GRPC

[Dave.45]

Eric,
Thanks for the updates throughout the conference. I keep logging on to see "what's up." It's almost like being there (OK a bit of a stretch but hey, I will take what I can get). I wonder how many people will sign up for next year's conference after getting your reports and wishing they were there. I know I wish I was! It would be really great to have Gun Talk give a guest spot to someone on the GRRN.

[Eric R Shelton]

I figure updating here is the closest I can come to a live blog (like MacWorld does covering Apple events, new iPod debuts, etc).  The Sheraton where the conference is being held charges 10 bucks for 24 hours of connectivity, which kind of surprised me, and makes me glad I got the 3G iPhone, so I can update and just bypass their toll network.  The battery life was much greater than I had been led to believe, btw.

This isn't a conference for tech guys, or a product placement show, and I like that.  This is just what Mark started out the Gun Rights Advocates Podcasts for.  To discuss our constitutional rights, past, present, and future.  And let me tell you, the future looks GOOD.  I don't want to over-cover what I think we got in our Round Table tonight, but post-Heller is good, and we now live in a climate where a General Election can't be won by advocating "gun control".  Like Obama, a candidate must "support the 2nd Amendment" and then couch their real agenda behind "common sense regulation".

While this is a very good thing for us, and a clear indicator that we are winning the fight, make no mistake by believing that the fight is won.  The battle will not be over until the NFA of 1938 is repealed.  It was quite clear from some of the speakers that THAT IS the eventual goal, but it took us 30+ years to get so mucked up and may take just as long to work our way out of this quagmire.  Heller was only the beginning.  Combine our own domestic issues and debates with the external pressure of the UN and we still have quite a battle in front of us.

I'm back at my hotel now, banging away at my laptop, and I'm going to do another short audio bit here soon.  But one last thing that I'll probably repeat ad nauseam on upcoming episodes of the Handgun Podcast- this has really crystallized for me where the direction of my show is going.  See, gun rights have always been the most important aspect to me, personally.  And while there will always be plenty of room for reviews and gear talk, handguns truly are just as (and maybe more) vilified than "assault rifles".  The list of groups read today that were specifically against handguns (for now) was shocking to me.  So be prepared for a LOT more RKBA stuff in future shows, particularly as we head into this election.

The next thing I'll really be hammering on in the next two months is audience.  I really need you guys to help in any way.  Go back and listen to the episode I guest-hosted for Mark at Gun Rights Advocates.  I'm not a guru.  I'm not some almighty authority.  I'm just a guy who believes passionately in this stuff, and won't resort to name-calling the opposition if I have the chance to educate them instead.  Please, please, PLEASE do what you can to evangelize as well!  The impact one person can have can't be understated.  Look at Mark, who 2 years later has spawned 100 episodes and a NETWORK of like-minded people.

You guys can do it, too.

I know our forum is still growing, but our listenership is solid.  If we could get each listener to introduce their favorite show, or network as a whole to ONE new person each week, we would grow like wildfire.  Right now we're preaching to the choir, and there's nothing wrong with that.  I love you guys and appreciate you more than you know.  But the nature of a podcast is that we're listened to by those who sought us out, or happened upon us and were already interested in the topic.  If we're going to grow, we are absolutely going to need exposure.  And true to grassroots, you the listener are our best avenue for that.

If Kimber wanted to sponsor me because I carry and promote their product, great.  But that still only reaches people who are already in our little subculture.  I kid you not, I would take 5 dedicated listeners who would introduce somebody new every week over ANY corporate sponsorship.  And if I got 10 I'd bake you all cookies.   

Ok, I've ranted enough, and probably repeated what I was going to say in audio, but I can't stress the importance enough.  WE are the gun lobby.  And we have less than two months to make sure we don't lose any ground.

[Rob Kroupa]

Thanks for the updates, we really appreciate them

[Eric R Shelton]

Day 2. There's a lot today and I may not beagle to update as much. We have coverage of the ATF the media and no breaks. You can imagine the glut of information. I'll try to sum ip when I can.

[Eric R Shelton]

what a day! There was a ton of cool stuff for me, likewinning friends to our side in the media. Changing our language and words to win debates. Marketing the second amendment. Open carry.

