Pro-gun rallies and appearances

Perception can be powerful. That's actually not a bad idea, you don't have to go out of your way but the term Sunday best comes to mind.

Some anti gunners are always blown away when they find out gun owners aren't just your average rednecks rather include; doctors, teachers, Marines, and yes parents just like them.

Funny you mentioned that. A buddy and I were just discussing the topic and came to the conclusion that wearing tee shirts and carrying signs depicting AR 15s might just be reinforcing the image most pro gun control people have of 2 nd Amendment advocates as gun NUTS!
Having said that, I do not think I`ll be at the next rally in Albany wearing a suit and tie, though. People might just mistake me for a legis -weasel and give me a bashing that someone else really deserves:

There were plenty of suits in the crowd in Albany last Feb. But the Anti's don't see them, the same way they don't see the women or anyone else that doesn't fit their convenient stereotype of the "middle aged, overweight, male redneck gun nut".

Maybe I'm one that you describe. I really don't care what others think of me, especially an anti. It's good to show them city folk that us hicks are out there.

Yes. I think a lot of us -- even the proverbial doctors and lawyers -- have gotten into the habit of "dressing down" when we go to gun shows (and other venues when we're among the brethren). At pro-gun political rallies, the dynamic is exactly the opposite -- we're trying to convince people who are not like us. Dress accordingly.

I agree with the OP. A jacket and tie might be a bit much but I am thinking of a quote by Vladimir Horowitz, the world class concert pianist, when he said that when performing on stage it was as important to look good as it was to sound good because the audience is only listening to you half the time. The rest of the time they are looking at you.

^ Great first post 6pak, welcome to the forum.

I'm more of a science & computer nerd than outdoorsy. Also female, so I don't fit the stereotype. I do dress a bit nicer for rallies - at least as nice as I can and still be comfortable for the weather.
At gun shows, I tend to dress as I normally do. It used to get me suspicious looks, but not so much nowadays.

Well, I'm not going to shave my beard or remove my tattoos just for a rally. I'll be clean and groomed, wearing decent clothes, although certainly not a suit and tie (weddings and funerals only, same suit). Not knocking anyone, but if I gave a damn about opinions on my appearance, I wouldn't sport a beard and handlebar mustache. I'm not changing who I am for anyone, especially not for people who already don't like my lifestyle.

I agree

Every time I have gone to the statehouse for a 2nd amendment event, I have always put on a coat and tie. Once I got mistaken for a staff attorney. I feel its important to look the part to be taken seriously. A bit of attention paid to appearances will help them take us more seriously.

Image does weigh into perception. Side note this thread reminds me of the time I took my hunters education class in Maryland. The instructor reminded us that perception outside of hunting circles is vital especially in Maryland, and that its best to remove all hunters orange and camo prior to traveling. "Hunt, but dont be seen as a hunter". With that hunters ed guidance, we wonder why Maryland has fallen....

I can understand the concept of dressing well to impress people, but my question is who are we trying to impress? If we dress casual, the antis will say we are hicks. If we wear suits they will say we are the evil rich gun lobby. I thought the point of rallies is to make the legislators fear for their jobs if they vote for gun control.

If I'm missing something here please explain it to me.

^^

Then dress like the evil gun lobby. Money is what they fear. Dress like you might actually have some....


Business casual is appropriate. That's polo shirt, dress-khakis (not tacti-cool), and decent shoes (not boots).


Willie

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I usually wear what I would wear to work, not at work...for me there is a difference! At work my employer provides the scrubs which are laundered at the end of each shift...enroute to work I have jeans & usually some type of pull over shirt & if the weather dictates I wear insulated jackets (most of mine are camouflage since I intermittently hunt); I am who I am and a 2A rally won't dictate my garb...thank you!

about perception, not all of us are white-collar career folk so everyone wearing a suit is a misrepresentation as much as everyone being in camo; a nice cross section of both worlds tells the legislators that firearms belong in concealed carry holsters as much as for hunting use; every person who attends should be true to who they are...thank you

I'd dress to whatever my definition of "casual" is. Generally in the warmer months that's a t-shirt and jeans (or shorts if its warm enough) with sneakers. In colder months jeans and a long sleeve Henley.

I'm always clean-shaven.

I don't want to dress in any fashion that's not "me", but camo and beards just aren't part of my everyday look.

I grew up in an environment that many of them would consider hillbilly or redneck, but I'm college-educated and work in the tech-sector.

Ron White: You can't fix stupid. or was it Foxworthy?

Sorry. I don't have to dress up to try and convince people to stop trampling on my rights.
And the only way my face will ever be shaved is if they do it before they put me in the ground.

about perception, not all of us are white-collar career folk so everyone wearing a suit is a misrepresentation as much as everyone being in camo; a nice cross section of both worlds tells the legislators that firearms belong in concealed carry holsters as much as for hunting use; every person who attends should be true to who they are

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Agree 100%.
I think our greatest strength lies in how diverse we are. The antis always try to put us into a box and stereotype us as racist, bigoted, uneducated idiots. Diversity is great for our cause whether it be our careers, our style of dress, economic status, race, religion or lack thereof etc.
So when you go to a rally, be whoever you are.

I'll be clean and groomed, wearing decent clothes, although certainly not a suit and tie

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^This^

I'll be clean, in clean clothes that are professional and not worn out, and I'll have a recent shave & haircut. I might clean up my boots, even. I won't have my pockets bulging with miscellaneous stuff, if I need a bag it will be something simple and clean.
If it's an OC event, I'll have an interesting gun in a quality holster. If it's not OC friendly, I'll have a discreetly concealed handgun and nobody will know. I'm unlikely to OC a rifle, but if I did it would be an M1 carbine, a lever gun, or anything with a nice wood stock and blued steel.

But all that will be for nothing, just like wearing a suit or a uniform would be ... BECAUSE THE MEDIA WILL POINT THE CAMERAS AT THE SCARY PEOPLE.

Remember this?

They cropped down the picture to disguise race, and called the crowd a bunch of racist crackers.
The media is not our friend. If you think rallies are full of old white dudes with beards, camo, and bad tattoos, you probably also believe that Trayvon Martin was a cute 12yo kid in a football jersey.

The media is clueless and hostile.

I present the following for anyone that thinks the media is accurately portraying rally attendance:

Michael Crichton said:

Michael Crichton > Quotes > Quotable Quote
Michael Crichton
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.”

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I'll also submit this image, notice the gun control rally twits clustering up to look like a larger group:

Do you think that was their idea? Do you think the camera dude and reporter noticed?

Nevermind. Sorry.