Rick Turnquist: Advancing Freedom in Colorado as a Blogger

| By Emily Baer and Tiffany Aziz | 

For every passionate activist there is a moment that sparks their interest in politics. There is a change that they cannot ignore and must address through any means possible. For Coloradan Rick Turnquist, that spark came in the form of new control bills introduced in the aftermath of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting.

“I watched first hand as the progressives rammed the bills down our throats. I was part of the thousands of people in opposition of the gun control bills,” Rick said.

His dismay at the speedy unraveling of the Second Amendment prompted him to study more about politics, to read numerous books and to start writing a blog. Rick’s love for writing started when he was a kid, “I have always been interested in writing since I was a child. I wrote fiction stories.”

Through the years his love for writing continued. He runs a blog titled “To Advance Freedom,” which allows him to define his own views as he strongly expresses his support of less government and more personal freedom.

Rick attended two American Majority trainings and learned that social media plays a very vital role while campaigning. “I appreciate the social media training I went to. Both with Aubrey [Blankenship] last year at the Western Conservative Summit and again this year with Nick McIntyre. I think that social media is important and I think it becomes more important all the time.”

There is a lot for Rick to juggle throughout his day-to-day life and it can be difficult to find time to devote to his blog. He commutes to work every day, works 50 to 60 hour weeks, and makes time for his family as well. “Spare time is definitely at a premium.”

Yet, he still carves out enough time to publish a post on his blog as often as possible. “I always want to work to make things the best that they can be.”

Rick encourages people to find a way to plug into the political scene. “Everyone should be more involved. There is more to being a good citizen than just going out and voting.”

For conservatives in particular, he believes that, “They need to get out. They need to walk. They need to knock on doors and talk to voters and support the candidates that they like and believe in.”

But most of all in upcoming elections: “We need to get out and make our voices heard,” Rick said.