Can we have a frank discussion here?

[Tourist]

Chuck,

Usually I see much more about the PITP. I still have not seen who is speaking this year. I would think with the election coming up next year, there would be people running for office that would like to speak. I am coming and have a new couple coming too, but it is hard to promote when there is a limited amount of information.

[Brian D.]

I'll be at PITP, never missed one yet. I just hate buying anything online, including tickets.

[JediSkipdogg]

I'll be at PITP, never missed one yet. I just hate buying anything online, including tickets.

You can always do the Pay Later option and then just shoot a Coord/Board a message that you will pay at the event. The biggest thing of selling tickets in advance is food count. And since the ticket price is the majority of the food price we are charged, we need a semi-accurate count. If someone thinks they can do food a lot cheaper (including having proper insurance for it) we'd love to hear from you for future events.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

When I pull up ohioccw.org, the first news I see is a request to call and email our congress critters regarding a July 5th committee meeting.

The blurb about PITP is below that and to the right.

When I pull up the OFCC FB page, there is a pinned post about that same committee meeting.

The PITP is mentioned in a little "Upcoming Events" window on that page.

In my humble opinion, the PITP info on each of these sites should be the MAIN story or article, and be in BIG LETTERS.

I would also think the list of firearms being given away would pique some interest and should be included with any PITP info.

[JustaShooter]

When I pull up the OFCC FB page, there is a pinned post about that same committee meeting.

The PITP is mentioned in a little "Upcoming Events" window on that page.

In my humble opinion, the PITP info on each of these sites should be the MAIN story or article, and be in BIG LETTERS.

Oops, my bad.

Fixed it so that the PITP is pinned to the top of the FB Group and Page. Can't do anything about the size of the text, but I did add some details (stolen from Chuck's post here in the forums).

[Brian D.]

I'll be at PITP, never missed one yet. I just hate buying anything online, including tickets.

You can always do the Pay Later option and then just shoot a Coord/Board a message that you will pay at the event. The biggest thing of selling tickets in advance is food count. And since the ticket price is the majority of the food price we are charged, we need a semi-accurate count. If someone thinks they can do food a lot cheaper (including having proper insurance for it) we'd love to hear from you for future events.

Guess I can try that.

[Curzyk]

For me personally:

• The newness wearing off is a good way to describe it. I didn't get into shooting or carrying until late 2012. Since then, I've learned a ton from this forum, but I feel like I'm "up to speed" now, so don't frequent the board as much as I used to. I check the board on occasion to see if any topics grab my interest, then go about my business.
• I too have observed the general trend away from forums. For instance, a motorcycle forum I used to frequent is all but dead. Forums are so isolated. Reddit has taken over a very solid portion of my browsing experience and covers most of the topics I'm interested in all in one place (i.e. /r/CCW, /r/guns, /r/ohguns, /r/firearms, /r/dgu, /r/gunpolitics, /r/appleseed) as well as a plethora non-gun related topics.
• I'm not currently in the market for any firearms or accessories. I have what I feel I need (and then some), and while there will always be a curious wish list, I'm no longer actively browsing the For Sale/Trade subforum.
• Regarding the Party in the Park, I've attended the last three or four and I have enjoyed myself each time. It's a good crowd of people, good speakers, and the best raffle odds I've seen around. However, life happens, and demands that my time and money be spent on other things. For instance, I've only been to the range once in the past several months.
• With the current administration, it doesn't seem like there is as much legislative pressure to rally together. Perhaps I'm incorrect, but it seems like things are moving a generally positive direction for 2A rights, though I suppose that's not a good excuse.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

...With the current administration, it doesn't seem like there is as much legislative pressure to rally together. Perhaps I'm incorrect, but it seems like things are moving [in] a generally positive direction for 2A rights, though I suppose that's not a good excuse.

So, we REALLY need to publish a list of all the anti-gun bills being submitted to our General Assembly.

Bloomberg and his ilk are still out there. They may be focused more on states other than Ohio...at the moment...but we'll get our turn. And that's when we (OFCC) will simply have to sit on the sidelines and root for the NRA, and whatever local group they work with (not OFCC), because we will have no money and no people! Our "grassroots" effort will be little more than a pile of potting soil.

Things are moving in a 'generally positive direction' because PEOPLE keep pushing it that direction. And when WE THE PEOPLE stop pushing, the momentum will subside and the backsliding will begin. And if that happens, it will be FAR harder to to get things rolling in the right direction again.

[Brian D.]

I'll be at PITP, never missed one yet. I just hate buying anything online, including tickets.

You can always do the Pay Later option and then just shoot a Coord/Board a message that you will pay at the event. The biggest thing of selling tickets in advance is food count. And since the ticket price is the majority of the food price we are charged, we need a semi-accurate count. If someone thinks they can do food a lot cheaper (including having proper insurance for it) we'd love to hear from you for future events.

Okay, registered now. I gotta getta door prize to put on the table tho.

[steves 50de]

I'll be at PITP, never missed one yet. I just hate buying anything online, including tickets.

You can always do the Pay Later option and then just shoot a Coord/Board a message that you will pay at the event. The biggest thing of selling tickets in advance is food count. And since the ticket price is the majority of the food price we are charged, we need a semi-accurate count. If someone thinks they can do food a lot cheaper (including having proper insurance for it) we'd love to hear from you for future events.

