Michigan Gun Owners

Michigan Gun Owners
"What we do"
December 31, 2008
Mike Thiede
Michigan Gun Owners

Michigan Gun Owners was established in 2002 as a website and incorporated in 2003 with the mission to educate the public and encourage grass roots activism on a state-wide level through various outreach programs and a popular community forum on the internet. Michigan Gun Owners has become Michigan’s fastest growing, grass roots gun rights advocacy organization.

Owning a gun is a serious responsibility. Using guns safely and keeping them out of the hands of individuals who should not have access to them are the two main priorities of Michigan Gun Owner. If you handle guns safely and responsibly and then project that onto the people around you, they will do the same. Make sure that if you let someone handle or use your guns, they use them in a safe and responsible manner. If that is in doubt, then you should not let that person use or handle your guns.If you are going to own a gun, for whatever reason, you should take a class from a certified instructor on how to safely operate and shoot the gun. There are a lot of schools and independent instructors out there who can train you; and in most cases for not a lot of money. Getting professionally trained is worth it.Every parent, whether you have guns in your home or not, will have a different opinion on when they feel is the best time to teach their children about guns and how much to teach them. Below is some advice that we hope will help everyone on this issue.Young Children are curious and will certainly pick up a gun as if it was a toy because they don’t know any better. They should to be taught what guns look like, that they are dangerous, and that they should not be touched. If they find one, they should be taught to not touch it and to come and tell you immediately. They should be taught the difference between toy guns and real guns and the differences between movies and TV as compared to real life.When children get older and are able to play independently outside of your watchful eye, they should be taught not to be around or accept a gun from anyone without your consent. If one is offered or shown to them they should come home immediately and tell you or tell the closest adult or Policeman. Only if you hand them a gun or with your approval should they touch one.At what age should you teach your children how to use a gun? That is a question only you as their parent can answer. You might start by remembering what age you learned to shoot; but the best advice we can give you is to ask yourself these questions. Do they understand what a gun is and what is it used for? Do they understand the difference between a real gun and a toy gun? Can they hold the gun up and shoot it safely? Do they understand the safety rules? If you can answer yes to these questions they are probably ready.

Keep in mind that children learn from watching their parents. So if you handle guns safely and take it seriously, they will too.

One example of this is the Safe Storage Program.
As a firearms owner, you must make absolutely sure that guns in your home are stored so that they are not accessible to children or other unauthorized persons. Hiding a gun in a closet, drawer or similar location is not safe storage. Children are extremely curious and might find a gun in your home that you thought was safely hidden or inaccessible.

As with most all areas of home safety, your objective as a firearm owner is to put in place a series of simple precautions (multiple safeguards) that together help create a secure environment for firearms in the home. Each of these precautions is designed to prove an additional barrier against unauthorized use.

Here is another example of what MGO is doing to educate people on safety. Michigan Gun Owners also wants to educate people on the importance of not forgetting the physically challenged. An example of this would be our donation to Volunteers Assisting the Disabled.

V.A.D. is not a large organization. Members of V.A.D. are all VOLUNTEERS. There are NO paid employees, board members, or Officers in Volunteers Assisting the Disabled. Members are involved because they care! They believe in what V.A.D. is doing, the service needs that it meets, and the value of what it accomplishes for those with neuromuscular disorders.

V.A.D., despite the relatively short time it has been in existence, has held dozens of fundraisers-Car washes, bake sales, candy sales, bowl-a-thons, garage sales, spaghetti dinners, and fall car cruises to name a few. This, along with contributions from many companies, organizations and personal donations is how V.A.D. had been funded the program. Michigan Gun Owners donation went to a golf outing name for Gary DiCenzo.

Members spend hundreds of hours each year getting donations for the Adult Camp Program and V.A.D. is committed to continuing this fine experience for the patients. With the help and support of caring people like you, adults can continue to look forward to camp each summer.

MGO also has sponsored a “Handicap hunter” program the last two years. We have taken developmentally challenged hunters to Super G ranch for a hog, ram or deer of their choice.

MGO also supports a fund raiser for Benefit4Kids. Benefit4Kids was founded in 1998 with its' primary mission to grant the outdoor wishes of children with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. They also work to involve today's children in the outdoors and the many activities it offers them. Many of today's children are denied the opportunity to experience the outdoors because of costs, lack of available mentors and a limited amount of facilities offering an all around outdoor experience. Benefit4Kids works to help these children experience the outdoors through several children's programs. Benefit4Kids also works closely with several children's camps designed to work with injured and ill children. Instructors at these camps are experienced in medical procedures necessary to work with these children.

They are also experienced in archery, camping, outdoor cooking, hiking, nature and many other facets of outdoor activities. In working with these and several other children's camps Benefit4Kids will continue to assist many less fortunate children enjoy our great outdoors and help them to learn the morals and family values that are so often lacking today.

MGO also made a donation to a local police department that was passing out brochures to parents on the responsibilities of storing their firearms safely.

And the Hunter Heritage Defense Fund received a donation from Michigan Gun Owners for the printing of brochures to educate the sportsmen in Michigan on the need to retain the dove hunt.

As you can see approximately 90% of what Michigan Gun Owners is involved in is education and the other 10% is our support for charitable organizations.