Not a lot of attendees this morning. But really really great info. This has been so hugely educational. Get ready for lots of shows as I try to relay all this info cuz it's stuff you can use too.

[Eric R Shelton]

the conference is over and optednottodoanother
Round table. Ugh typing onthis thing is giving me fits.

No real time to go back and proofread or correct- I'm sitting in on a live broadcast of Tom Gresham's Gun Talk radio show!

THIS IS SO COOL!

[militantmarksman]

Hey Eric , did they say where the GRPC wil be next year?

[Mark Vanderberg]

Sean,

I think Kenn was saying that it would be in the Washington, DC area next year.

[Eric R Shelton]

Alan Gottleib said they didn't have a contract signed yet for next year's GRPC, so we'll see.  I'm back home in Tucson now, going to take 20-30 to decompress, and I'll then I'll post the agenda so people can see any topics that interested them but I didn't cover.

I'll put the pics up here via Photobucket as soon as Dustin emails 'em to me.  Once again, sorry I forgot my camera!  D'oh!

[NC Dave]

It was great meeting you, Tony and Dustin at the conference.

According to Alan, no signed contracts yet but it looks like either St. Louis or Nashville are the front-runners.

Sitting in on a live broadcast with Tom Gresham - man I am so envious!!

[Eric R Shelton]

Hey Dave!  It was great meeting you too!  I kid you not, sir- having a listener recognize me and the show was a thrill I don't know how to top.  You made my day.  Say hi to Shari (sp?) for me, and you two have a safe flight home, ok?  Find anything cool while you were out prowling Phoenix?

Ok, for everybody else, here's a kinda long list of the GRPC agenda.  Anything that I haven't covered in the notes, or the upcoming podcasts, just let me know if you're interested and I'll get it to you.
------------------------------------
23RD ANNUAL GUN RIGHTS POLICY CONFERENCE - UPDATED AGENDA
For Immediate Release:   9/22/2008

September 26-28, 2008

Sheraton Crescent — Phoenix, Arizona

FRIDAY, September 26, 2008—Phoenix Ballroom

7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens

7:00–10:00 p.m. Buffet Reception with Cash Bar
Co-hosted by National Rifle Association and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
-Landis Aden, president, Arizona State Rifle Association
-Arizona State Representative John Kavanaugh (R-Scottsdale)
-Sydney Hay (R) - State Mining Association Executive Director, candidate for First Congressional District

SATURDAY, September 27, 2008—Crescent Ballroom

7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Continental Breakfast hosted by Women & Guns Magazine

8:15 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator—Julianne Versnel Gottlieb, publisher of Women & Guns and Journal on Firearms & Public Policy
-Trooping the Colors by Buckeye Union High School Air Force JROTC
-Pledge of Allegiance by Landis Aden, president, Arizona State Rifle Association
-Invocation—Reverand Gregory Curtis, Largo Christian Center

8:30 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle

Welcoming Remarks
-The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, editor of Gun Week, president, Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)
-The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and founder, SAF

9:00 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing
-Charles H. Cunningham, director, federal affairs, NRA Institute for Legislative Action
-John Velleco, legislative director, Gun Owners of America
-Joe Waldron, special projects director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
-Ralph Walker, treasurer, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association

9:45 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing
-Landis Aden, president, Arizona State Rifle Association
-Scott Bach, NRA director, president, Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs
-Ken Hanson, Esq., legislative director, Buckeye Firearms Association
-Chuck Michel, Esq., legislative chairman, California Rifle & Pistol Association
-Richard Pearson, executive director, Illinois State Rifle Association
-Jim Wallace, executive director, Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) Massachusetts

10:15 a.m. Break and Refreshments
hosted by KeepandBearArms.com

10:30 a.m. United Nations and International Affairs Briefing
-Mark Barnes, Esq., counsel to Firearms Importers Roundtable (FAIR)
-Tony Bernardo, executive director, Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA)
-David Kopel, Esq., author and research director, The Independence Institute
-Howard Nemerov, author and blogger

11:15 a.m. Questions and Answers on Federal, State and International Lawmaking

11:30 a.m. Special Address
-Arizona State Senate President Timothy S. Bee, candidate for Congress in the Eighth Congressional District

