From a syndicated Washington Post article, “Organizers of pro-gun rallies lament low turnout“:
“Student-led rallies around the country on Saturday aimed to show support for gun rights, though their effort drew smaller-than-expected crowds in a bid to counter the well-funded and organized youth gun-control lobby that emerged after the massacre in a Florida high school earlier this year …”
Organizers made two mistakes here.
First, not recognizing the gun control marches were organized by professional astroturf and their media allies and not a genuine expression of student support. There was no way they could duplicate them using only grassroots. The appropriate response would have been to call fraud from the start to delegitimize them.
Second, assuming that rallies are an effective form of political action. They are not. I have covered this many times before. Politicians don’t pay much attention to them as they go on all the time. Only people who can organize votes and money around an issue are taken seriously. Elected officials do not go around asking for people to hold rallies, they ask for help with their election campaigns.
Some examples:
Truitt For Assembly – Dutchess Campaign Kickoff!
Politics is not difficult to understand especially when elected officials come right out and tell you what to do. They want gun owners to help them get on the ballot, come to their fundraisers and give money. The students should learn from this.