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NRA HAS OWN MEMBER ARRESTED AT NATIONAL CONVENTION
April 29, 2003 – The National Rifle Association apparently had one of its
members, a pro-gun activist, arrested at its national convention on Sunday,
April 27, 2003 in Orlando, Florida for handing out pro-gun freedom literature
from the Free State Project, Inc. The unlucky NRA member was Timothy Condon, a
Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Director of Member Services for the rapidly
growing Free State Project. He was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's
Department Sunday for "trespassing" outside the Orange County Convention Center
when he refused to leave or cease handing out the Free State Project literature
(see sample).
"I believe there is a First Amendment problem with prohibiting people from
passing out political literature on public property where there is no problem
caused by it," said Condon, who also happens to be an attorney who practices
law in Tampa, Florida. "What is even more bizarre to me is that the National
Rifle Association would have one of its own members arrested for passing out
literature that supports the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."
Condon, who was attending the NRA convention himself, was held for 10 hours at
the Orange County Jail before being released on bond. Jason Sorens, founder and
president of the Free State Project, vowed to explore legal action against the
National Rifle Association. "This is just outrageous," said Sorens. "It appears
that the NRA only supports the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution
if it's done according to their orders. I really think members of the NRA need
to question their loyalty to an organization that would have one of its own
members arrested for passing out pro-gun literature at its own convention."
Condon, a longtime NRA member, vowed to plead not guilty to the charge of
trespassing, and said he is considering canceling his membership in the
organization. "It looks as if the Free State Project is a stronger supporter of
the Second Amendment, not to mention the First Amendment, than the NRA," he
quipped.
END
Pro-Gun Group Prompts Arrest Of One Of It's Own At National Convention
By J.J. Johnson • 05/03/03
Orlando, Florida - Leaders of a pro-second amendment, liberty activist
group are outraged over the arrest of a member of their group, who is also a
paid member of the well-known second amendment group that had him arrested for
passing out flyers outside a gun show last Sunday.
The National Rifle Association apparently had
one of its members, a pro-gun activist, arrested at its national convention on,
April 27, 2003 in Orlando, Florida for handing out pro-gun freedom literature
from an organization known as the Free State Project, Inc. The
unlucky NRA member was Timothy Condon, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and
Director of Member Services for the rapidly growing Free State Project.
The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented
people will move to a single state of the U.S., where they may work within the
political system to reduce the size and scope of government. The success of
the Free State Project would likely entail reductions in burdensome taxation
and regulation, reforms in state and local law, an end to federal mandates, and
a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the benefits of
liberty to the rest of the nation and the world.
Condon was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Sunday for
"trespassing" outside the Orange County Convention Center when he refused to
leave or cease handing out the Free State
Project literature.
"I believe there is a First Amendment problem with prohibiting people from
passing out political literature on public property where there is no problem
caused by it," said Condon, who also happens to be an attorney who practices
law in Tampa, Florida. "What is even more bizarre to me is that the National
Rifle Association would have one of its own members arrested for passing out
literature that supports the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."
Condon, who was attending the NRA convention himself, was held for 10 hours at
the Orange County Jail before being released on bond. Jason Sorens, founder and
president of the Free State Project, vowed to explore legal action against the
National Rifle Association. "This is just outrageous," said Sorens. "It
appears that the NRA only supports the First and Second Amendments to the
Constitution if it's done according to their orders. I really think members of
the NRA need to question their loyalty to an organization that would have one
of its own members arrested for passing out pro-gun literature at its own
convention."
Condon, a longtime NRA member, vowed to plead not guilty to the charge of
trespassing, and said he is considering canceling his membership in the
organization. "It looks as if the Free State Project is a stronger supporter
of the Second Amendment, not to mention the First Amendment, than the NRA," he
quipped.
The Free State Project has their own conference (The Great Western
Conference) planned for May 24 and 25th in Missoula, Montana. According the
Free State Project, NRA members will not be barred from attendance.
Debra Ricketts also contributed to this report.
On the Web:
Free State Project, Inc.
http://www.freestateproject.org/
National Rifle Association
http://www.nra.org
More media articles about the FSP
These media articles are maintained on a non-commercial basis by
The Free State Project,
a non-profit organization, for historical, educational, scholarship,
and research purposes. (For information regarding "Fair Use", see
US Code Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section 107).
Target practice
By
William Dean
Hinton • 05/15/03
Someone didn't like Condon's message
It was the third day of the National Rifle Association's annual conference,
April 27, and Tim Condon thought he was home free. He had already survived two
days of sore feet, meddlesome security officers and zealous members of the
Million Mom March yelling anti-gun slogans through a bull-horn.
Condon, a 53-year-old Tampa attorney, traveled to the Orange County Convention
Center to hand out fliers and brochures promoting an idea both radical and
conservative. Condon is a charter member of the Free State Project, a nonprofit
organization that wants to enlist 20,000 Libertarian volunteers to relocate to
one of the least-populated states, probably Wyoming or New Hampshire. The
Libertarians, who are so conservative they don't believe in fighting the war on
drugs any more than the war on Iraq, would then have a large enough voting
block to dominate local and state governments. Free State advocates hope they
can create their own kind of utopia – a state that will appeal to gun
owners as much as pot smokers and low-tax fanatics. Already 3,500 people have
agreed to relocate.
