Opinion
Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- The sky was blue, the wind light, the temperature mild, and there were thousands of Second Amendment activists at the Rally for the Second Amendment on the 2nd of November, 2019.
Counting was imprecise without a good overhead image of the crowd. About half an hour before the rally I counted a quarter and estimated about 500. The crowd swelled as the start time approached. My best estimate was over 2,000 activists were in the crowd at peak attendance.
Rob Pincus was concerned the Nationals’ world series victory parade might impact the turnout for the Second Amendment rally. If it did, the thousands that showed up were committed and prepared. There were numerous flags, dozens of placards as well as hundreds of themed shirts, buttons, and stickers. One of the favorites was the Guns Save Lives stickers. Individual activists from the VCDL were handing them out on their own initiative, at their own expense.
There were a plethora of individually made and carried signs and placards, often variations on a theme. It was clear this was not a mass-produced rally with barely interested participants bused in. The participants I talked to came at their own expense. Many drove in from hundreds of miles away. Some flew; they came from as far away as Hawaii and California. It showed a deep commitment to showing up at an event with only six weeks’ notice. The Gadsden Flag, yellow with the “Don’t Tread on Me” logo, was popular.
Themes chanted by the enthusiastic crowd were:
We will not comply!
We are the Gun Lobby!
Shall not be Infringed!
No more restrictions!
There were about 30 speakers who were enthusiastically greeted by the rally members, including a surprise guest speaker Dan Gross, Former President of The Brady Campaign.
There was a strong showing of women activists and a number of black activists.
Attendees ranged from babies in strollers to senior citizens. There were men and women and people of every color. Activists tended to be young and middle-aged, but there were a significant number of seniors. The rally showed the support to restore the Second Amendment is not a dying movement of old, white, men.
The crowd knew its history. It cheered when speakers reminded them, in the Constitutional legal scheme, rights came from God, not from the government.
There were scattered Christian references. One modernized a command from Christ, changing a sword to a gun: “If you do not have a gun, sell your cloak and buy one!”
Another common theme from the speakers was the need for unity. Flags in the audience echoed the theme with the Revolutionary war message: Join or die!
A few things may have prevented the crowd from being larger. The rally was announced with only six weeks notice to prepare. That is not a lot of time for people who have commitments at work, at school or for family. The fevered pitch for more restrictions on the right to arms by the media has died down, as the latest outrage of the day is focused on the impeachment spectacle, created in the House of Representatives by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff. President Trump and Vice President Pence both vowed to defend the Second Amendment.
There were numerous NRA hats present, but the NRA had no appointed speaker. The rally was organized while the NRA was undergoing significant internal and external attacks that have yet to be resolved.
Numerous smaller organizations supporting the Second Amendment from national to state, to the local level, attended and were enthusiastically received.
The organizers and funding for the rally were anonymous, but it was clear Rob Pincus and Jeff Knox had a major part in putting the rally together. Rob and Jeff were the primary masters of the ceremonies. They were efficient and effective. The rally wrapped up a little before 4 p.m.
As expected of a rally whose themes featured individual responsibility, respect for the law, and fidelity to the Constitution, the crowd picked up after itself. No trash was left behind.
There wasn’t a single counter-protester noticeable during the entire event.
The estimation of the number of attendees was from pictures taken. My math: The crowd was on a front of about 125 people, with a depth of about 50 people. The shape was irregular, deepest in the center and tapering to the sides. The density was variable. There were about 300 attendees along the retention walls, behind the speakers, and behind the main crowd. 125 x 50 = 6250. Reduce by half because of the shape = 3125. Reduce by 40% for density = 1825. Add 300 for those along the retention walls, behind the speakers, behind the main crowd = 2125. Estimate, over 2000 attendees at the peak.
Four hours are a long time to stand and listen to 30 speakers. The speakers were passionate, the crowd enthusiastic, the weather, perfect.
It was a good day for supporting the Second Amendment on the 2nd of November, 2019.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
God Bless all those who were able to get to the Second Amendment Rally!
