The Second Front in the Battle for Gun Control Begins Now

Hey, kids of the #NationalWalkoutDay, great job! No, seriously, not joking. I'm super proud of you. You have successfully scared the hell out of the gun nuts and right-wing lunatics who would turn your schools into armed prisons, allow everything short of a tactical nuke to be sold to anyone who wants one, and continue the cycle of violence that is tragically unique to our country. You guys accomplished an amazing act of protest, sent a massively powerful message to the powers that be, and have energized a country. Just one thing, though -- that was the easy part. Now, don't think I'm being cynical or trying to bring you down; I'm not. I just want you guys to be ready for what comes next.

First, they're gonna come after you. They already have for a lot of you guys. The Parkland kids are getting hate mail, and your opponents are calling you "crisis actors," say you're too young, too inexperienced, don't know a flash suppressor from a forward assist, so you can't speak on gun control. They say you're being coached and groomed, that your parents are putting you up to this. They'll tell you to know your place, to mind your business, that it's not going to change anything. The fact they are coming at you like this means they're mad and scared. Good. Keep it up.

Fair warning, though, they'll get crazier and crazier. They'll start doxxing you, start stalking you, start physically attacking you. It's gonna suck and wear you down, but it's a clear indication you're being heard. This is actually the easiest to overcome. There's worse.

Even your allies are going to exploit you. Tons of politicians and celebrities are gonna show up and shake your hands and give you hugs and take selfies. Most celebrities might be earnest, but a lot of them just want good press. The politicians will talk a big game, but when it comes to voting time, they'll toss you under the bus pretty quickly if it suits them. Oh, you might think they won't because they really mean it, but getting elected is their main job first. Trust me, every progressive activist out there has tire marks on their ass from the bus.

Those aren't the worst exploiters. The worst are the grifters and dividers. Grifters care more about their bank accounts and fame than the cause. Some of them might be the one right next to you. A lot of folks start off as true believers, but they get addicted to the prime-time interviews, the paychecks for speaking engagements, the retweets, and the paid writing gigs. They'll claw and scheme their way to the front of the movement without a care who they step over on their way to a blue check mark next to their Twitter handle. They'll organize and raise money, but there will be sketchy finances that they'll excuse away while they rock Gucci shoes with celebrities in their Instagrams. If you try to call them out, they'll sic their mobs on you, declare they're being bullied and attacked and then make you a pariah because they've already got their cultist followers to whom they can do no wrong.

These people also tend to be dividers. The one's who hijack the dialogue, the puritans, the radicals. They've got rehearsed lines and rhetoric ready to go to take you down if you disagree. The movement is about what they want and to hell with everyone else. If you're not good enough, don't say the right things, don't perform the correct rituals, you're trash and tossed out.

These folks wear the movement down on top of the already existing natural attrition. People get tired, they get frustrated, they find other interests, or they get what they want and are done. It's totally natural and normal, but it can be demoralizing to see your meetings and rallies get smaller and smaller each time. The slow process of change will demoralize people and they'll go focus on things they can change. They get busy with "life"; school, family, work, hobbies, and such, and just fade away. Some measure of progress comes about that satisfies them and they fade away. Finally, simply put, the public will get bored with you or so used to your presence that you just become background noise.

I'm not telling you this to bring you down or hurt you. I'm just an old person who's been around for a while, trying to pass on hard-learned lessons to you youngsters who are just now entering the game in earnest. This really isn't a cynical take; it's a realistic one learned through real life experience, a knowledge of history, and knowledge of the world. I know you believe that this won't happen to you guys, and maybe I'm wrong, and God, I really hope I am, but I'm here to warn you so you can take the necessary steps to not let your movement die out, fall apart, or get overrun. I'm rooting for you guys and am with you 100 percent. Perhaps my contribution can be to give you some sage advice to make you more successful.