safe bet for not selling out. I respect a party that will lose on principle instead of winning on compromise.

Unification? We need to unify as much as possible. But it starts at the INDIVIDUAL level, with the INDIVIDUAL. Before �we� can organize, YOU as the INDIVIDUAL must commit to some level of support. 

Realistically, individualists such as ourselves will not agree on fine details. That is one reason that so many smaller Pro Gun organizations exist. The NRA plays modern day �hardball politics� � compromising to minimize damage. The smaller organizations have sprung up to fix the problem: NO MORE COMPROMISE.

In the end, we are all brothers and sisters in the Second Amendment. We believe in our right to keep and bear arms. When you err on the side of no compromise, you assure you don�t slip down the slope toward the mess we have now. That is the key to winning. We must all agree to NO COMPROMISE.

One last point. If we become so vocal that we appear to be part of �mainstream� society (which we really are), we will not face the �vocal minority� appearance. We will no longer be lumped in with PETA types who make more noise than difference.

That said, we don�t need to unify so much as become the majority. That, too, starts with you, the Individual.