I once got a hit on an HCI rep at the State Capital thanks to this. He had a group of state legislators and media folks at a table the Florida Department of Law Enforcement had set up "For informational purposes" for the criminal justice committee which was hearing comments on the proposed AW bill. This was the same year the City of Boston and California passed theirs and remarkably entire passages were common to all three sets of legislation but "no collusion, folks, nothing to see, move along."
The Handgun Control Inc guy was going on about the power of the 5.56/.223 and explaining they just wanted to ban guns that could shoot such high powered ammo that had a muzzle velocity such as the 3200 feet per second that the AR he brandish produced.
I pointed to a Winchester 1894 and asked if he was for banning that. "well no old cowboy stuff is not so powerful" I first explained that in terms of foot pounds of energy at the muzzle and through the length of a football field that the .30-30 was MORE powerful. Folks that were looking at me while I spoke now looked at HCI guy. "Well, its the high velocity that makes the Assault weapon so deadly."
I then explained that using Accelerator ammunition such as was then available Over the Counter that the .30-30 fired exactly the same bullet at 200 feet per second faster and that the bolt action .30-06 with that style ammo fired that same bullet 400 feet per second faster and asked if by his stated reasoning he proposed to ban bolt and lever action deer rifles.
He sputtered a good bit with out answering and suddenly the chairman of the Committee (an anti) thought it was time to come to order.
BTW the bill failed in committee after some members changed their stated vote choice. The things that made them change where the antis did not seem to know what guns would actually be banned and the issue of Civil Rights of which the RKBA is one according to the US congress critter that coined the term way back around the 14th amendment debates. Want to guess who brought that nugget up? My two days away from work and at those committee meetings were well worth it. Marian Hammer once told me that afterwards for a year or so when she hit a congressman or woman that was having problems seeing the light she threatened to "bring up that loose cannon from Gainesville".
Now if everyone that whined about how the media portrays firearms around here would spent half as much effort writing their local papers, calling in on local radio talk shows and writing congress critters, we might have less things to complain about!
Media wise I have written my paper and been published in the editorials, been published in a couple of other state papers, been on a couple of local radio shows as an in studio guest, made call ins to other shows, been interviewed and quoted by NPR, appeared on a couple of networks nationally giving a fire arms safety class free during the Gainesville student murders, written many congress critters at state and federal levels, changed one state politicos entire stance on 2AMD issues through giving him good info and the anti he kicked out when he won still does not talk to me in the halls of Shands UF, been a guest at 2AF national meetings and ask to speak in after meeting turnout sessions on mobilizing local support for 2AMD and was a caller on the old Larry King live show specifically on the AW debate and stumped his "expert" on the air.
Basically for the most part the antis and the folks that follow them just really don't know and are scared. YOU have to not scare them when you talk to them and YOU have to show them facts in a way that does not appear aggressive.
Hardest 2AMD chore I ever had? One year second Amendment Foundation at their national asked me to sit with Josh Sugarman to ward off possible grumpies. I have to give him credit for at least showing up to hear "our side" but babysitting him was no fun.
Now stop grumbling at one another and get busy.
Keep it simple, keep it on one topic, and keep it as short as you can get the message across. Avoid personal attacks.
Now go forth!
-kBob