The Gun Rights Policy Conference in Chicago

Many of you missed it. Who did you miss on stage at the gun rights policy conference in Chicago? You missed Don Kilmer and Gene Hoffman from our home state of California. You missed Otis McDonald and his family, and Alan Gura and Alan Gottlieb.  They are key players in the lawsuit against the city of Chicago that went to the supreme court.

Offstage I talked with Jim Irvine who is making things happen in Ohio, [url]http://www.buckeyefirearms.org[/url]

Frank Fiamingo who is working on gun rights in New Jersey, [url]http://www.nj2as.com[/url]

David Codrea, the gunrights examiner, [url]http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-i...l/david-codrea[/url]

and Mike Vanderboegh, [url]http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com[/url]

David and Mike won the “David and Goliath” award for their coverage of operation fast and furious. I also met Coleen Lawson . She is also a plaintiff in McDonald versus Chicago. She made this video about her children being robbed at gunpoint [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-meReSzM34[/url], [url]http://www.ammoland.com/2011/03/21/o...nald-v-chicago[/url]  She gave a very powerful speech. On a lighter note, I had a chance to share a drink and conversation with editor and firearms trainer Kathy Jackson! [url]http://corneredcat.com[/url]

It was great to see the people behind those names from the internet.

Most interesting conversations-

*Gun rights are resurgent because gun owners have changed. Guns are no longer confined to those living and hunting in the county. Now we use guns for sport and personal safety. Most of us live in cities and can relate to personal safety.

*Why did we outlaw girl guns? Girl guns use a smaller caliber and lower power than a full-power hunting cartridge. This makes them more pleasant to shoot. The barrel is often shorter than one on a full length battle rifle because that makes them easier to carry. They use adjustable stocks for a shorter women. They are often semi-automatic because that makes them easier and more fun to operate compared to a single shot bolt gun. Some girl guns come with colored stocks and accessories. You can call them assault rifles if you want, but they are the guns designed for women and youngsters..and we outlawed them.

I got to talk with my favorite podcasters, Kenn Blanchard, Tom Gresham, Charles Heller and Mark Walters. They are fascinating people, and only a small taste of the conference.   There is more I’ve left unsaid, and more I missed. Find out for yourself.

Next years gun rights policy conference is in Florida.