7. Computer Bulletin Boards ``NECESSITY IS THE PLEA OF EVERY INFRINGEMENT OF HUMAN FREEDOM. IT IS THE ARGUMENT OF TYRANTS; IT IS THE CREED OF SLAVES.'' William Pitt, English statesman and friend of American independence, Speech on the India Bill, Nov. 18, 1783. If your personal computer has a modem (short for ``modulator/demodulator''), the computer can communicate over phone lines with other computers. If you don't have a modem, you can buy either an internal modem (a circuit board that goes into one of your computer's expansion slots) or an external modem (which is attached to one of the serial ports at the back of your computer). In either case, the modem has two phone jacks in it, one of which runs to your telephone, the other of which runs to the wall jack (where the telephone line from outside enters the room). Modems require communications software to run them; almost every modem vendor will supply you with software too. The faster a modem, the more it costs. However, speedy modems will usually pay for themselves in the long run by saving you long distance charges (since they transmit data faster). Try to get a modem rated at least at 2400 bps, with 9600 being preferable (and increasingly affordable). Anyway, once you've got a working modem, you can--using the communications software--instruct the modem to connect over the telephone lines with another computer that is ready to receive phone calls. You can then communicate with any other computer that also has a modem. For instance, you can dial your cousin Egbert's computer (assuming that he has a modem, and has his communications software on and ready to receive calls), and send him your file containing chocolate chip cookie recipes. Or better (from a gun rights point of view), you can dial a gun rights bulletin board. A bulletin board is a computer that is dedicated to making itself available for communication with other computers. A bulletin board contains files, electronic mail, and other material of use to the people who dial in to the bulletin board. There are literally tens of thousands of bulletin boards in the United States, covering a huge diversity of topics. Below is a list of bulletin boards focusing on the right to bear arms. All bulletin boards listed under state headings belong to the ``Paul Revere Network'' run by Leroy Pyle, and all Paul Revere boards echo each other; this means that if a file becomes available on one Paul Revere board, it will shortly become available on all Paul Revere boards. Pro-rights bulletin boards transmit information instantaneously. They are unquestionably the fastest way to get in-depth information about gun rights issues around the nation. The boards also have ``conferences,'' which are discussion areas for particular topics, such as reloading. Conference participants can write messages to each other, and leave the messages for viewing in the conference area. Thus, they can have a discussion stretching over weeks and months, without having to be sending their messages at the same time. The bulletin board listing below is arranged by state. For all of these boards, your modem settings should be N-8-1. Arizona Brass Cannon. (602) 639-1039. Run-Time. (602) 779-3115. PRN Arkansas Conway PC Users Group. (501) 329-7227. California The Silhouetter. (209) 472-0843. PRN Los Angeles. (310) 837-7818. Telecommuter WorkSystems. (310) 676-0492. Paul Revere Network Headquarters. (408) 947-9800. PRNet/SF Eastbay. (510) 791-8246. The City of Tanelorn. (510) 803-0319. Rights of the People. (619) 961-1708. A&B Express. (619) 447-0641. Eagle's Nest. (818) 769-6584. Bullet Box. (818) 403-0399. NRA/ILA Sacramento. (916) 446-3221. Highsierra Online. (916) 577-4438. Florida RedMan. (305) 435-1972. Minnesota Minnesota MinuteMan. (612) 493-3558. Missouri Party Line. (314) 845-7937. PRN Central. (816) 597-3950. The Institute. (816) 421-3944. The Money Pit. (913) 287-1102. New Hampshire The Quiet Revolution. (603) 753-9716. VAXCAT. (603) 424-023. New York Airpower Rybbs. (215)- 259-2198. ImageSoft. (516) 767-5189. Midnite Caller. (716) 297-0291. Knights of Discovery. (716) 837-2901. The Outback. (914) 339-1816. Paul Revere Network. (914) 339-1816. The Network. (914) 635-9501. The Rifle Range. (914) 452-4753. PRN/DIS. (914) 635-2712. Ghandeel's Fortress. (914) 647-7280. The Final Encyclopedia. (914) 737-2539. Ohio PRN Cincinnati. (513) 474-9193. Liberty Line. (513) 891-2430. The Christian Star. (614) 841-9991. Oklahoma Gunners Mate. (918) 665-6841. Bedrock. (918) 985-6836. Oregon The Post House. (503) 667-2649. Pennsylvania 2nd Amendment. (814) 898-1732. South Carolina Schroedinger's Catbox. (803) 652-3759. Tennessee Southern Cross. (615) 349-5473. Reality Relief Fido. (615) 690-2227. Reality's Link. (615) 246-5595. Texas The Firing Line. (214) 341-5582. BackStage. (409) 721-9606. PRN Flotom Ent. (512) 282-3941. Jack's Range. (915) 757-9311. PRN Virginia Bullet 'n Board. (703) 971-4491. PRN PRN/LGC. (804) 877-8320. Washington Troubador Systems. (206) 661-2135. National Of all the pro-rights boards, the best one is Gun Talk, run by NRA/ILA. The number is 1-703-719-6406. To register as a user, you need to supply your NRA membership number, and pay a $15 annual fee (to defray part of the enormous hardware costs associated with operating a BBS with numerous incoming phone lines capable of operating simultaneously). You can register on-line, or by calling 1-800-GUN-TALK. Once you're registered, you have full access to the Gun Talk BBS, with no further fees (except of course long-distance charges from wherever you're calling). The opening menu of Gun Talk offers you the option of reading any of about two dozen bulletins dealing with up-to-minute accounts of key political battles, recent news involving gun issues, and fast-breaking legislative developments. A Files Section contains several hundred text files dealing with every angle of the right to bear arms issue. Historical articles about the original meaning of the Second Amendment; detailed analysis of topical issues such as waiting periods; reprints of articles from American Rifleman, American Hunter, and the popular media; ballistics tables; and much, much more are all available in the Files Section. The Files Section can be a tremendous resource when you need hard facts to put in a letter to the editor or to an elected official. Finally, Gun Talk allows you to send messages to other Gun Talk users. While you can send private messages to an individual, almost all messages are intended for public consumption, and are posted in a Message Section for all to read. The contents of the Messages Section are as diverse as the users, and include debates about the recent Presidential race, questions about reloading technique and gun repair, updates on forthcoming gun shows, and first-hand reports about what it's really like to try to get a pistol license in New York. Another national BBS paying attention to gun rights issue is the Outdoor Forum, on Compuserve. The Forum is shared by a number of hunting and outdoor groups. Canada Canadian bulletin boards dealing in part with firearms or the right to bear arms: CARS--The Automotive BBS (Alberta). (403) 752-3930. K9COPS BBS (British Columbia). (604) 599-0514. Yorkton Area Opus (Saskatchewan). (306) 782-1355.