While preparing our display, COS Hawaii Grassroots Coordinator Brett Kulbis posed for a photo with two Hawaii Historic Arms Association members.
Working two long days over the Saint Patrick's Day weekend March 17 and 18, five members of the Convention of States Hawaii team collected a record 265 petition signatures!
Operated by the Hawaii Historic Arms Association, the March event was the first of two 2018 "Great Guns Show" weekends held semi-annually at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. With attendance up from last year, some 3300 Hawaiians visited the show over the two-day period.
Enhancing our display table this year were Article V books by Mark Levin, Dr Tom Coburn, and Texas Governor Gregg Abbott as well as a brand new Convention of States table cover. The 2012 Annotated Constitution, pictured on the left, provided a visual reminder of why we need a Convention of States.
Rita Kama-Kimura (right) discusses three State Director Mark White (center) explains the
subject matter limitations to a petition signer. virtues of a Convention of States.
Our team's most effective methods for collecting signatures include these techniques:
- Get out in front of the display table to talk to people one on one.
- Directly ask people to help us by signing our COS petition.
- Use our locally produced multi-signature hard copy petition form (see below).
- Have several clip boards available for groups to sign simultaneously.
See some of our team in action in this short video. 
District Captain Emil Svrcina suggested labeling our banner to identify the states that have already passed our application. We found that two-inch circular COS labels, trimmed top and bottom, worked well for this additional display information.
After signing we gave each petition signer a pocket constitution stuffed with Frequently Asked Questions, a Social Media card, a Palm Card, and a hard copy Petition Signature Form. The hard copy petition form shows the new supporter the text of the email his or her state legislator will receive and provides another signature form for a family member to sign at home. 
Multi-signature forms work well for collecting signatures quickly. Petition signers really appreciate receiving a free pocket constituion and additional information.
Many thanks go to these volunteers who worked several hours in multiple shifts over the weekend of March 17-18: Grassroots Coordinator Brett Kulbis, District Captain Emil Svrcina, Volunteers Rita Kama-Kimura and Steve Crain, and State Director Mark White.
Our next event for collecting petition signatures is the Shooting Sports Fair on Father's Day weekend, June 16 and 17, at the Koko Head Shooting Range in East Honolulu. Join the movment!
