Much enthusiasm was on display for COS at a recent gun show in Pagosa Springs, CO. "Defiant" Volunteer Kevin Baldwin and District Captain Vesta Mizell, along with SIA Karla Pendleton, teamed up to capture more than 50 COS petition signatures. Credit also goes to Regional Captain Joe Fockler, and Volunteer Scott Carlisle, who worked behind the scenes to procure the COS table and organize the effort.
Lots of lessons were learned by the gun show newbies. None of our team had ever participated in a gun show before. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who wanted to know more about Article V and how a Convention of the States could help them protect their 2nd Amendment rights from an overreaching federal government.
Education was flowing both ways as the COS team explored new avenues of "closing the deal" with a signed paper petition. We found that using the 15 minute lull before the show opening and just before the show closing was a great time to talk with vendors. A third of our signatures were obtained by "wandering around with a clipboard" during slow periods when vendors were open but had no shoppers. Boredom can set in quickly and vendors are happy for the relief of stimulating and informative conversation.
Out of respect for the vendors, our team was quick to duck back to our own table when shoppers started browsing. We were also careful not to distract shoppers until they had completed their purchases and stepped away from a table. This courtesy was appreciated and conducive to further discussions later in the day.
Many thanks are due the entire COS team. We hope for a repeat performance at future events.