LOTS of people don’t have the cash to go there, myself among them, but it is a good thing the rally happened, As JESUS said “if a man has no sword (the assault weapon of the day) let him sell his cloak and buy one”. That translates as it is of such importance to be armed that it is better to be down to your underwear than to not be armed. As far as the foundation this nation is built on and as far as I am concerned, there is no higher authority than the LORD anywhere, in America or… Read more »
I hope he does. If/when the truth comes out to the public the demoncraps, socialists, communists will have their filthy agendas out in the light for all to see. If you or I had done what Hillary/Billery/O Bama bin Ladin, the swamp had done we’d be in jail for the rest of our lives and rightly so. They think they are above the law, above reproach and not accountable to the people whom they are sworn to protect, defend and serve. The more that Trump tries to drain the swamp the more the swamp tries to stop him/us. O Bama… Read more »
I could not make the 1,600 mile trip to DC from Oklahoma City, for medical reasons (impending surgery). But I was able to attend the Friday morning forum at the State Capitol, which celebrated the November 1st activation/installation of Constitutional Carry in Oklahoma! (With enough time for my shoulder to heal, I’ll make the next rally in DC…)
I see no point in marching on DC until we have to; armed. 2A is self defending, it needs to be known that we are approaching the point of no return and that there will be a cost to oathbreakers and traitors..
We need to make this an annual event on a same weekend, like last weekend in Sep so that people can plan on attending it.
The appropriate day would be the anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, December 15th., but the weather would not be conducive to a large attendance.
JDC has a good idea, a weekend, maybe even one with a Monday Holiday for more time for travel to and from the rally.
I like the idea, but the three day weekends tend to have much higher priced ticket prices, so keep that in mind.
There were many good things about the rally as a starting point for getting more folks to be active and start setting fires under the butts of the complacent and apathetic. Many of us are heartened by the effort. No big talk or empty threats, just people who want to preserve our rights. There were big errors in getting the word out…. Maj Toure, probably the most heartfelt speaker, was on Kennedy on FOX Business, he should have bumped the event(maybe I missed it)…. Nobody got in contact with Hannity, Bongino, Daily Wire, etc. Places where millions of people go… Read more »
Dan Gross was a speaker??? Someone tell us how THAT was received! Or, for that matter, how bad his speech was! I can give you one key reason that attendance was so sparse. The key to any 2A event in the District of Corruption is Virginia. It not only has sparse gun laws (for now!), it also has a train system (the Metro) and lots of parking. Most of all, Va has extremely motivated gun owners. Most Va gun owners could not make the rally because they were busying knocking doors, working phone banks, or otherwise stumping for VCDL-endorsed and… Read more »
What Bob said is a bitter and hard pill to swallow, especially the last paragraph, unfortunately it falls under the category of “truer words were never spoken”.
The reason no one came is because most gun owners in the area didn’t show up because they couldn’t be bothered. They’re not proactive and expect everyone else to do the work and by “work” I mean just getting there and being counted. The excuses for not being there from people in the area is really disheartening. Also trump sucks on the 2A but he’s better than any democrat running and the judges he’s appointing may be our best defense for the 2A as most people aren’t willing to do anything to preserve it.
Yes
@Dave, I don’t think you should be putting all 2A supporters that didn’t show in the same group when you don’t know a damn thing about people’s lives. Yes I’m sure there were many people that could have made it but unfortunately it wasn’t a priority for them. I’m also sure many that truly wanted to be there but circumstances beyond their control prevented them from showing up. So please don’t start talking out of your A$$ like a Democrat with no actual knowledge.
Stuck in commie ct You’re suggesting that out of all the gun owners within a reasonable distance only about a thousand didn’t have a legit reason not to go? Sorry you’re just trying to make an excuse for everyone to make yourself feel better.
Did you even read my post AOC I mean Dave…
Your suggestions don’t mean jack…
Yes I read it. I don’t know where you get off calling me AOC. I showed up for the rally. I also didn’t make any suggestions. I pointed out you’re making excuses that make no sense to make yourself feel better. Out of the millions of gun owners in the DC area they didn’t all have some sick relative to take care of or something that really kept them from attending. They just didn’t want to.
@Dave, I am glad that you went, but you should know that an attempt to shame others would not be well received. Why don’t we all forget it and focus on what we can agree on … restoring our republic.
I think shaming others is actually more productive then throwing cover for each other by agreeing that there are a lot of legit reasons not to go but still say you support the 2A. Instead of just admitting that most people who claim to be 2A supporters really only mean as long as they don’t have to do anything. I don’t mean you in particular. I dont know what your story is. People that live far away I get but this nonsense that people who live relatively close just couldn’t find a way to do it is not the case.… Read more »
Also it’s probably not a good sign on a site dedicated to the second amendment when it’s not well received to call people out for not showing up for a 2A rally.
Answer me this Dave. How many people at the rally were legally carrying their firearms? You know, like people did at the Oklahoma Capital on the 1st of Nov. I would even settle for the number that were legally carrying concealed. Well, Dave, what is the answer? Even if I could have, I wouldn’t have. But you go on being self-righteous.
