Numbers worked for them.
As a community we can surpass that based on the number of people who go to the range in a weekend.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37510633/senator-yanks-bill-requiring-background-checks-for-parents-who-home-school-their-children

EDU/HMS holds a hearing today and hundreds of homeschoolers showed up in person to testify against SB2323.   
707 pages of written testimony!

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2323

HRA and all the other gun rights group The Hawaii gun community (everyone) should realize that it takes hundreds of people to show up in person for any of these testimonies to have an effect.

The 2015 stats for Hawaii population over 18 (eligible for long gun ownership) was 1,120,770. The reported rate of gun ownership in one "popular" research paper is 6.7% (I think that is likely very low compared to the reality, partly because Hawaii is ranked last, 50th at 6.7% and the 49th ranked, New Jersey, has an ownership rate of 12.3%, almost double Hawaii... a little hard to believe), which would calculate to over 75,000 gun owners. Add to that non-gun-owners who are sympathetic to the cause of Second Amendment-guaranteed rights, and the 112 testimonies submitted in our favor is a very paltry number indeed.

But I have no idea what can be done to get that 99.9985% of uninvolved gun owners involved. 

A former teacher told me the teachers union would submit thousands of testimony in for a bill.

Couple reps mentioned hundreds to a couple thousand would be a good number to get for gun bills.  They said the testimony they received in the past was insignificant and that it's the gun communities fault for not getting our people involved.

A former teacher told me the teachers union would submit thousands of testimony in for a bill.

Couple reps mentioned hundreds to a couple thousand would be a good number to get for gun bills.  They said the testimony they received in the past was insignificant and that it's the gun communities fault for not getting our people involved.

Yeah, we need a gun owners union which will mandatorily deduct a certain percentage of our paycheck every month to lobby for our rights, and will be fabulously successful because we will have a voting block of over a hundred thousand sheep who do as we are told to vote for whomever does our bidding in the legislature and the executive branches. Sounds like a plan. Sign me up!  Of course all the existing unions (including that teachers union), which will dwarf the gun owners union in total membership, will vote opposite of us as they do now to continue to elect their "progressive" Democrat nannystaters and we still won't win. We submit 2,000 testimonies, they submit 10,000 testimonies. See'm sayin'?

[Seriously] At least on Oahu you have a public range where it sounds as if there are a fair number of people on a consistent basis who might be recruited to our cause by "tabling" if there were a consistent presence that could be a shared "chore" by however many people would maybe put in one day every couple of months... or am I overestimating the volunteer potential there on that island of well over 50,000 gun owners? Even with that effort, how many people really would be recruited to consistent "activism" compared to how many are needed? On the Big Island we've got squat, and even the squat is dispersed over a huge geographic area...

I really don't know how to make people "care" about issues they don't care about, or at least don't care enough about in a way that would make them overcome their (well-founded in reality really, given past experience) apathy based upon the perception/experience that "it's a waste of time". 

Easy for home schoolers to show up to testify.... their job is literally staying home.  Not like they have anything else to do at 10:30 on a weekday.

[Seriously] At least on Oahu you have a public range where it sounds as if there are a fair number of people on a consistent basis who might be recruited to our cause by "tabling" if there were a consistent presence that could be a shared "chore" by however many people would maybe put in one day every couple of months... or am I overestimating the volunteer potential there on that island of well over 50,000 gun owners? Even with that effort, how many people really would be recruited to consistent "activism" compared to how many are needed? On the Big Island we've got squat, and even the squat is dispersed over a huge geographic area...

I really don't know how to make people "care" about issues they don't care about, or at least don't care enough about in a way that would make them overcome their (well-founded in reality really, given past experience) apathy based upon the perception/experience that "it's a waste of time". 

