
Blanche Luczyk, a MAIG organizer and slightly irritated, it looks like, led a pro-gun control rally that was overrun by gun rights advocates. (Photo credit: News Leader)
Organizers for New York City Mayor Michael Bloombergâs pro-gun control organization âMayors Against Illegal Gunsâ held a rally over the weekend in Columbus, Ohio, in an effort to bring awareness to their fight for tougher gun laws, including legislation that would expand background checks.
Itâd be fair to argue that the rally was a disaster because aside from the six individuals that hosted the event in cityâs Arena District on Friday no other gun control supporter showed up. Apparently, they didnât get the memo.
Nevertheless, MAIG organizer Blanche Luczyk was there shouting her message to the 50 or so gun rights advocates who showed up to picket the rally.
âAs a gun owner, Iâm a responsible person and I think itâs responsible to ask to have all gun owners have a background check,â Luczyk told local news affiliate 10TV.com.
âItâs just common sense. Any responsible person who is willing to take the ownership of a gun should be willing to have that background check,â she added.
While Luczyk was touting the supposed merits of universal background checks, folks in the crowd yelled âGermany 1933â and âHitler,â a reference to the strict gun control laws that preceded the rise of Nazi regime.
One gun owner who attended the event, Charlie Roberts, also spoke two 10TV.com about his reason for being there.
âI want to show my support for the NRA, gun rights and the 2nd Amendment,â said Roberts.
âWe need to go after the criminals who commit crimes with guns and not the honest law abiding citizens,â Roberts continued. âWe donât need any new laws, just enforce the ones on the books.â
Linda Walker of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, the pro-gun organization that assembled the folks for the counter-rally, had a more direct message for MAIG.
âThereâs no reason for Mayors Against Illegal Guns to be in Ohio,â said Walker âOhioans stand up for our constitutional rights and thatâs the way itâs going to be.â
âPeople are fired up, people are concerned,â she noted. âItâs overwhelming this many people show up on a Friday afternoon because our constitutional rights are that important.â
One can argue thatâs it been a long summer for MAIG. As noted in previous Guns.com articles, MAIG has struggled to get people out to their events.
For example, only a handful of folks showed up at a gun control rally in Little Rock back in June. And in July it was more of the same when an MAIG event in Missoula was crashed by a large group of gun owners and gun rights advocates.
While gun control advocates continue to argue that an overwhelming majority of the public â over 90 percent â supports expanded background checks itâs becoming rather apparent that when it comes to grassroots organization and getting people to stay engage in the conversation theyâre having a lot of trouble.
One doesnât need to be a rocket scientist to conclude that this lackluster support across the country doesnât bode well for MAIGâs goal of reforming the nationâs gun laws at the federal level.
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