TexasCHLforum.com

Dad24GreatKids wrote:Charles - I am curious. Are you getting the response that you expected?

No, not at all. Only 91 people have signed up and some didn't complete the donation process. It's not at all encouraging.

Chas.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:

Charlies.Contingency wrote:Are you going to do any public fundraisers for this? I wouldn't mind coming out and donating more if you had any fundraisers at a venue in San Antonio.

I have no plans for a pure fundraiser at this point, although I will do some public appearances to encourage people to join the movement. I appreciate your willingness to donate more, but I really only want people to pay the $10, recruit every CHL they can, and respond to calls-to-action when they are issued. The key in repealing the unnecessary restrictions is a large movement, so people are everything. The money generated will allow us to let everyone know how large we are, simply because of the type of advertising (a/k/a expensive) we would be doing.

If I had time, I'd rent a table at some gun shows to promote CHLs United, but I'm committed every weekend of the month. That would be a good audience to promote the cause.

If you want to donate more, then you can do that by supporting the Texas Firearms Coalition, but that money will be used for everything, not just CHLs United.


Thanks,
Chas.

Thank you for the response Chas. I agree with you that the gunshows would be a good place to promote this movement, and I hope to see others join in on the call as well. I do my best to support TFC and the NRA, but I sometimes feel like sending a check is lacking of support. If there is anything more we can do to you help you, would you please make sure to let us know? You have a plethora of supporters here that may be willing to help out any way they can, including me. So if you find the need for helping hands, don't hesitate to ask.

The best thing, indeed the only thing, to be done now is beat the bushes and get every CHL you talk to to join the CHLs United movement. When we get closer to the election in 2016, then there will be more to do, but I have to be careful not to violate Texas campaign laws. For example, CHLs United will NOT have a PAC, but I'll email folks and tell them I met with Senator X and I'm going to send him $1. We will have phone trees (no, they are not antiquated) with people responsible for getting folks on their list to call, write, email, or all three, Senators and House Members when appropriate. I hope to have the money to buy expensive TV and radio time (i.e. during peak listening hours) and perhaps billboards, though their political impact is questionable. Expensive advertising does not merely reach more people, it sends a message about the power of a movement. Much more will be done depending upon timing, but we know that anti-gunners read the Forum, so I won't post more details.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:On a side note, I have been looking at the information you have provided about the movement, and I wanted to ask a few questions.

Did you go ahead and make a tangible organization for this, with the whole non-profit route and such? 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) type non-profit I would imagine.

No. CHLs United is intended to be a single-issue movement within the Texas Firearms Coalition. When restrictions are repealed, the Movement's mission will have been accomplished and it will be dissolved. (This is more complex with a legal entity, and even more so with a tax exempt organization.) This could change if we see bad bills pass that impact CHL/LTC, but I don't anticipate that happening. While it could be used to promote less obvious improvements such as fee reduction or deleting some of the unnecessary eligibility requirements, none of those issues are likely to strike a chord with the majority of CHLs. I believe that having a single-issue grassroots movement that will cease to exist once its only goal is achieved will be more powerful. It will also avoid being labeled as "just another pro-gun group." The NRA is the standing army for the Second Amendment. CHLs United is more in the nature of a militia that is called up to do battle for a limited time, then dissolve.

For reasons I will not discuss publicly (or privately for that matter), I do not seek tax exempt status for any Second Amendment advocacy organization. I will say the decision was based upon recommendations by a CPA/Attorney who specializes in getting tax exempt status for organizations and in filing their specialized tax returns.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:If this is a serious political movement that you are drawing together, how is it going to be structured and run? Will you be the sole organizer and decision maker when it comes to the use of funds?

It's serious on my part, but how serious it will be in terms of its impact on the Texas Legislature will be determined by the number of people who join the movement AND respond to calls-to-action.

Yes, I will be the only decision-maker in terms of CHL's United activities and expenditures. I will seek advice from people in various industries when it comes to making purchases in areas that are unfamiliar to me, and I will seek advice about certain areas of the State in terms of operations, legislative potential, etc. CHLs United will not use a legislative committee approach. I have worked with TSRA since 1987 and the NRA since 2001 as part of a legislative team. This approach is absolutely necessary for an organization that must evaluate numerous issues and potential bills, then pick some to promote and others to leave "on the table" until a future session. CHLs United does not have to make those decisions. We have one goal. Plus, I must admit that I've wanted repeal of off-limits areas to be a flagship bill for ten years now, but it hasn't happened.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:I personally would like to "see" this movement, more so than I "see" some of our other political movements, which I only see adds for. I have always believed that human interaction is more effective at communication a message, then advertisement, though it is far more limited on it's reach.

