Grassroots Advocacy: HOW WE MOVE THE 2A NEEDLE
For 40 years, Gun Owners of California has been at the tip of the spear in fighting for effective crime control and opposing ineffective gun control. We do this by boldly jumping into the legislative fray to impact public policy. Make no mistake – this is a battle, and we are far more productive when you join us!
From the very moment the United States was founded, the right of citizens to “petition” the government has long been vital to the success of our country as a representative democracy. One of the most effective tools available to GOC has been our ability to engage in grassroots advocacy.
What is grassroots advocacy, you ask?
This is what GOC is all about. Grassroots advocacy is “the basic source of support from the ground up” – engaging the public to advocate, organize and mobilize for themselves. There is a huge value in this because it is people-driven; when we join in a collective voice in support or opposition to an issue, we can be a powerful and effective force in changing public policies, whether at the local level, in Sacramento or even in Washington DC.
GOC’S LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER
Just like the tugboat that leads the cargo ship out to sea, small factions can change the course of our culture – we are seeing it now in real time, and some of it is frightening. GOC believes wholeheartedly that if more people are willing to engage, we can do the same thing for the Second Amendment.
Last year, GOC launched our Legislative Action Center, having pulled from our decades of experience working in and around the Capitol. This is our grassroots advocacy software which enables you to communicate with your elected officials on 2nd Amendment issues; given the negative media and political bias, it is critical that the politicians in Sacramento understand how important the 2nd Amendment is to the citizens of California. This helps us to stay relevant and in the forefront of an elected official’s mind and shows our power in numbers.
The Legislature somehow forgets that between 2020 and 2021, California added 412,059 NEW GUN OWNERS. That is an increase of 32% in 2020 and 24% in 2021 – and that’s using only partial data from the Department of Justice (through March 2021). Clearly, the numbers would be considerably greater with the inclusion of eight additional months in 2021. These are incredible numbers and we can surely use them to our advantage.
GOC encourages you to make use of our LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER- it is a streamlined and extremely effective method of communicating with those who represent you. With every waking minute, they are coming up with new ways to strip our ability to protect our families and our homes. Join us in the battle for the Second Amendment.