I can see how the Big Island would be tough.  Easiest way is to get with the presidents of the gun organizations and gun stores there:

1.  HRA Big Island Directors - http://hawaiirifleassociation.org/about-hra/board-of-directors/
2.  Hunters Education - https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/huntered/
3.  Trap and Skeet clubs - http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/91503/Page1.aspx
4.  PTA hunters - https://pta.isportsman.net/schedule.aspx
5.  Facebook hunting groups - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hawaiisportsmensalliance/ and https://www.facebook.com/hawaiihuntingassociation/
6.  Gun stores (still working on it) - https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=27759.0
7.  Friends of the NRA events - https://www.friendsofnra.org/eventtickets/Events/Index/12 (get contacts at the banquet and air rifle matches)


Still trying to find out how to get people involved too.  I think you have to work one on one for that.  My paper testimony project I think gets people involved by showing them how easy it is to testify and get involved.  Work in progress.

Saying that homeschoolers job is to stay home is quite a generalization... lots of homeschoolers homeschool for various reasons and have different circumstances... homeschooler parents have jobs too... homeschooling also takes time... some live in remote areas (North Shore)...  some have no good school in their areas.. some homeschool for religious reasons, etc.

But yes, one benefit of homeschooling is a somewhat flexible schedule.  So, yes, valid point.

As a gun community, is there something we can we do about our increasing our turnout?

As a gun community, is there something we can we do about our increasing our turnout?

I'm working on something  https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=29982.msg269608#msg269608

BTW someone uploaded a 200 page report in their testimony and there's some 2 page testimony, so they're probably closer to 450 testimonies.  Still a lot.

Zippz, nice job!  I read your post about getting written testimonies and glad to hear that folks are interested in testifying.

Do you know if the submit testimony via email is still good or not? 

List of emails by committee for testimony submission
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/comminfolist.aspx

Would this work better?

I was there to support my family . My kids are homeschooled. A lot of big names where there to show support .

I was there to support my family . My kids are homeschooled. A lot of big names where there to show support .

Thanks for snapping a pic of the supporters! My wife and kids are in the pic 6th from the right side,lol. I was at work. Glad you and your fam were there representing 

I was there to support my family . My kids are homeschooled. A lot of big names where there to show support .

Awesome!  All we need is for gun folks to support like that, and we could make some wins.

Awesome!  All we need is for gun folks to support like that, and we could make some wins.

If only we dident have to work during the week.

If only we dident have to work during the week.

very true.  hard to take off, especially when they have multiples of every anti bill, and change schedule at the last moment.

very true.  hard to take off, especially when they have multiples of every anti bill, and change schedule at the last moment.

It's almost as if they... Nah, they wouldn't do that. 

Awesome!  All we need is for gun folks to support like that, and we could make some wins.

Just FYI, the homeschool group had about 4-5 days heads up that this bill had a hearing (we normally get about 2-3 days heads up). 

The Homeschooling Legal Defense Advocates (HSLDA) immediately notified their membership via email to SHOW UP IN PERSON to testify.  Homeschooler families forwarded the info to their contacts and the message got circulated.  The HSLDA website posted the notice immediately on 2/9 to attend the Valentine's Day hearing and again on 2/12 to sign a petition.

Here is the website of the HSLDA. 
https://hslda.org/hs/state/HI/

So we have some improvements we can make on how effective the Hawaii firearms community can mobilize.

Just FYI, the homeschool group had about 4-5 days heads up that this bill had a hearing (we normally get about 2-3 days heads up). 

The Homeschooling Legal Defense Advocates (HSLDA) immediately notified their membership via email to SHOW UP IN PERSON to testify.  Homeschooler families forwarded the info to their contacts and the message got circulated.  The HSLDA website posted the notice immediately on 2/9 to attend the Valentine's Day hearing and again on 2/12 to sign a petition.

Here is the website of the HSLDA. 
https://hslda.org/hs/state/HI/

So we have some improvements we can make on how effective the Hawaii firearms community can mobilize.

Yeah, we need something like a statewide affiliate of the NRA... oh... never mind.