I think I know what you mean, but I may be wrong. Traveling around a state as large as Texas is not a wise use of money. TV and radio ads are seen by far more people than I could ever address if I was to attend an event five days a week. If funding permits, I plan to use TexasShooting.TV to promote several things, including CHLs United. While I will travel some, it will be only when it makes sense in the overall campaign. Hopefully, we'll have people with public speaking experience to serve as spokesmen/spokeswomen in various areas around the State.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:That's all I have for now Chas, and I apologize for being so inquisitive, but I have been more and more interested in doing more to get things done. I know a lot of people would like to just mail off a check and say they've done their part, but that's not satisfying for me. Thank you!

I don't mind the questions at all. I'll reiterate, unless the response to this effort is massive, then we will not have an impact on the 2017 Texas Legislative Session. Removal of off-limits areas is warranted and it is safe, but it is still considered radical by many in Austin, including House and Senate leadership. Only the pressure of hundreds of thousands of CHLs will get past that resistance.

Chas.

Charlies.Contingency wrote:Are you going to do any public fundraisers for this? I wouldn't mind coming out and donating more if you had any fundraisers at a venue in San Antonio.

I have no plans for a pure fundraiser at this point, although I will do some public appearances to encourage people to join the movement. I appreciate your willingness to donate more, but I really only want people to pay the $10, recruit every CHL they can, and respond to calls-to-action when they are issued. The key in repealing the unnecessary restrictions is a large movement, so people are everything. The money generated will allow us to let everyone know how large we are, simply because of the type of advertising (a/k/a expensive) we would be doing.

If I had time, I'd rent a table at some gun shows to promote CHLs United, but I'm committed every weekend of the month. That would be a good audience to promote the cause.

If you want to donate more, then you can do that by supporting the Texas Firearms Coalition, but that money will be used for everything, not just CHLs United.


Thanks,
Chas.

flechero wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:
The cost to participate in CHL’s United will be only $10/year [/url]

Charles,

I went to donate and the checkout/paypal screen says $10/mo instead of $10/yr.

Can you confirm which it is?

Thanks,
Keith

I think you went to the Support TFC page rather than "CHL's United." Here's a direct link. The donation link is at the bottom of the page.

Thanks,
Chas.

K5GU wrote:Charles, I just signed up. FYI - I tried both "debit." and "credit" card options but it failed with something like, "cannot use same card and email address as Paypal uses".

PayPal said they don't know what happened, but that you would have to call so they can check it from your end. I told them I didn't know if you have a PayPal account, but she had no response.

Chas.

K5GU wrote:Charles, I just signed up. FYI - I tried both "debit." and "credit" card options but it failed with something like, "cannot use same card and email address as Paypal uses".

Thanks, I'll call PayPal and see what's going on. I haven't heard of that one before.

Chas.

K5GU wrote:Sounds like a good movement. I wonder if the name will change to LTC United when the DPS drops "CHL" for "LTC" ?

From the http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/le ... lation.htm website:
"The department will be updating website, forms and training materials to reference License to Carry (LTC) instead of Concealed Handgun License (CHL)."

I thought about that, but "CHL" is so widely known that I stuck with the current acronym.

Chas.

CHL’s United is not an organization or a club, it is a movement, a movement with the single goal of removing unnecessary restrictions placed on Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees. In spite of an enviable 20-year track record by Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees, bills to remove unnecessary and dangerous off-limits areas for CHLs have failed to advance in the Texas Legislature for the last two legislative sessions. While other bills expanding gun rights in Texas have passed in every legislative session since 1995, it is obvious that Texas CHLs will need an intense, focused and massive campaign to pass a bill that will remove all remaining off-limits areas for licensees.

There are currently over 850,000 Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees and that number will be well over 1 million by the time the Texas Legislature convenes in 2017. Every single CHL needs to join the CHLs United movement and add their voices to the demand for reform. A CHL’s United petition with that number of signatures cannot be ignored by elected officials in Austin. Hundreds of thousands of phone calls, faxes and emails to elected officials before and after elections and during the 2017 legislative session will be a clear message of the support for removing unnecessary off-limits areas for CHLs.

The cost to participate in CHL’s United will be only $10/year (Sept. 1 - Aug. 31), less than $0.03 per day. If the response to this effort is what it should be, the proceeds from this small donation will allow CHL’s Untied to purchase air time on TV and radio and to engage in other widespread advertising efforts. A grassroots campaign by a million CHLs acting in a responsible and respectable manner can and will bring about long-overdue change to Texas gun laws as they relate to the most law-abiding segment of the Texas population. Join the CHLs United movement and get every friend and family member with a CHL to do likewise. In 1995, law-abiding Texans gained the right to carry self-defense handguns because millions of Texas gun owners raised their voices in unison demanding an end to a Reconstruction Era law that was costing countless innocent lives. Let’s revive this proven tactic with a single-issue focus by a million or more Texas CHLs demanding change.

Join the CHLs United movement!