Last Tuesday we had our first Reach Out Wisconsin forum! The topic was concealed carry of firearms—Wisconsin just became the 49th state to allow this, amidst some controversy.
I was nervous as the forum drew near. What if no one came? What if the liberals and conservatives started yelling at each other? But these fears never came to pass.
We had 30 attendees; the room we’d reserved at Benvenutos Italian Grill was packed. The conservative-to-liberal ratio was fairly even, tipped a little more to the conservative side thanks to Scott and Carol’s diligent recruiting from the Republican Party.
The speakers were an NRA gun instructor (for the law) and two “concerned citizens” (against the law). After the speakers talked and fielded questions for an hour, we turned the attendees loose to talk amongst themselves, encouraging everyone to find people whose perspectives differed from their own. To our delight, almost everyone stuck around and engaged in these conversations for an hour or two after the program.
It wasn’t perfect, of course. Sometimes conversations were not only heated but seemed a bit unproductive, depending on how willing-to-listen the participants were. But I heard many people say they were learning new things, and over and over people told me that it was a success.
Scott, Carol, Ron and I shared smiles of pride with each other throughout the evening. We felt encouraged about next month’s forum and those beyond.
I myself learned a great deal from the conservatives in attendance—a lot about guns, gun safety, gun philosophy, and general conservative values. But forgive me if I don’t write soon, since I have to prioritize Reach Out Wisconsin! There’s a lot to do, and I’m still working full time, so I only have limited time in which to do it.
But change is coming—I’ve decided that in the not-so-distant future, I’m going to reduce my hours at work and begin spending more time writing at home. This has been a long time in the making, and after careful thought, Ron and I decided that now is the best time for me to do it. I’m so excited! 🙂
If you’d like to learn more about what Reach Out is doing or to get involved, please go to our website or “like” us on Facebook. And I’ll write more about us soon too. These are exciting times!
