Excerpts from Congratulatory e-Mails

Possible Entry into Op/Ed in Targum To the students who have established the Rutgers Firearms Association: First off, good luck. The Second Amendment to the Constitution, for good or ill, is part of the highest law in the land. Your organization has chosen to get involved in an era of apathy. For that you should be applauded. My only advice is that you remember that gun ownership was established in the constitution in order to protect the other rights. To that respect, I ask you to be vigilant of government interference of the press. You should worry about government invasions of privacy. You should be concerned about your government holding people without due process. Otherwise, there really isn't much of a point, is there? Although many of you are conservative, remember that the right to bear arms is not a conservative issue. Nor is it a liberal issue. There are as many liberals who oppose gun control as there are conservatives who support gun control. Most of those liberals don't join the NRA or similarly aligned organizations - mostly because the NRA tends to support politicians who really don't care about the other nine amendments in the Bill of Rights. Here's some advice that I hope you'll take. First, there are liberal gun owners out there - and if anything, they know how fragile all rights - including gun rights - can be. Don't become a "conservative" group - even if most of you are conservative - because your position is to preserve and protect an American right. That's something that everyone can get behind and understand even if they disagree. Frame it in the context of "liberals" versus "conservatives" and you alienate half the people you're trying to convince. Second, be a good neighbor. Offer to show up to events run by other groups to bolster their numbers - if Amnesty International-RU, for example, is holding a sit in, ask to join in. Torture is one of the things that shouldn't happen to an free people - and that's one of the reasons you fight for the right to remain armed. Let yourself be known as people who care about more than just guns. It’ll help if people realize that the reason you care about guns is that, fundamentally, you care about freedom. Third, if you haven't done so already, contact the Pink Pistols in New York City. They're likely to give you a different perspective on gun ownership from people whose lives are often more directly threatened, and help you appreciate more the rights you work to preserve. Brian Boyko Rutgers-Newark Alumnus, Class of 2003 CC: Editor, Daily Targum The People's Republic of New Jersey Hi, I received the ANJRPC e-mail about your March 21 meeting. I can't make that meeting but I think that your group and your web site represent the type of watering and feeding the 2nd Amendment needs in the PRNJ. I'd like to support what you're doing by becoming a member. I didn't attend Rutgers and I've been out of college a long time but if it's possible to join, please let me know what the fee is. [...] Best wishes, William Eisner PRNJ 2 Just as an outsider, and an avid firearm lover/user, I am assuming that in order to become part of the RFA you need to be a current student at Rutgers University. If I am wrong, please let me know. I was always wondering when things like this were going to happen in our lovely anti- gun state. If I can't, please let me say many congratulations to all of you who were involved in getting this organization started. I am extremely pleased and hope that all goes well for the RFA! Derek Diez Biathalon Information Hi! I was recently made aware of your newly formed organization by the ANJRPC. My name is Chris Rogers, and I am the Race Director for NJ Summer Biathlon, a sport that combines marksmanship with cross-country running. I am also a graduate of both Cook College ('87) and the Graduate School ('92). If anyone in your organization is interested in our events (participating, volunteering, anything!), please let me know! I can mail you a copy of our Spring newsletter. Here is our Website: http://www.angelfire.com/nj4/biathlon/index.html. Thank you for providing a valuable service to the Rutgers community! "...it is vital to pass on the traditions and values of gun ownership to a younger generation..." To whom this may concern, Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steven Rasimowicz and I am a former Rutgers University student. I was a pharmacy student until I transfered to Kean University in the Fall of 2002 where I now major in accounting. I just wanted to take a few minutes to send an e-mail to you guys because I recently recieved an e-mail from the NRA about the upcoming meeting this Monday, March 21st. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend because I have a class that starts at the same time as the meeting. However, I just wanted to congratulate you guys on starting this club. I think its fantastic that a club like this exists and I had no idea about it until I recieved the NRA e-mail. As a gun owner and an avid outdoorsman, I feel that it is vital to pass on the traditions and values of gun ownership to a younger generation in order to ensure the survival and well-being of gun ownership and outdoor activities in this country. I feel that this is especially important in a liberal state like New Jersey where many of these traditions and values are taken for granted and are constantly under attack. I myself often look around my own campus and wish that there was a group such as this where I could get together with other people in my age group that share this common interest. Congratualtions once again and good luck in the future. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, Steven B. Rasimowicz From a Fellow Sharpshooter To all those involved, I'd like to congratulate you, and wish you great success. It's high time that the shooting sports be re-introduced to the college campus. It's up to you students now to prove to the anti gun liberals at Rutgers that gun ownership by responsible citizens is a good and possitive thing. Anthony M. Migliaccio Somers Point, NJ Member of... NRA GOA Atlantic County Firearms Training Facility Certified NRA Pistol Sharpshooter The RFA Response To all those with such encouraging words and valuable advice: On behalf of the Rutgers Firearms Association, I would like to thank you for your support and recognition. I would like to take a moment in this message to explain our organization, and our brief (very brief) history. Our club was founded in the Fall semester of 2004. A group of friends and I decided that it would be a rewarding (and challenging) experience to try to start up an organization that promoted the shooting sports - in Rutgers University. Taking notice that there exists a Princeton Shooting Team, and the previous existence of a firearms program in the history of Rutgers (a long time ago, underneath the College Ave. Gym), we decided to form our association, simply as a way to meet other competitive shooters in our school of 30,000+ undergraduates. At first, we expected less than 5 people to attend our meetings, but soon found a great interest in preserving our Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms, as well as a handful of law-abiding students who currently own firearms. With this in mind, and keeping aware of the liberal nature of the University, we decided to focus our meetings on a non-partisan approach to New Jersey legislative firearms issues, procedures for licensing, and introductions to the various rewarding disciplines. Membership to the RFA requires no dues. For our organizational status, we only need to keep a certain percentage of members as a part of the Rutgers Community. This (currently) means that anyone may join our organization. Membership simply adds you to our mailing list, informing members of upcoming meetings, local events, and major updates in New Jersey law. Currently, our meetings involve a guest speaker or a general forum to discuss current legislation, competitions, or just general gun-talk (I’m sure you know what that is). Please feel free to visit our website at http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~firearms Our e-mail address is firearms@eden.rutgers.edu Again, thank you very much for your support and kind words. Kris Baal RFA President