Maryland TODAY is ground zero

[aray]

On the heels of the draconian NY anti-2A laws, MD is trying to do the same.

We're turning out in force. We hoped we'd get UP TO 1000 to show up. We've shut down the state Senate building because the fire marshall said we reached building capacity. The MD state police said we have 4000 people in the building. There are even more outside who can't get in. Even the uber-liberal Wahington Post is reporting 3000; you know that had to hurt them (though they said only 200 have signed up to testify - I can tell you the line to sign up consumed two full floors of the building and more were still arriving when they shut the doors.)

My 14 year old daughter spoke at the rally outside & will testify again in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I'm hoping to get to speak too but dunno if I'll be able.

More later...

[aray]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/gun-control-debate-takes-center-stage-in-maryland/2013/02/06/5eac5ef2-7072-11e2-a050-b83a7b35c4b5_story.html

That's the biased Washington Post article.

We just got word that the MD State Police Chief himself is caught up in the backlog.

[aray]

Just got back from the cafeteria in the basement. (You don't dare leave the bldg as you won't get back inside). When I was last in the main section at 10:30, the line *just to sign up to speak* consumed two floors. At 3:00 that same line ... still consumed two whole floors. So proud of our people!

[JustinN]

Nice! Keep at them. A show of bodies WILL get the attention of the "Representatives" in the government..."representing" what we want, not just their idea of what they think is best for us!

[wyntrout]

Thanks and bravo to you and your daughter! Keep up the good work. You guys ARE on the front line!:Amflag2:

Wynn:)

[aray]

We got here at 10 AM. It's after 6PM and we're still here. The lines *just to sign up to speak* took four hours to get through. I don't think my wife & I will make it to the floor to testify but they've pulled our daughter up and she may get to the committee room floor. Pics & video will follow tonight if we get home at a reasonable hour.

[Tinman507]

God Bless you Patriot!

[AIRret]

I'm proud of you folks. Stay after them, don't let them take your rights.

[muggsy]

Well done. Now that the type of turnout you want to see. Give 'em hell.

[aray]

Here's my summary at the end of the day:

MD is trying to pass a gun ban bill that is absolutely horrible - almost as bad as the one NY just passed that was so bad, that they even criminalized their own police officers for carrying their duty weapons. Given that both the governors of NY and of MD hope to run for president in 2016, they're trying to out-liberal each other.

We prepared three speeches: my daughter Victoria to mention some of the reasons this is bad for kids, my wife to mention some of the reasons it is bad for women, and me to address complementary bad aspects of the bill so as not to overlap their comments.

We got there at 10 AM. Victoria had been selected to be one of the featured speakers at both the outside rally at 11:30 on "Lawyer's Mall" in front of the MD State House, as well as to speak in front of the Senators in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee (SJPC) that started at 1 PM. Consequently along with other featured speakers we were given access to a nice VIP room in the Senate building to wait.

We were pretty sure we'd get at least 700 people to turn out (which is far more than we've ever had before) and our highest expectations were for about 1,000. As soon as we entered the Senate building, we knew we were in for a big day. You had to sign in to testify in front of the committee. The line to sign in consumed two entire floors of the building, with queue lines S-folding back and forth & back and forth with all of the main rooms packed with people. It looked like a bad day at Disney! :-)

Since Victoria was "special" we didn't have to wait in the line, but one of the guys I knew who was in the line said it took over 4 hours to get through - just to sign up to speak later.

Shortly after 11:30 we headed downstairs. We had to fight to get through the crowd near the podium to get Victoria up near the speakers, the crowd was so densely packed. Eventually we made our way up there and she delivered her prepared remarks, which you can see here:

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I think she did a pretty good job, don't you? She's only 14 years old. Outside of debate class in school, she's never spoken in front of a large crowd (more on the size later) or in front of TV cameras. Rather than being rattled by the crowd and cameras, they seemed to energize her.

Anyway once her speech was over, the three of us went back inside to the VIP room even though the rally wasn't over, because it was cold outside and with my wife's recent broken ankle we didn't want to stress her too much. Good thing we left when we did.

As more and more people poured into the area, eventually the Senate building reached capacity, and the fire marshal closed the doors. No one else got in unless others left. Had we still been outside, we would have been locked out along with the large crowd still listening to the rally. Up in the VIP room we got word that the MD State Police said the Senate building was occupied with 4,000 people (!) with countless more outside!

In typical liberal fashion, our local Annapolis paper said "hundreds" had shown up, the Washington Post said 3,000 had come (you know that had to hurt them to even acknowledge that many), but the Post said only 200 had signed up to testify. 200? Remember that 4,000 number in the building and the 4+ hour wait just to sign up to later speak? That's 200 to the mainstream media I guess.

Unfortunately it began to look like my wife and I wouldn't get a chance to speak in front of the SJPC. The staffers were supposed to put all three of our names in the list but I think only the featured speakers actually got added, and I wasn't going to wait in the 4+ hour line and miss my daughter's big chance.

At 1 PM the SJPC started, with MD Governor Martin O'Malley leading off. Each side was to get alternating hours. Things were going slow. Victoria got shuffled to the rear of the special speakers for technical reasons I'll skip over here.

At 3 PM I went downstairs to get some food - and the internal lines still consumed two floors. We wandered over to two adjacent overflow rooms where the hearings were being projected on big screen TVs; both were supposed to hold 500 each. They were both full, with standing room only. No more could get in, the overflow had overflowed.

The last time I went downstairs was 5:45 PM and it was still wall to wall people. The SJPC was still listening to an questioning the "special speakers" and they hadn't even started to listen to the thousands of citizens who had traveled from across the entire state to testify. We had simply crushed their capacity to deal with the crowds.

Sadly, at about 6:30, and with no end in sight, we decided to leave. For the first time ever I had pulled Victoria out of class, to act as a Patriot for a day, but tonight was still a school night, and I couldn't impact her work for a second day.

Several of the Republican Senators and Delegates who had heard her speak wanted her to come back when this bill is heard in front of MD's House of Delegates. The organizers promised us that next time they'd get her on the very first panel to speak.

Sadly you missed the testimony also prepared for my wife and me (and a work of genius if I might say so myself :D ) but perhaps we'll get a Round 2 of this when it makes its way over to the House. My wife was relieved she didn't have to speak. She was a trooper for agreeing to do this in the first place. I know she wasn't looking forward to the engagement & the battle, so to speak, unlike Victoria & I. But I'm delighted she was willing to make the personal sacrifice despite her concerns.

That's all for now. Besides being a school night it's obviously also a work night for me as well. So no pictures, but you have at least the video.

Bye for now.

[MikeyKahr]

aray, I am proud and thankful for you and your family. Thank you for your sacrifice and willingness to stand and be counted (or miscounted by the MSM). Keep up the fight!

[downtownv]

Battle of Trenton Tomorrow!
Jersey Style protests!

[MikeyKahr]

Please tell me Snooki won't be there.

[TheTman]

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!! You should be very proud of your daughter, she did very well!

[getsome]

THANK YOU aray and family for what you did.....Your daughter did a great job and I know you must be so proud of her....It's going to be a long hard fight and we appreciate and applaud your efforts....:Amflag2: