Gun advocates rally support..., 04-03-1989

The Wayne Independent, Monday, April 3, 1989

Gun advocates rally support at Milanville
fellowship program

By JIM LEE
Staff Writer

MILANVILLE -- A crowd of about 125 people -- most of whom oppose gun control -- gathered at the Upper Delaware Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, in Milanville, and listened Sunday afternoon as the general manager of The Wayne Independent informed them it was time to move from talk to action on gun control.

James Kalbaugh, of The Wayne Independent, said after the meeting he had expected to present his views to 10 or 15 people, and was surprised when he encountered the crowd. His message, however, remained the same.

"I think both sides, if you will, are wholly without courage on really doing anything," Kalbaugh said in a prepared speech. "We had better figure out what we can do beside engage in colorful mouth battles, or intensive study sessions. We need action.

According to Tom Rue, secretary for the fellowship, the weekly talks usually draw 10 or 15 people. The nucleous of regulars handled the crowd in different ways, but Rue said most thought the program was informative.

"There was one woman -- she had the most negative reaction," Rue said. "She left and went down to the river to pick up cans."

10 minute speech

During the 10 minute speech, Kalbaugh told those present that he grew up with guns. "It was a kind of rite of passage, when at 12, for Christmans, I got a rifle, a .22 Remington Scoremaster with open sights, bolt action, and a clip for six," he said.

Kalbaugh said he hunted through his youth, but that he prefers shooting cans, bottles, or targets. "It's hard for me to pass up a shooting gallery at a carnival," he said.

While in college, Kalbaugh said atrocities committed with guns affected his viewpoint. A 14-year-old boy who shot his entire family; teenagers toting guns in Guatemala, a next-door-neighbor who bought a gun and committed suicide; and a number of shootings he covered as a reporter all contributed to his present view on guns.

"Our idea of conquering gun crimes is to up the firepower, or the numbers," Kalbaugh told the audience. "I think that is wrong."

Kalbaugh also addressed the issue of alleged one-sided coverage of gun issues by The Wayne Independent. He said Mike Peters cartoons appearing in the newspaper have sparked a greater reaction in Wayne County, than in any other place in the country where the same cartoons have appeared.

Kalbaugh cited an anti-gun Peters cartoon which appeared in the February 17-19 edition of The Wayne Independent,
Mike Jones, owner of Northeast Firearms and instigator of a boycott against The Wayne Independent for "biased" coverage, was among those who listened to Kalbaugh's remarks.

Following the prepared speech by Kalbaugh, Jones and other pro-gun advocates aired their views in a 40-minute dialogue period.
A peaceful showing

Jones said most of the people attending the talk, many carrying hand-written signs bearing slogans to support their point, had heard about the meeting through word-of-mouth.

Jones said, "There was no real organization behind it. People just got together and decided they would show up.

He added, "We wanted to show them in a peaceful maner what we think about people who want to take our guns away.

As he has stated in an extensive article on page one of The Wayne Independent. last Thursday, Jones maintains that more regulation is not necessary. He says there are already enough laws on the books, and that lawmakers cannot enforce those.

"What we are trying to do is educate them," Jones said. "Generally it is good to get the issue out in the open, and I think we got our point across."

Jones said after the meeting that he felt the article which appeared in the paper "made a mockery" of his views on gun control. He stated that Kalbaugh should not have injected his views into the article, even though the boycott is directed at Kalbaugh's newspaper.

He added that he is now in the initial stages of setting up a "town meeting" to help get information to the public. Tentatively scheduled for later this month in White Mills, Jones said he hoped to be able to prompt county commissioners, the media, National Rifle Association representatives, and the state police to attend.

"I would rather have the room filled with anti-gun people," Jones said. "Those of the people we need to educate -- to get the facts out to."

Record crowd

Rue, in a telephone conversation following the meeting, said he had never seen so many people at a [Upper Delaware] Unitarian Universalist Fellowship program. "We hold these every week," Rue said, "but this was by far the largest group we ever had."

Rue said the topic of discussion varies weekly, and added upcoming guests include a chiropractor, and a talk by the Rev. Raymond Pontier, minister of the fellowship in Wayne, N.J. Pontier gives monthly talks at the Milanville fellowship, and will be moving to this area when he retires later this year.

Of the regulars in attendance Sunday, Rue said that most were surprised by the crowd, but few were offended.

He added, "The feeling among the members of the program committee was that it was a positive experience." He said that while the fellowship does not actively seek controversial subjects, "we make a deliberate effort not to shy away from them either."

Rue said there were one or two times during the presentation when things got loud, but overall, the crowd stayed reasonable.

Concerning the unexpected number of people present, Rue said, "Theyw ere all invited guests. The meeting is open to the public. There was some shouting, and as moderator, I tried to keep that to a minimum. They were excited, emotionally wound up. I don't think they quite knew what to expect.

When all was said and done Sunday afternoon, Rue and the fellowship committee retired pleased with the meeting; Mike Jones said he felt the pro-gun contingent had gotten their point across; and the anti-gun contingent had remained silent as, Kalbaugh noted, it has throughout the affair.