I didn’t get to go, not because I didn’t want to be there.
If it’s true the Donal Trump supports red flag laws, then we’ve already lost. And while he may have taken this position up early in 2019, it seems that he has moved off of it. If not — if he secretly holds this position — then he’s lying to us when he says that he wants to protect 2A rights at just about every rally he attends. If the truth can’t be sorted out because everyone’s a sellout, then I will see you all on the other side of whatever it is that awaits us. Which, of course, will be… Read more »
When President Trump ( I love saying that ! ) can get 30 or 40 THOUSAND supporters to show up at his rallies, even in hostile liberal states, it kinda tells me that gun rights are not a high priority with most Republicans, even though a great many are gun owners ( I suppose)
I would also like to call out to Marylanders
Who’s draconian gun laws cry out for redress- where were you ? No excuses, since the rally was in YOUR neighborhood!
One of the attendance problems could be that many states have that first weekend in November as opening day of various hunting seasons. In Virginia, that was opening day for muzzle loader season.
Also, there was a parade for the Nationals Baseball Team scheduled for that day by the DC government at about the same time. Coincidence?
September or Veterans Day would be a more appropriate time for an annual rally!
“DB, Amen brother. I’m hearing Durham is preparing to drag these traitors down by the throat so I’m expecting to see some positive results very soon whereas the destructive government is concerned.”
We have heard this before and the UNTOUCHABLES are still guilty and need to be imprisoned or hung,yet it seems we DO have TWO separate sets of LAWS, one for me, and one for thee.
The Political powers get a PASS, while we get 5-20yrs.
Why hasn’t Clinton directed DOJ to press criminal charges against KNOWN traitors starting with Obama.(He & Hillary pre-planned this entire Fiasco)
Were you even there? Those that voted for Trump were there. I agree with a good part of what you say…..But. Trump is NOT the problem.
Trump is still NOT the problem.
Dean, as a former cop, you know how hard it can be for those of us who work and provide for our families to try and attend such events. We can’t all be there in person, but I promise, we are there in spirit. Thanks for standing up for all of us…
Just curious; How many of you attended the Second Amendment March, April 19, 2010 in Washington, D.C.? I first made contact with the forum on line September 13, 2009. The “March” ( actually a rally on the mall ) had some great speakers and the attendance was estimated at 2500. I could tell one of the speakers felt we were also disappointed with the number of patriots there. He told us to look around and shake hands with the “Cream of the Crop” of the Second Amendment Defenders. We all settled down and got down to business. Keep up the… Read more »
I was there. Were you at the “Restore the Constitution Rally” at Gravelly Point Park, a few hours earlier? I managed to shake the great, late, Mike Vanderboegh’s hand at that rally.
https://www.ammoland.com/2010/04/restore-the-constitution-firearms-carry-rally/#axzz3XJyr7NX7
Hey Dean, No, we flew in from Florida and couldn’t make that rally. We were the ones with the large banner that many wanted to get their picture with. We got some great photos and met some great people. Got my picture taken with Mancow and Tim ( USCCA ). I enjoy all your articles, so keep up the good work. Hope to meet you sometime in the future.
The NRA stayed away and so did almost every gun owner in the country.
My drive would have been 9 hr 52 min one way. And taken me through 4 communist states and landed me somewhere where I still couldn’t carry. I am not showing up at a pro 2A rally with a bleeping banana in my holster. Hold one where I can have my EDC and I’ll be there.
Hah ha the both of you. Molon Ariera. You can pry my banana from my cold dead hands. 🙂
@ Dave I would have traded places with you if it would have been possible. I live within several hours of DC but being in a hospital bed with an IV drip going is not something that could be taken there. I would have much rather been there than in the hospital for seven days.
WOW register to leave a comment its like politicians who demand registration of ur rights & guns! Ammoland fail u failed!
Self abort ASAP & all in ur family oxygen thief so u don’t infest the world u worthless chump living in ur mothers toilet bowl scumbag! Hurry slap ur mother!
@All Gun, You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but Ammoland’s new system has screened out a lot of insufferable troll crap. Not all, but most.
@wjd, The hiLIARy Clintoon campaign was the first to admit hiring people to go to conservative websites and spread scripted propaganda, and make conservatives feel isolated and that it would be of no use to go vote.
I guess that Soros and Bloomers do the same.
@ Will The troll problem was a lot worse before Ammoland changed the log in . There are still a few nuts and idiots that will go to the trouble to log in just to show their stupidity
@USA, Attaboy! Carry on.