But day three of the conference, security guards suddenly took an interest in
Condon, who was standing underneath a covered walkway outside the Orange County
Convention Center. According to Condon, the guards asked him to cease and
desist. He refused, so they contacted an Orange County deputy, who wanted to
know what Condon was distributing.
The deputy also asked Condon to stop handing out pamphlets, but he refused,
citing the First Amendment and the fact that the Convention Center is a
well-traveled, public building. Condon was told to move to the sidewalk, a
half-mile strip along the Convention Center where protesting is often
conducted. But he says the sidewalk afforded no opportunity to interact with
NRA members who were getting off shuttles and going in the front door. The
deputy called his supervisor who, according to Condon, called another
supervisor. By this time, about eight security guards and several deputies
surrounded Condon.
Finally, one of the deputies verbally warned Condon he was trespassing. When
Condon kept handing out fliers, the deputy gave him a written citation. When
Condon continued his distribution, deputies put him in handcuffs and marched
him through the Convention Center. Twelve hours later, he was released from the
33rd Street jail on a $500 bond.
The arrest is absurd for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that
the authority providing for it, the state's trespassing law, pertains to "a
person who, without being authorized or invited, willfully enters or remains
upon a property."
Condon is a member of the NRA. He registered for the free convention two months
ago. He was distributing information to members of his own clan. "How can you
be guilty of trespassing on a piece of property you were invited to come onto?"
asks Frederick W. Vollrath, Condon's attorney.
Vollrath says the case will likely be thrown out as soon as an Orange County
prosecutor is assigned to it. He's prepared to point out the large number of
U.S. Supreme Court decisions showing that Condon had a right to distribute
information on the very spot he was arrested.
Condon, meanwhile, blames the NRA for his arrest. He says legislative-affairs
director Glen Caroline warned him to stop distributing fliers and that a
security officer told him the arrest was approved by NRA leadership.
"Somebody decided to make a decision," Condon says. "The idiots at the NRA had
one of their own members, a pro-gun rights advocate, arrested."
The NRA failed to return phone calls. But the Convention Center's manager of
security and transportation, Greg Forehand, agrees with Condon, saying he was
arrested "on behalf of the NRA management staff."
"We don't like to trespass anyone," Forehand says. "It's not what we are all
about here. We believe in family. We believe in hospitality. These things are
very important to us."
More media articles about the FSP
These media articles are maintained on a non-commercial basis by
The Free State Project,
a non-profit organization, for historical, educational, scholarship,
and research purposes. (For information regarding "Fair Use", see
US Code Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section 107).
We Made the Move! – "Joel"
Date of move: March 2004
Are you scared of taking that leap into the unknown? Of moving and
living in freedom in the Free State? So are lots of others!
But you need not fear. A steady stream of Porcupines is making the
migration into New Hampshire right now. Here's the story of one of them (who
wishes to remain anonymous; let's call him "Joel" for the purpose of telling
his story). – Tim Condon, FSP Participant Services Director
My name is Joel, and I made the move from Tallahassee, Florida last year,
arriving in the Free State of New Hampshire in March 2004.
Because I was convinced by the Free State Project plan, and committed to
moving to NH from the time it was chosen, the only real research I did on the
state beforehand was to look over a map to see where the big cities were. I
chose to live in Manchester, the largest city and close to Concord and Nashua.
I arrived on a Thursday morning, found a newspaper, and started looking for
a place to live. By that afternoon I'd found a room to rent. Nothing fancy, but
it was clean and convenient.
On Friday morning I went through the newspaper looking for work. I'm a
carpenter, and I was surprised to find that there were lots of opportunities.
The very first person I talked to set up an interview for me that afternoon,
and I was hired on the spot, for more money than I had been making in Florida!
So within approximately 36 hours of arriving in the Free State, I easily
found both a place to live and a good job.
Not long after I arrived in New Hampshire, I had an opportunity to meet
another FSP member named Patrick who was visiting from Nevada. He was doing his
own research, and wanted to meet and talk to people who had already moved here,
so we got together for dinner. I was a little nervous. Up to that time I'd
never actually met another FSP Porcupine. I knew I wasn't crazy to have moved
across the country in search of liberty...but I wondered if other people
contemplating such a move would be.
I needn't have worried. Patrick turned out to be a normal guy, and our
meeting was the beginning of a great friendship. Later that same week, I
attended a Free State Project "Meet and Greet" party where I had the
opportunity to meet all sorts of Porcupines, from FSP President Amanda Phillips
to Michael Badnarik, who later became the national Libertarian Party
presidential candidate. It was a great event, and by the time it ended I knew
I'd made the right decision in moving to New Hampshire "ahead of the rush."
I've been in the Free State almost a year now, and I'm amazed at the
frequency of new arrivals. Every week I hear of someone new moving here, and
all are ready to get involved as soon as they arrive. We're putting together a
great team here, consisting of both new movers and long-time Granite State
residents, and we're going to make a difference.
For anyone and everyone considering "making the move," I say "do it now."
You won't be sorry. The reward is Liberty in your own Lifetime!
Back to We Made the Move!
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