As we all know, some important victories were recently won for gun rights and individual freedom here in Vermont. My heartfelt congratulations and thanks to everyone who did their part.

However, unfortunately, the danger has not receded. Those whose collectivistic anti-liberty views we just saw evidence of in H. 124 and other onerous assaults on our rights are as determined as ever to regroup with the hope, once again, of decimating what few freedoms we can continue to claim as our own.

And we must never allow them to claim victory.

While we turn our attention for the time being to the federal front, where Senators Leahy and Sanders, and Congressman Welch, could all certainly stand to hear an earful from us, I believe it is perhaps more crucial than ever to boost and accelerate Gun Owners of Vermont membership. As anti-gun fanatics plot and connive incessantly to institute regulation after regulation in order to – yes – realize their ultimate goal of creating a government monopoly on ownership of firearms, we must not only unite, but grow and expand.

While I certainly do not wish to discourage membership and participation in national pro-gun rights groups, nor other such state-level groups here in Vermont – all of whom play an important role in Vermont gun freedoms — I would like to most specifically urge and challenge every GOV member to commit to recruiting as many responsible gun owners this coming year and into 2014 and beyond as possible. We have of late just witnessed the potential consequences of apathy in the face of a determined opposition who despise personal liberty. We must build a force that they will find impossible to challenge, now, or in the future.

Please talk about a Gun Owners of Vermont membership with your friends, families, co-workers, and fellow freedom lovers. A mere $20 annual contribution is all it takes to help build GOV into a financial and political powerhouse that the anti-gunners will find insurmountable. And, one that will be more than capable of taking the offensive with pro-gun initiatives.

Look at what we just achieved with our present resources. Imagine what will be possible with double the current number, or triple, or even more, of fresh, animated members.

Vermont is the very crown jewel of firearms freedom in America. We have served as a model for Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and the entire rest of our society. High rates of gun ownership, coupled with a bare minimum of existing laws, and consistently ultra-low violent crime rates, have proven conclusively over time that freedom works.

We must never lose the precious bastion of gun freedom we possess, and have preserved. Please spread the word about Gun Owners of Vermont today, and as often as you can. As Vermont gun owners, all of us, standing together, we will win. Thank you.

Most Sincerely,

Vermont Gun Owners: Stand – and Expand!

Written by Alex Knight