SAM Table at C&E Gun Shows

[Virginia2AM]

I would like to post a public Thank You to C&E Gun Shows's President -- Mr. Elliott was very kind to us by giving us a FREE table at 10 gun shows taking place in Virginia in 2009.

I will be in Salem Civic Center on July 18-19, handing out flyers, selling merchandise and looking for donations to help us raise funds for the D.C. March. I am hoping to meet those of you from Salem/Roanoke area, and answer questions you might have.

Leyla

[allingeneral]

That was very nice of Mr. Elliott.

Leyla, have you considered accepting donations via PayPal for this effort? I'm not certain about tax liabilities and all. Setting up a Paypal account for said purpose would be very easy to do, and it could help fund the purchase (printing) of flyers and stickers to hand out at the gun shows as well as a large banner to display at your tables.

I guess that unless you could get set up as a Non-profit organization, you would have to pay taxes on all donations. I'm also not sure how difficult it is or how long it would take to attain Non-profit status.

Anyone else know anything about this?

[zephyp]

If you're accepting donations on behalf of an already tax-exempt organization (with their permission) you're ok. Otherwise, ya gotta check the rules. I'm not sure exactly what you have to do, but when you solicit donations on behalf of a group that's not formally recognized then you may have legalities to deal with.

[OakRidgeStars]

What you're looking for is 501c3 status. You can read the mind numbing legalese on the IRS web site, but you would be better off talking to a lawyer. You can start with a recommendation from the VCDL board or this list of gun friendly lawyers.

http://www.hkshooter.net/lawyers/

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p557/ch03.html

[gfost1]

Howdy,

When I was doing that sort of thing, we passed the hat among the "membership" to fund operations. We did distribute informational materials at gun shows and other similar venues, but decided not to solicit donations. Of course, in order not to offend our constituency, we did accept any reasonable cash contributions that were proffered. This was during the Clinton-Reno administration, and we were interested in staying below the radar. I don't know if that sort of approach would be practical or even advisable under the current circumstances, but thought it worth mentioning.

Regards,

George

[allingeneral]

Leyla - you should ask the main (national) event coordinators about this. What do they suggest that you do in order to accept donations on behalf of the 2A March, specifically for the Virginia 2A March.

Please let us know what you find out.

[CCFan]

Leyla,

I'll probably be there - what table should we be looking for at the Salem show?

(edit: - I'm guessing it's the 2nd Amendment March table but just want to make sure!)

[Virginia2AM]

Let me try and answer all posts in one reply.

Starting from simple one re table: I asked for a wall-side table -- to allow me to afix a 6ft SAM banner on the wall behind the table. I don't have any other way to display it. I will not know the exact location of the table until I get to the show, so please just do a walk around, or email me and I will give you my cell phone - don't want to post it here.
leyla.myers@secondamendmentmarch.com

Donations: SAM is a non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation - donations are not tax-deductible on your tax return. But SAM will not have to pay any taxes on any contributions SAM gets. This should be clear from their donation website -- nowhere does it say you can claim your donations as tax-deductible. To me, I give my time and money because I believe the cause is just. Don't get me started about what we spend our money on a daily basis that is less worthy.

To that extent, I already ordered one banner. I might need to order another one or two to use at various venues. If you feel like contributing to it, let me know. I am spending my own money with no promise that this will be refunded. If you want to print copies of flyers, let me know - I can get you a file that has 2 pages per one page - that saves paper, but you would have to then cut them. If you go to a copy service place and have them copied, keep the receipt - BUT again, I cannot guarantee your expenses will be covered -- we are not rich yet. (More on fundraising to come tomorrow).

The gun show tables will be used to sell merchandise and raise funds. Lets hope people have the ability to spear a dollar. If you are willing to help me attend any shows, please visit SAM Virginia Forum website for the list of shows I have reserved table. I can ship all items to you via cheapest ground service before the show.

Currently, SAM is only registered in Michigan according to local rules. All donations go to one place - SAM Treasurer. There is no corporation setup in Virginia. I keep track of my expenses, I can keep track of your expenses too. All donations or sale funds I manage to collect will be sent to SAM Treasurer and will be used for the DC March expenses. Depending on funds availability, my / your expenses MIGHT be covered from those funds. If we need to raise funds for Virginia march - we will have to do it on as-needed-basis. Right now, I am only anticipating costs for sound equipment - not sure how much yet.

Currently, I do not have any fundraiser going on for Virginia March. The Capitol grounds are free for use for one hour and One Hour is the limit for all public events. If you know how to go around this and are willing to work on this - please let me know. Please do not ask me to contact VCDL -- I know they know it all, I asked for help, but I cannot force them to help me. I have to respect their own mission and how they use their resources.

Finally, PayPal: SAM organizers believe that PayPal in anti-2A so the donation company/software they use does not include PayPal, so does their store -- no payments through PayPal. IF you believe otherwise, please contact me and I will pass your thoughts to national organizers.

I hope this helps. I will be doing more posting tomorrow. Thanks for your support and input.

[zephyp]

Finally, PayPal: SAM organizers believe that PayPal in anti-2A so the donation company/software they use does not include PayPal, so does their store -- no payments through PayPal. IF you believe otherwise, please contact me and I will pass your thoughts to national organizers.

I don't know if PayPal is anti-gun or not but VCDL uses them for online membership registration. Link below so you can see. Here's my take - it doesn't matter if they are anti-gun or not. PayPal is a tool we can use too - against anti-gunners. Turn their own weapon against them.

http://www.vcdl.org/static/signup.html