Tactics That Work

THE BILLBOARD PROGRAM

 

 by Alan Korwin, Author

 Gun Laws of America





 A bunch of us got together over dinner recently (remember Tactic
#1, go

 to dinner with a bunch of like-minded friends?).  We decided
that

 billboards would be a good way to get the word out about the positive

 side of firearms -- a message that is constantly censored in mainstream

 channels.



 It turned out to be pretty easy.  We have two billboards going
up in

 downtown Phoenix this month.  You could do this too. 
Here are the

 details.

 Although large highway billboards are out of range, at thousands of

 dollars a month, 6-foot by 12-foot city street billboards are just $125

 a month, on a six-month contract.  These are the billboards where you

 see ads for gun shows and all sorts of products.  In Phoenix, there
are

 1,400 of them, all run by Infinity/Outdoor Systems, the largest

 billboard company in America.  You pay for the first and last month, and

 they bill you monthly for the rest.



 The art charges to print the message in two colors are about $175.

 Extra printed copies are only $5 each -- make a few in case your

 billboard gets weather damage or graffiti.  Plus, it's a great way to

 decorate your room, or use at a convention, gun show, club house, etc.

 Five bucks for a 6x12 foot sign!



 The billboard company gives you a list of boards whose contracts are

 expiring soon and will become available.  Be sure to ask for
locations

 right in the heart of downtown.  Drive around and eyeball the
billboards

 yourself -- some are obscured or otherwise pretty crummy, while others

 are in high traffic spots and in your face.



 You need approval for the message, and the company refuses messages they

 consider too inflammatory (freedom of the press, as you may know,

 belongs to the person who owns the press).  We've obtained approval
for

 our basic design -- a red heart logo that says "Guns Save Lives"
with a

 red border and a stylish bold black headline.



 Our first billboard was funded by contributions from the people at

 dinner, and is "sponsored" by The Arizona State Rifle and Pistol

 Association (their name and website -- asrpa.com -- appears on the

 bottom of the sign; their website has a nifty set of pages supporting

 the campaign).  The second one is funded and sponsored by Bloomfield

 Press.

 Here's my recommendation.  You should get a local group or your
company

 or friends to put up a billboard where you live, because the costs are

 so reasonable.  I'd personally encourage you to take advantage of our

 design, to increase the impact and become part of a "campaign,"
but that

 will run an extra $35 in art costs, so you may decide to start from

 scratch and design the whole thing on your own.  Just help get the
word

 out, however you do it.



 Pick a message, I'll have my graphic artist format it into the logo

 design, and he'll send you a proof and make corrections if necessary.

 Then he'll send it electronically formatted to the billboard company's

 specs, and send copies to you in easy-to-use PDF, GIF and JPEG formats.

 If you want to use the final art for non-profit T-shirts, bumper

 stickers or whatever else, that's fine with us.



 In Phoenix, you contact Infinity/Outdoor Systems at 602-353-0157.  In

 other locations you gotta figure out the phone number yourself, by

 getting the name right off the billboard itself.  I already said this
is

 easy.



 Now for the hard part -- you have to decide what to post.  We yokked

 around with this for weeks -- as a writer I can tell you that the fewer

 the words, the harder it is to settle upon them.  We came up with a

 bunch of choices (below) and you're welcome to use them.  Please let
me

 read any ideas you dream up on your own.



 Traffic studies show our two signs are in front of 64,000 cars daily,

 and we're planning for more.  We also have publicity plans to attract

 the attention (wrath?) of local media.  As soon as the self-righteous

 anti-rights zealots start to complain we can count on extra camera crews

 and editorial ink to further spread the word.



 To fire up your creative juices here are some positive pro-rights

 messages we've created, designed to complement the "Guns Save
Lives"

 heart logo.  Get cracking and get up one or more billboards in your
home

 town!





 "Disarm The Criminals First"



 "Guns Are Why America Is Free"



 "Guns Are Why America Is Still Free"



 "Every 45 Seconds

 A Handgun Saves A Life"



 "Our Guns Protect Your Freedom"



 "83 Million Armed Homeowners Know:"

 "Our Guns Protect Your Safety"



 "Guns Save Lives"

 (as the headline and in the logo)



 "Life Preserver"

 (with a picture of a gun)



 "Disarming An Honest Person

 Is An Act Of Violence"



 "Society Is Safer When Criminals

 Don't Know Who's Armed"



 "Marksmanship:

 It's The Responsible Thing To Do"



 "Anyone Can See:

 The Public Needs Marksmanship Training"



 "Dial 911... And Prepare To Die"



 "Gun Owners:

 Get In Some Range Time This Week"



 "Help Stop The Violence:

 Buy A Gun And Get Trained"



 "Guns Stop Crime"



 "Self Defense Is A Civil Right"



 "Self Defense Is A Human Right"



 "Self Defense Is A Fundamental Right"







 For more info,

 to bounce around ideas,

 or to have me format and transmit

 a billboard for you, contact:



 Alan Korwin

 BLOOMFIELD PRESS

 "We publish the gun laws."

 4848 E. Cactus, #505-440 • Scottsdale, AZ 85254

 602-996-4020 Phone

 602-494-0679 FAX

 1-800-707-4020 Orders

 http://www.gunlaws.com

 alan@gunlaws.com 





 For Immediate Release

 874 words   9/5/00

 Not-for-profit circulation approved