Okay, registered now. I gotta getta door prize to put on the table tho.

Some Punch cigars.

[Fenster]

I've stopped coming mainly because there's essentially no room for me here (or other gun sites).

I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment but not a single issue voter. The amount of posts I have to skip because "libtard" this and "Oscummer" that makes for relatively few threads I actually want to participate in. There's no interest in finding common ground, only winning at "the other side's" expense. No desire to discuss, understand, or listen - just yell louder. I am also a strong supporter of the 1st Amendment, so while I don't agree with what's said or how it's said, I'll fight to ensure people can say what they want. Doesn't mean I have to stick around and listen to it.

There was some of this before the election, but in the last 8-12 months, it's gotten much worse. I HATE going to my gun club meetings because it's all of this x10. As a result, I tend to shoot alone or with a small group of friends (who don't necessarily share my views, btw).

That's my reason for being scarce on the forums.

[dustymedic]

^ I agree that "Forum"-type community online participation has really declined over the course of the past 4 to 5 years. .

That's true. Several forums that I was very active on 3-5 years ago I seldom visit anymore. I think part of it is the migration from computers to smart phones. It's very hard for me to read online forums on my phone...

[Chuck]

I guess I will make my fourth post of the 2017 calendar year on this. As you can see by my post count and frequency I have slowed my participation on the forum dramatically. I have also been one of those who have in the past been a "Site Supporter" or whatever else it was called and stopped contributing monetarily. I will give some of the reasons, most of which DJthomas, Sodbuster and Jeep have already brought up. You asked for a frank discussion so I will keep it there. Hopefully what I am about to type is not too harsh of a critique.

You guys are precisely the folks I directed this post towards

This site/forum has appeared to simply become a dumping ground for the "Good 'ole boys" so to speak. Simply scrolling through and looking at how certain members speak to new members as well as some more veteran members is ridiculous. How do you expect to honestly increase membership/dues when the "Good 'ole boys" are pretty much allowed to treat others however they please(which is generally like crap). I don't want to call anyone out by name but we all know who those individuals are.

Do you consider me to be one of the good old boys?
Can you please cite me some recent examples of this? Back when I first joined, there was indeed some of this happening, but I thought that had loong been put to bed. ANY examples of new people being treated badly is something I REALLY want to know about.
Feel free to PM me your response if you don't want to say anything on the open forum.

Keeping along the same lines as the Good ole boys, there are now bylaws, boards etc that simply reiterate who that group is. This is essentially becoming everything you say you do not like about BFA. Such structures echo a much more corporate style environment than you are portraying here. There is no need for that type of structure in a "grass roots" organization as you put it. This creates a political type feel, which I don't involve in my hobbies- see my lack of recent involvement on the forums.

My understanding is that these bylaws are required by law, and we went about as far as possible without updating them. Frankly, I don't care about them and they are someone else's concern. My concern is advocating for better gun rights in Ohio for my grandkids, and I think that operating under this banner gives me a bigger voice.

Things meant to bring together the group for enjoyment, socializing etc are too constant and stagnant. As Sodbuster said it is very hard to find time for those of us living in NW, SW, SE, NE Ohio to visit central Ohio on one particular day for PITP. A simple idea would be to move the event yearly to allow easier access for other parts of the State. However, this would require more effort from whoever plans this. Maybe instead of creating bylaws the time could've been spent here.

I did not join OFCC to set up Picnics In The Park, or Christmas parties. I joined to help advance our gun rights.
I do the PITP because no one else would pick it up when Schmieg retired and it needed to be done.
I would welcome your help, or anybody else's, who wants to set up things like this.
I know I stink at it, you couldn't do any worse.

If you want to set up a local meet and greet, or Christmas party this year, you can advertise it here on the forums, we'll put it on our Facebook pages, and maybe even cover some expenses. You'll have our full support. In addition, you'll get paid the same salary I do.

OFCC has become so much less visible throughout the state as a result of the above outlined items among others. That same lack of exposure is not exactly aiding in bringing in new members. All of these items revolve around each other and without more positive exposure and a more inviting/active forum presence by members there won't be any useful growth. Without that useful growth this group has simply become something for the board/higher up members to stroke their egos by saying they helped found, build, plan etc. the organization and its events.

Let me ask you this, and please, all the others who share your opinion, please respond,
Are we less visible because we don't market? Is it advertising or is it our results?

That is about everything I can come up with in 2 minutes of thinking on the topic. Sorry if this isn't exactly what people want to hear but you asked for a frank discussion.

Indeed I did, and I hope you'll come back with answers to my questions, especially this one:
What can we do to bring you back?

[Chuck]

^ I agree that "Forum"-type community online participation has really declined over the course of the past 4 to 5 years. .

That's true. Several forums that I was very active on 3-5 years ago I seldom visit anymore. I think part of it is the migration from computers to smart phones. It's very hard for me to read online forums on my phone...

I can't do facebook or any of that stuff from my phone
My tablet, maybe

[zeko]

I learned from the OFCC Facebook entry that the speakers at the PITP this time will be:

Ohio Representative Scott Wiggam
Secretary of State and candidate for Ohio governor Jon Husted
State senator Frank LaRose (candidate for Secretary of State)

Can we get this information (and other possible updates) onto OFCC's home-page PITP story? Also, the events that are weeks in the past need to be taken down -- the PITP should be front and center.

Zeko