Origin of GOSA

[Dick]

The Origin of Gun Owners of SA

GOSA was started in Cape Town in 2004 by a dozen people who, in some way or other, had been involved in the struggle to retain firearm rights, and in particular the struggle against the enactment of the Firearm Control Act of 2000. Four had been SAGA officers, one had been moderator of the e mail based SA Firearm Forum, but all had been very active in various ways.

For the benefit of younger readers, the FCA is VERY much more restrictive than the previous 1969 Arms & Ammunition Act. It was, furthermore, a resounding victory for Gun Free SA, and a further victory of that sort will amount to little short of prohibition.

Most of you will have seen Chas Lotter's recent statement on Gunsite about his failed effort to revive SAGA, and Martin Hood's statement to the effect that SAGA is dead in the water. But some of us detected SAGA's lack of resolve as far back as 2000. After all, the four who were SAGA officers at the time had a close inside view.

Finally, in exasperation after another four years of inaction, we met under the direction of Thomas Eastes. GOSA was the outcome of that meeting. Because most of the group was in Cape Town, GOSA has been largely a Cape Town organization. We had three members in Johannesburg, but have since added others to improve our capacity. We are presently equally divided between those two cities.

GOSA has a very different method of operation from SAGA's. It was, and still is, too small to think in terms of a conventional organisation. It was, in any case, decided that it would be to no-one's benefit to disrupt SAGA's membership and infrastructure in a competition for members. Consequently, GOSA elected to operate as a small advocacy group which could operate effectively without a big administrative burden.

All GOSA members deal with the media, or any other duty that needs to be done. That's how GOSA punches well above its fighting weight. We have been in the front of every argument with the State, all have given interviews to newspapers and electronic media, including some foreign, and several have debated GFSA in live radio and TV shows. In one week recently, one member was interviewed by a German TV station, another by a national newspaper, a third delivered a talk to a rotary club, and a fourth took part in a live TV debate with GFSA. Because we are willing to meet those demands, and because we are uncompromising in the defense of our rights, we are now the media's organization of choice.

We would have been content to continue like that, but have agreed to increase our presence, because of demand. Even Martin Hood has suggested that GOSA might fill the gap left by SAGA. It will not be easy to up our game from a small advocacy group to a national organization. But we do not intend to replicate SAGA. Not only because we don't want to create an unmanageable membership fee based organization, but because GOSA is based entirely on voluntary effort.

That doesn't mean the absence of networking and mutual support. Each member can rely on the support of the others. But what individual effort means, for example, is that a media enquiry is usually received by our webmaster, who sends it to us all. We then decide who will do the job. That is, naturally, whoever is available on the day. It means that each member must make himself competent to talk to the media, and to participate in live broadcasts. It is a learning curve but not rocket science.

The battle for firearm rights has never been anything but a battle for public opinion. The only way to win that is to field enough spokespersons to overwhelm the opposition. There is also no question that lots of ordinary guys speaking to the issue brings more credibility than leaving it to professionals. That was conclusively proved by SAFF (SA Firearm Forum). It is what has made us effective, and if it could be expanded a hundred times, the results could be incalculable.

We held a caucus meeting in Stellenbosch on Thursday 20^th March to discuss how we might accomplish that. It is still under discussion as it is a big upgrading of our game. But what we propose will be revealed, hopefully, within a few days. But I can say, in the meantime, that it will be an organization of activists who will take part in the fight for their own rights. Nothing else has any hope of success.

[JS4]

Thanks Dick.

[uBestRi]

Thanks Dick. We wait in anticipation.

[joeman]

Thanks Dick!

[Dick]

Thanks Dick. We wait in anticipation.

The finishing touches are being put to a declaration of principles. If that sounds overly grand, we are working on the KISS principle, but we can't start without some basic ground rules. If that isn't done this week it won't be later than early next week. Then we can focus on the operational details.

[Sweet]

Thanks Dick

As a GOSA member, I am warmed by the thought that something positive is happening!

ATB
Sweet

[Slaaibak]

Lets do this!

[Gunservant]

[SeanG]

[Psychosis]

Nice