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Carrying private firearms in public, in plain view
California Gun Lobby Has High Hopes of Winning Hidden Handgun Fight
20 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
Chuck Michel's strategy for crime-fighting rests on the element of surprise: Keep the bad guys guessing who's armed and who's not.
"If 5% of the ducks could shoot back, you're not going to go duck hunting," said the Long Beach lawyer representing many Californians denied concealed weapons permits and, in his view, their constitutional right to self-defense.
For decades, that argument has fallen flat in the courtroom. Judges have routinely held that denying permits to... (GunPolicy.org)
California to Ban Open-Carry of Handguns, Retain Info on Long Gun Sales
11 October 2011
San Francisco Chronicle
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Jerry Brown has outlawed the open carrying of unloaded handguns in California, signing a bill late Sunday night that makes the practice that had been popular with some gun rights advocates a misdemeanor in the state.
The bill, AB144 by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles County), will take effect Jan. 1 and was backed by law enforcement officials throughout the state who said the practice created a public safety... (GunPolicy.org)
At Urging of Police, California Bans Open Carrying of Handguns
10 October 2011
Los Angeles Times
Sacramento— With the announcement early Monday that he had outlawed the public display of handguns in California, Gov. Jerry Brown bucked a national trend toward more lenient firearms laws and placed himself in the political cross-hairs of the state's 2nd Amendment activists.
Brown, the owner of three guns, said in a statement that he signed a bill banning the open carrying of handguns at the urging of law enforcement officials, who included Los Angeles Police Chief... (GunPolicy.org)
Oklahoma Bill Allows Concealed-Carry Permit Holders to Bring Guns on Campuses
26 May 2011
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
OKLAHOMA CITY - Gov. Mary Fallin signed a measure Wednesday that allows people with concealed-carry permits to leave weapons in locked vehicles in CareerTech campus parking lots.
"I believe, as does our Legislature, that it is reasonable to allow a gun owner with a concealed-weapons permit to leave his or her gun locked in the car while visiting a career technology center," Fallin said.
"Permit holders already have that right at most locations in Oklahoma. This is a... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Control Law Could Lead to More People Carrying Guns
24 May 2011
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
What if we passed a gun control law but it led to more people carrying guns on our streets? That may be exactly what happens if a bill passed last week by the California Assembly becomes law.
AB 144 would prohibit the carrying of visible firearms in California cities. It was inspired by the spectacle of gun-rights advocates showing up last year at Starbucks shops with their handguns prominently displayed. That's legal, as long as those guns are unloaded.
If, however,... (GunPolicy.org)
Debate Over Open-Carry Handguns Flares Again in Philadelphia
21 May 2011
Fox News (USA)
With a shocking altercation between Philadelphia police and a 25-year-old IT worker putting the spotlight back on open-carry gun laws, local authorities are warning gun owners that they will be "inconvenienced" if they carry unconcealed handguns in the city.
Lt. Raymond Evers, a spokesman for the city police, told FoxNews.com that gun owners who open carry, which is legal in the city, may be asked to lay on the ground until officers feel safe while they check... (GunPolicy.org)
California New Bill Bans Open Carry of Unloaded Handguns
17 May 2011
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, California - The California Assembly approved a bill Monday to prohibit openly carrying unloaded handguns in public after a debate that pitted gun rights proponents against chiefs of police.
The bill, AB144, would make it a misdemeanor to carry an exposed and unloaded gun in a public place, street or vehicle except in some unincorporated areas. It was approved 45-29 largely along party lines and moves to the Senate.
Several states ban openly carrying... (GunPolicy.org)
California New Bill: Crackdown on Carrying Unloaded Handguns in Public
17 May 2011
Sacramento Bee (California)
Saying you don't need a gun to order a cheeseburger, a California lawmaker Monday pushed through the Assembly a crackdown on carrying unloaded handguns in public places.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino's legislation takes aim at a movement that encourages people to show up at public places with unloaded handguns strapped to their side.
"Our families deserve to feel safe in our parks and coffee shops," said Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge.
"You don't need a handgun... (GunPolicy.org)
Clash Between Man and Cops in Philadelphia Over Legal Open Carry of Guns
16 May 2011
Philadelphia Inquirer
MARK FIORINO'S story has three elements that tend to get people worked up - gun rights, Philly police and YouTube.
On a mild February afternoon, Fiorino, 25, decided to walk to an AutoZone on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly with the .40-caliber Glock he legally owns holstered in plain view on his left hip. His stroll ended when someone called out from behind: "Yo, Junior, what are you doing?"
Fiorino wheeled and saw Sgt. Michael Dougherty aiming a handgun at... (GunPolicy.org)
Georgian Gun Law Allowing Open Carry Raises Confusion
16 May 2011
Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Walking into Los Guerreros restaurant off Main Street in LaFayette, Ga., to grab some food on his day off recently, Denny Rayes stiffened when he saw that the man in front of him had a gun strapped to his side.
