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Gun shows

Started by SamD, February 08, 2009, 08:54:44 PM

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SamD

The New Mexico crew attended a Lions Club gun show here in Alamogordo this weekend.  Made many personal contacts that I think will be at our next shoot in Las Cruces at the end of the month.   

Ran into the last man to make Rifleman from 2008 and he agreed to take up the orange. His wife and a friend were knocking on the door and we'll have them in orange hats by March.

In keeping with the progressive thinking that has made Appleseed such a success, we worked hard to come up with new ways to spread the Appleseed message and attract more participation. We did a review of American History (a bit more recent than April 19 1775) and came upon an idea first developed by General Hyrum T. Bullmoose in his quest to bring Yoakumberry tonic into the US Arsenal. To this end we have  arranged for "Appasionata von Climax" and "Stupefying Jones" to assist us at the 28 Feb-1 Mar Las Cruces Appleseed. They will work the gate, directing shooters to the proper range and encouraging any others entering the range to walk in and sign up.  I'm sure that attendance will triple so Fred needs to send us a real big shoot kit  O0

Another minor development came about because we had too many Appleseeders manning the table. In order to find breathing room half of us got out of the booth and started "working the tables" spreading the Appleseed word to the vendors. Found one from Lordsburg who saw the goodly number of potential Appleseeders coming to our table.  He thought it might be a good idea to do an Appleseed in Lordsburg NM, probably in May.  He has also agreed to insert an Appleseed info card into the package with every rifle sold.   Work the tables folks. When those shop owners see that people are buying up accessories to hang on LTR's and big rifles, that every  attendee will use at least 500 rds of ammo for an Appleseed, some of it pricey centerfire stuff, the eyeballs get a little wider. When they hear that we are pressing to get absolutely fandamntastic numbers of people to come to Appleseed, they start swallowing hard and coughing.  Might be that if they thought there was something in it for them, they would work harder to bring us to the attention of their customers. ;)



ashrn03

Quote from: SamD on February 08, 2009, 08:54:44 PM
To this end we have  arranged for "Appasionata von Climax" and "Stupefying Jones" to assist us at the 28 Feb-1 Mar Las Cruces Appleseed. They will work the gate, directing shooters to the proper range and encouraging any others entering the range to walk in and sign up. 

Well (cackle, slobber, drool) that should ruddy well do it.
The way to herd cats is to offer treats

colycat

As always, good job Sam.  Wow to many people at the table?  Wish I had all those BOTG's!!!
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value."   T Paine

100

TaosGlock

#3
We also talked to anyone who looked to be in charge of, or helping out with the gunshow, mostly the Lyons Club volunteers. They are all fine folks and of course shooters too.
Upon leaving one of them said they really appreciated our presence. Since we told them we were all volunteer, 501(c)3, the table was half price.  Since most everyone said they were a "pretty good shot" 8) we told them to come and help us instruct. Funny thing happened, these same folks decided then that maybe they should just show up and shoot first. Hee hee, that is fine too! ;) Everyone who actually stopped and talked was receptive to the message and were a fantastic group of fellow Americans.

The Las Cruces crew of me, BlueFeather and CSHR left early just before sunrise. The hour and a half trip was beautiful:


Here are a few pics of the table.  Buck our newest IIT, was going to be with us with a snazzy laptop slideshow of pics from AS events, but called in sick Friday night. Soooo in typical AS fashion it was adapt and overcome. We quickly put together a poster board that night with pics. We were also hoping to be next to a wall with an 8 foot table, but we were put just off the wall and  with only a 6 foot table.  We sorta wrapped the banner around the table. Our Orange hats stuck out like beacons to all the attendees.O0 Saturday night we went home and printed more event flyers, brought more SWAT's and more of the Dillon articles that we scanned. We had a Hits Count target posted up on the opposite wall and on the table.




This event should serve to get more folks to the line and into instructor hats. ^-^
89 fantastic Appleseeds since 2008/24 Libertyseeds!
Adventure Camp Director/Current Lead Rifle Instructor: NRA WC Raton,NM
New Mexico's first Rifleman: Sept. 2008 NRAWC
Their walls are filled with cannonballs, their motto is don't tread on me-Grateful Dead
Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers. It is a man of war and we are all crew-Boston T. Party
"Make no mistake, when you cheer for the people of the American Revolution, you are cheering for traitors and criminals.
They broke the law, because liberty is always illegal"- Larken Rose

colycat

OH, you just have to show a pic of the beautiful landscape.  Makes me want to be there.  Good job all.

