Cabela's NRA 2nd Amendment Workshop a rousing success

By Jim Irvine

Recently I was invited to attend a Second Amendment workshop at the Cabela's in Dundee, Michigan. The event was organized by Wayne Blank, an NRA certified instructor, training councilor, and Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC.)

The event was held on August 29 and was an all day event held at a huge Cabela's store – the ultimate shopping for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. The list of speakers included several friends in the fight to restore our rights. I was humbled to be included with them and gladly accepted the invitation to speak.

Speakers included:

• Suzanne Anglewicz, the NRA-ILA Grassroots Director. Suzanne had big shoes to fill stepping into that role and has done a terrific job in difficult times for gun owners. If you have 5 minutes or 5 years to give to the cause, she will help you be effective.
• Brian Patrick, Firearms Activist, professor, and author. University of Toledo Professor Patrick gives you hope that all academia is not brain dead and rabidly anti-gun. He is a friend who is always interesting to listen and learn from.
• David Coy, NRA Board of Directors. When we were a small disorganized group of people trying to make a difference in Ohio, Mr. Coy reached out and helped us. His wisdom and guidance helped make us an effective group. Hearing a critical assessment of where we are and our battles should serve as a wake-up call to all non-involved gun owners.
• Dave Felbeck, MCRGO (Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners) founder. Dave talked of the formation of the group and their battle to pass a concealed carry law in Michigan. It is amazing how similar the stories and paths of groups from other states are to the battles we fought in Ohio. MCRGO leaders were also very helpful to us in our early days of activism.
• Steve Dulan, Professor at Colley Law School and MCRGO board member. Dulan is more proof that we have good attorneys on our side. He was impressive and informative. They have fought and won the same battles we are fighting in Ohio, and it's always great to hear the perspective of an educated person who has won.
• Skip Coryell, Founder of the Second Amendment March. It's amazing how similar activist's stories are. They are regular people, who have an idea. The difference is that when someone affirms their ideas, they don't say, "someone should do that." They say, "I'll do it." Look for Skip on national news and talk radio as we get closer to the April 19 march in Washington D.C.
• William Nichols, Monroe County Prosecutor. It's always good to hear how the prosecution looks at things, because that is who will be deciding your fate after you successfully defend your life and family. The same situation will be treated differently depending on the county prosecutor responsible for the crime scene. Once again, we see that elections really do matter.

Even after all the time I've invested in this movement, I still learned things from every speaker. Other attendees also seemed quite impressed with the panel of speakers and are looking forward to another event that Wayne has already started planning for next year.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and the host of Firearms Forum, Ohio's first talk radio show about guns and gun rights.