Congressman White said hello, and asked what problem he could help me with. I told him I didn't have any problems, I just wanted to tell him I thought he was going a good job, and keep it up.
His surprise was almost comical. He said in all the years he'd been in politics, nobody had ever said that to him. We chatted for a few minutes, and I left with another constituent arrived.
Over intervening years I've watched people "fight the good fight" over RKBA
issues; organizing rallies, write-in campaigns, fundraising, and generally
butting their heads against the wall. Eventually I decided I ought to do
something as well, and thought about how I might get the most return for my
efforts.
Politicians get lobbied *hard* on both sides of the RKBA issue, by professional lobbyists and special interest groups, some with real money and political clout. My lone voice isn't going to count for much against that.
Pondering the situation for a while, I remembered Congressman White, and his surprise. And I remembered reading that for some legislators, a dozen letters constituted "a lot of mail!" on an issue, and that most legislators pay little attention to email or polls.
I decided there was one thing I could do - when I saw a politican doing something right, I could send him an attaboy. A real paper letter, with his name and title on it, referencing the bill and giving my compliments to his efforts. Hey, my opinion was worth at least a few minutes of typing and a first class stamp...
Over the past year I've sent about a dozen letters. I started when my own state relaxed some restrictions on CCW; after that, I kept an eye on some of the gun law monitoring sites and sent letters to other states.
Generally, I write at least two letters; one to whoever sponsored the bill, and another to the Governor who signed it. They don't contain any RKBA screeds or political opinions, just the bill number and that their efforts are recognized and appreciated.
It's not going to change the world, but at least it's personal, not like sending a check to some national RKBA organization, which would use it to buy a NASCAR sponsorship. (Yes, I'm referring to the NRA)