Coly
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value."   T Paine

100

SamD

The New Mexico contingent is small but real strong.
You don't know just how good these folks are Colycat.  They don't wait for people to stop at the table. They are working the tables and the aisles, a handful of SWATs and a Classifier in hand, tracking them down. You see an orange hat stop in the aisle, a little talking, an arm pointing toward the redcoat on the side door, fingers and thumb showing "just this small", a little more talk and then they are coming back for another SWAT or two.

I joked about having Apassionata Von C and Stupefying Jones (the Stella Stevens and Julie Newmar characters from Little Abner) working at an Appleseed, but these guys found a model working at the show, and went and sold her on Appleseed. There is a good chance that she'll be at the Las Cruses shoot.  She is a local IDPA shooter and needs a new calling.  I think BlueFeather will wean her away from the Glocks and onto rifles, and we will put her in Orange real soon.  Most folks don't go up to strangers and "sell", these people do.  Cold selling is touchy, even if you have a basket of burgers and the folks are starving.  
They are selling Appleseed to people that are hungry for a chance at something good and useful.  It's an easy sell, because people can actually see that they believe in what they are doing.  It's not some fad or joke with 'em.  You sit and talk with people, hear what's important to them, where their values lie.   See an idea pop into their head and watch it working behind their eyes, you can tell that something hurts 'em, when you see how they react to a stupid comment from the crackpot at the next table.  You can tell what they believe in.

New Mexico will come into Appleseed, one shooter at a time, every one will have to be personally "sold" the program by someone that believes in what they are doing.   We'll do that, because we believe.




POP

Amen, SAM, Amen.

I don't know the folks about whom you speak so highly.  However, your description of how they work shows is just how I do it.  Listen to folks around you after a comment at the next table.  Yep, then let'em talk.

Appleseed is just what they are looking for.  Gets'em off the couch and with other folks who believe what they want to believe; yes we can save America.

Thanks for the post.

POP
3 of 6
7 of 6
Davilla RBC 11-08, 2-09, 11-09, 11-10
Davilla IBC 4-10
Eureka KS RBC 7-10, 5-11
Osage Beach RBC 10-10
WSMR 03-10 ... Sapper Steel
Waterman 300 9/11/10

I can explain it to you but, I cannot understand it for you.

I'll keep my faith, my family, my church, my liberty, my property, my money...oh, and my guns. You can keep the CHAINS. (Triskele)

SamD

Thought I had listed them POP.
Doing them a disservice.

The table crew was BlueFeather, CHSR and TaosGlock. They wore out some shoe leather. O0
We are doing it again next weekend in Las Cruces adn will have Buck with us then.
Maybe more.

Sam

TaosGlock

We all put in a big effort here.
Folks were very open to the Appleseed message including the vendors. Rather than the usual gun show talk of how bad the anti-gunners in DC were, the talk was focused on the question: where is our country heading? And I sensed that there was a real and genuine fear that hung like a heavy cloud over their souls.  The time is ripe, the nation is ready and as always, Appleseed is the answer. We are ready to teach...they are ready to learn.

We all had our own unique approach based on how we sensed people. This is SamD's town and he knows many of these folks like family as do they with him. I'm betting many of them will be in Las Cruces.
If they walked by the table and even glanced sideways or broke stride we reeled them in like fish. They were hungry for something, unsure of the future and looking for purpose and we gave them the AS message of an action plan for themselves and their country.

SamD, with his military background could really spot those military boys and their officers and really hammered in the message to them. He let em' know how high our marksmanship standards were compared to their standards and on targets they use! That got their attention and then they were truly impressed with AS. We let em' know it was about marksmanship and heritage, we are all on the same ship.

In just a few days we will be back at it with an even bigger event at the Dickerson Barn in Las Cruces.
We will be on message and making a difference.

89 fantastic Appleseeds since 2008/24 Libertyseeds!
Adventure Camp Director/Current Lead Rifle Instructor: NRA WC Raton,NM
New Mexico's first Rifleman: Sept. 2008 NRAWC
Their walls are filled with cannonballs, their motto is don't tread on me-Grateful Dead
Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers. It is a man of war and we are all crew-Boston T. Party
"Make no mistake, when you cheer for the people of the American Revolution, you are cheering for traitors and criminals.
They broke the law, because liberty is always illegal"- Larken Rose