11:45 a.m. Recess and break to prepare for box luncheon

Noon Awards Lunch
Hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and Second Amendment Foundation
-Alan Gura, Esq., counsel of record, D.C. v. Heller and attorney for plaintiffs in McDonald et al., v. City of Chicago
-Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), surrogate for Presidential Candidate John McCain
-David Schweikert (R), Maricopa County Treasurer, candidate for Fifth Congressional District

1:30 p.m. Recess

1:45 p.m. Intellectual Ammunition
-John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime, The Bias Against Guns and Straight Shooting

2:00 p.m. Firearms Civil Rights Court Strategies
-David T. Hardy, Esq., author, constitutional scholar and video producer
-David Kopel, Esq., author and research director, The Independence Institute
-John Monroe, Esq., vice president, GeorgiaCarry.org

2:30 p.m. Litigating Gun Cases after the Heller Decision
-Donald Kilmer, Esq., constitutional issues litigator
-Virgil McVicker, CPA, president, Madison Society Foundation
-Chuck Michel, Esq., counsel to CRPA, NRA, CCRKBA and SAF

3:15 p.m. Break and refreshments hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com

3:30p.m. Concealed Carry on Campus: The New Battleground
-Michael Fancher Arizona State University leader, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
-Michael Guzman, Texas State University, president, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
-Katie Kasprzak, public relations director, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

4:00 p.m. Know Your Enemies and Their Targets
-Manny Fernandez, Esq., board member National Rifle Association
-Joseph P. Tartaro, editor of Gun Week, president, SAF
-Timothy Wheeler, MD, pres., Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the Claremont Institute

4:30 p.m. Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrines
-Robert Corbin, Esq., past-president NRA, former Arizona Attorney General
-Dave Workman, senior editor, The New Gun Week
-David Young, historian and author of The Founding Fathers View of the Second Amendment

5:00 p.m. Presidential and Congressional Elections 2008
-Charles Cunningham, director, NRA Political Victory Fund
-Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, American Political Action Committee
-State Sen. Sam Slom (R-HI), board of trustees, Second Amendment Foundation

5:30 p.m. Questions & Answers on Saturday afternoon sessions

6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment

6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Phoenix Ballroom
Hosted by National Shooting Sports Foundation and Second Amendment Foundation
-Entertainment by the Cartridge Family band
-Speaker: Bob Barr, Libertarian candidate for President

SUNDAY, September 28, 2008—Crescent Ballroom

8:00 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Continental Breakfast hosted by The New Gun Week

8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
-Moderator, Peggy Tartaro, editor, Women & Guns, board member, CCRKBA

9:00 a.m. ATF: Thinking Forfeiture and Fabrication
-David T. Hardy, Esq., author, constitutional scholar and video producer
-Jeff Knox, operations manager, Firearms Coalition
-John Velleco, federal affairs director, Gun Owners of America

9:30 a.m. Countering the Media Bias against Guns
-Tim Graham, Media Research Center
-Tom Gresham, host of Gun Talk radio show, board member, CCRKBA
-Kirby Wilbur, KVI talk show host and trustee of SAF
-Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter

10:15 a.m. Gunowners at Risk on Ranges, Hunting Grounds, Parks
-Dennis Fusaro, executive member, Virginia Civil Defense League
-Don Turner, project manager, Clark County Shooting Park, former mgr. Ben Avery
-Dave Workman, senior editor, The New Gun Week

10:45 a.m. Marketing the Second Amendment to the Public
-Alan Korwin, author of Gun Laws of America, and The Heller Case: Gun Rights Affirmed
-Guy Smith, author and marketing & media consultant
-Nikki Stallard, representing Pink Pistols

11:15 a.m. Freedom of Choice: Concealed and/or Open Carry
-Scott Hattrup, Esq., board member, National Association of Arms Shows
-Joe Waldron, board member and special projects director for CCRKBA

11:30 a.m. Questions & Answers

Noon Report of the Resolutions Committee
-Ken Hanson, Esq., Buckeye Firearms Association
-Genie Jennings, Women &Guns columnist
-Jay Knox, The Firearms Coalition
-Richard Pearson, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
-Herb Stupp, board member, CCRKBA
-Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership
-Robert Wiest, Second Amendment Foundation board of trustees, Tennessee activist

1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment
-Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro

[alpineferrari]

Got my fingers crossed for St. Louis !  That would be a cool trip!