Most of the local political class, including the Governor, was on board,. A relentless cry for gun control permeated the major media outlets. It seemed that a consensus had been formed even without debate; we were going to have more gun control. It was not a good time for those who cherished fundamental liberty. A juggernaut was upon us and everyone paying attention to politics knew it.
One day as that winter month was coming to a close, I heard a gentleman call into a local talk radio show. It was Norm Resnick's show on KHNC, Johnstown, the home of the American Freedom Network (AFN).
The man said that he was tired of losing his 2nd Amendment rights bit by bit; he was tired of waiting for a solution from the pro-gun groups, tired of trusting and hoping that they would deliver. He was going to take action. With a few friends, he was going to show up at the Governor's mansion in Denver to take a stand; it was to be a rally for the 2nd Amendment and a protest against gun control.
If I remember correctly, it was to be on a Tuesday evening and anyone who wanted to participate was welcome. I'll never forget that caller because he made me think. Clearly, the 2nd Amendment was under assault, and I wondered, who would defend it? If I didn't stand up, who would? If I didn't take a stand then, when would I?
I couldn't justify doing nothing. It was my turn and I decided to attend. Not knowing what to expect, I went and was pleasantly surprised to find that about two to three hundred others had reached the same conclusion as I had, it was time to stand up, time to be heard.
Another protest was to be held in Fort Morgan on the eastern planes of Colorado, perhaps a week later. The Governor would speak before a local political gathering. Again, I went. During a lull in the action, I met a tall lanky guy with a familiar voice. He was the caller who had started it all. His name was Alan Albertus.
We talked about politics as well as other subjects. I remember him proudly showing me a very small disk drive not more than two inches in extent. He was an engineer working for a disk drive company and had helped to develop the micro drives.
Alan was passionate about liberty as was everyone who attended the rallies. The difference between Al and most of the rest of us, was that he was willing to be the first to stand up. Most of us were in some sense followers, we waited for someone else to take the lead. There is some comfort in being part of a group, even if the group is, from a broader view, a small minority. But to be the first, the initiator, that's special, and that was Alan.
I attended about six or seven protests with this ragtag group of patriots, later to become known as the Tyranny Response Team. As time went on and the 2nd Amendment wars in Colorado quieted down, I had the opportunity to again see Al at some of the AFN summer barbecues. We always had interesting discussions about liberty and politics. He was passionate about the former and was quickly learning about the latter. I always enjoyed and looked forward to those exchanges.
I can't claim to have been a close friend of Al's, but I felt that I knew him. This modern day Paul Revere, this Patriot, certainly influenced my life for the better and I thank him for that. Alan, you will be missed but not forgotten. May God be with you on your new journey.