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Some moms to oppose gun law reform
Sunday, May 07, 2000 By Sally Kalson, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
She won't say if she actually has a gun, but Marlene Tobin isn't going to sit still for anyone restricting her right to own one -- or 100 if she chooses.
In her view, the number of unfortunate deaths caused by firearms each year pales in comparison with the untold numbers that are prevented by armed citizens protecting themselves. Furthermore, she notes, the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees their right to do so.
And so Tobin, of McMurray, will be on the bus to Washington, D.C., to join the Second Amendment Sisters in their Armed Informed Mothers' March next Sunday.
AIMM is a counteraction to the Million Mom March on Washington that same day. The million moms, marching in 60 cities, will be calling on Congress to enact more gun restrictions. AIMM, marching in about a dozen, will be calling on Congress not to.
"Take A.I.M.M." says the flier Tobin has been distributing wherever Second Amendment advocates are likely to gather, including this weekend's gun show at Greengate Mall.
Atop the page is a picture of Annie Oakley, with the caption "Hey Annie ... They're comin' to git your gun!" And, a few lines down, "The Million Mom March and Handgun Control Inc. want to take your rights. Will you let them?"
Undoubtedly, some of the AIMM marchers will have stories to tell about defending themselves or others with firearms. Tobin claims no such experience herself, but that, she says, is not the point, which is to demonstrate that the Million Mom March doesn't represent all mothers.
Those marchers don't, for example, represent Barbara Ausman of Washington, Pa., who can't get away to join AIMM next weekend but wishes she could.
Ausman said she had carried a gun at all times for the past 20 years. She and her husband, an NRA instructor, own a jewelry store in Washington, Pa. She has often has carried thousands of dollars' worth of cash and merchandise in her car, so she's not about to go without protection -- and that was doubly true when her two grown children were small and riding with her.
"I've never used my gun, and hope I never have to," said Ausman. She has felt threatened on several occasions, but none necessitated drawing her weapon.
"You have to use your head," she said. "It's not like the wild West. But if I ever use it, I will shoot to kill."
Tobin, 52, is a mom herself, with three children. She hopes her two older sons, both in college, will be on the bus with her.
There is no organized effort to get-out-the-march in this part of the state, she said -- no meetings, fund raising, strategy sessions or phone trees. "It's just a few people passing out fliers, taking calls and chartering buses. "
They're hoping to recruit enough people for six buses, although that is by no means assured. That's far fewer than the 16 buses already filled by the other side, but it's not the numbers that matter; it's the principle.
Tobin's principles are well known in Peters, where she used to be a school board member. In that post she favored school vouchers and opposed Outcomes Based Education. Her home answering machine greets callers with this message: "Our history question for today is: Where in the U.S. Constitution can you find the phrase 'separation of church and state?' The answer is, nowhere. ... However, you can find those exact words in the Communist Manifesto . . ."
To Tobin, every restriction the Million Mom March supporters want is wrongheaded. Gun locks? Criminal won't have them. Purchasing limits? It's no one's business how many weapons law-abiding citizens buy with their own money. Registration? That's the first step toward confiscation.
"The problem in society today isn't guns," she said. "It's in the hearts and souls of the people who think violence is the way to take out their frustrations."
The two marches will follow different routes, and Tobin doesn't expect anyone to be looking for confrontation. And, since it's illegal to carry a concealed weapon in the District of Columbia, even those who might be pistol packin' mamas at home are not expected to be carrying.
For information about AIMM, call 724-941-9443 or 724-225-3834.
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