@wjd, I predict that there will be more, closer to the election.
@OV, yeah, it does. I have not given him any thought in quite some time. Hope that he found a job.
Good People Good event except for the Brady douche!
1 problem 119.99999 million people missing!
All those missing should have all their guns confiscated & distributed to all who were there standing up to be counted….cuz they rather lay on the couch with orange fingers from 1000000 bags of cheetos than make any effort to do anything!
When the Dems win & they will some day have them all wrapped up for the #Gestapo to steal from u….
@All Gun, they should have had free barbecue, gun coupons, and raffled off a barbecue gun!
Come on, @all Gun. I spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars every year here in Washington State on 2A education and outreach, including hosting public barbecues and attending the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Phoenix this year. More importantly, I spend literally hundreds of hours talking to people about our rights, ESPECIALLY our 2A rights. I am tapped out financially this year, and because of that, you want to confiscate my gun? I’ll tell you like I tell the other anti rights people: Molon Labe.
I’ve read your comments. You are an anti-gun troll. Nothing more….
The chant for most gun owners should be “we will not show up”.
I got there at 10:30 it started around 12:30 I left around 4. The event wasn’t over yet but I had a long drive home.
Yes Texas and people out west and in the Midwest yes it’s totally reasonable that this wasn’t something you could just do. I get that. I’m just annoyed with people that were aware and live within a reasonable distance to DC. Again I drove from NJ. It was a three and half hour drive. I reserved a parking space at union station which cost $20 and it cost 3/4 of a tank of gas. I probably spent $60 for the whole thing.
Dave —
Besides the hours and the risk put in escorting Trump supporters to and from the venue at the Target center in Minneapolis on 10 NOV 2019, it cost me $50.00 parking, 10 hours drive time round trip, and $45.00 in gas for that privilege. And I would do again. Until someone better comes along, MAGA works for me.
StWayne I’m not sure what you mean? I didn’t say anything about Trump.
Dave — All I’m saying is that, like you, I put my money where mouth is, with my ass to shortly follow, and that this is something more people should be doing: especially if it’s a cause their interested in. If it’s worth having, then it’s worth fighting for. I can see it now, as Paul Revere rounds the corner shouting, “The British are coming! The British are coming!” and the people just turn and go back inside because now he’s the boy who would cry wolf. And oh yeah: they have to do work tomorrow, and that crop ain’t… Read more »
I play Paul Revere all the time to all who are in hearing range, Progressives or whatever. Even if the BEST case scenario happens for Trump, and we get him for Four more,we will have to be prepared for 2024,unless a real great GOP player shows up between now and then, we will be facing hostile Demographic changes and more and more not REAL Americans.(and have zero chance of a GOP ran White House) The Dems,if they ever get control of the three branches again, we will have to face the music.These Red Flag laws are I think a LARGER… Read more »
I’m not sure I know what an AF1 is. I saw a helicopter a couple of times and two fighter jets at one point. If you’re looking for proof I was there I’ll say there was an elderly man who passed out twice and the capitol police had to call in medics both times. The audio from the stage wasn’t great and I couldn’t hear all the speakers. I think my favorite sign was “make machine guns great again”. Two guys were walking around with bananas in their holsters. Less than 2 thousand people were there I’m glad I was… Read more »
Ha duh no I didn’t notice that.
I saw the helicopter earlier than the two fighters. The fighters were flying away from the stage area. Cam Edwards parked two spaces away from me in the union station parking deck level 2. The picture up top of the rally I’m the fat guy in the hoodie to the left of the guy in the camo jacket. He has an orange sticker on the back of it. A woman in an orange T-shirt that had the same message “guns save lives” was handing them out. Before the event started a kid was riding one of the weird off road… Read more »
Back at ya.
Will, I am a very strong supporter of the 2nd amendment, and a Save the Second supporter, as well. One thing you must remember is that some of us who wish we could have made it to the rally have other obligations that simply won’t allow us to get away. I have a wife who just had surgery, and I must be around to help her. There simply is no other way. That doesn’t mean that I am not interested, or supporting of the movement. And would also wish to be able to be everywhere that I could be everywhere… Read more »
Pigpen51. That of course is a legit reason not to go. I’m not lumping all gun owners together. I’m talking about people who live close enough to go that just didn’t and that’s thousands. I’m told in my state of NJ there are a million gun owners. Why didn’t at least a few hundred or even a few thousand show up? They didn’t want to bother.