"It made me think, 'I wish I was wearing mine,'" said Rayes, a LaFayette police officer and resident.
For nearly a year it has been legal for people with concealed-carry permits to wear their weapons in plain sight as long as they are holstered.
But it still... (GunPolicy.org)
Fed. Judge Ruled in Favor of Stricter Control of Hidden Handgun in California
16 May 2011
Fox News / AP
SACRAMENTO, California – A federal judge ruled Monday there is no constitutional right to carry a hidden gun in public — a decision that dealt a setback to gun-rights advocates who had challenged how much discretion California law enforcement officials have in issuing concealed weapons permits.
U.S. District Court Judge Morrison England Jr. in Sacramento supported a policy by Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto that says applicants must have a reason, such as a safety... (GunPolicy.org)
US Open Carry Movement: The Right To Bear Arms Movement Growing
7 May 2011
Russia Today
The number of shootings in the schools and streets of America has done little to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands to assert their Second Amendment rights. The movement to bear arms publicly at all times is significant and growing.
Some even see their semi-automatics as a last line of defense against the government.
Craig Rutherford, member of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, spent years carrying a gun in the Balkans and in Iraq as a defense contractor. So when... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois Looks Set to Allow Residents to Carry Hidden Handguns: Say No
4 May 2011
Chicago Tribune, Editorial
The Illinois House may vote Thursday on legislation that would allow residents of the state to carry a concealed weapon in public. The bill passed out of committee Wednesday. If it passes the House and Senate, it faces a promised veto by Gov. Pat Quinn.
Illinois is, admittedly, an outlier in the issue of concealed carry of firearms. Illinois and Wisconsin are the only states that completely prohibit it. Wisconsin, though, permits the open carry of firearms in some... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Muzzles Doctors on Gun Safety, Bans Local Gun Control Laws
28 April 2011
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Senate on Thursday, by a succession of mostly party-line votes, approved a trio of bills that supporters say will ensure citizens' constitutionally-protected gun rights.
One measure restricts doctors from asking patients about gun ownership, and another prohibits local governments from passing stricter gun laws than the state. Those two already have been approved by the House and await Republican Gov. Rick Scott's signature.
The third, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Confident of Making Hidden Handguns Legal in 50th US State
6 March 2011
Peoria Journal Star (Illinois)
PEORIA — Tazewell County Sheriff Bob Huston has been around guns all his life. Target shooting with his grandfather. A member of Manual High School's rifle club in Peoria in the 1960s. Manager of a shooting range 25 years. Almost 40 years in law enforcement, including 12 as sheriff.
In all those years, he's never had to fire a weapon on duty. "Most police officers don't," he says. He's only had to pull a gun once while off duty.
"I was at the track running, I saw a... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois Debates Whether to Reveal or Conceal Names of Gun Owners
2 March 2011
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - In a year that promises to be busy with gun-related legislation -- including conceal-carry bills and a move to stop cities from imposing their own gun restrictions -- add the issue of whether gun owners' names are a matter of public record.
The Illinois State Police says they aren't, and has denied a request by The Associated Press to see the list of who has a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.
The news agency appealed to Illinois... (GunPolicy.org)
US Should Follow Canadian Example of Tougher Gun Registration
21 February 2011
News-Press (Florida), Opinion
Taking on the gun lobby is an exercise in futility. No politician - Democrat or Republican - will risk having the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) campaign against them at election time. It would have been a losing battle especially in the face of the 2008 Supreme Court 5-4 majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller which held that the second amendment was not limited to a "well regulated Militia" but secures an individual's right to own firearms.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
Lawmakers in Firearm Frenzy: Utahns Oppose Open Gun Carry on Campus
29 January 2011
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
There can be little doubt a week into the 2011 Legislature that lawmakers like their guns. Love them, really.
Lawmakers opened the session praising Utah weapons pioneer John M. Browning, celebrating a day honoring the state's founding father of firearms and then moving to designate Browning's M1911 as Utah's official gun.
And a House committee approved a bill that would require hotel owners to allow patrons to keep guns in their rooms.
"I think the reason you see so... (GunPolicy.org)
Los Angeles City Council Mulls Ban on Openly Carrying Guns in Public
21 January 2011
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, California - Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is asking the city attorney to look into prohibiting the "open carry" of unloaded guns, which is currently allowed by state law.
City News Service says Garcetti on Friday was seconded by six of his City Council colleagues on the motion, which he called necessary in the wake of recent shootings in Tucson and gun-related incidents on LA school campuses this week.
Garcetti says carrying even an... (GunPolicy.org)
Governor of Virginia Quietly Allows Open Carry of Firearms in State Parks
19 January 2011
Washington Post
Gun rights advocates celebrated Wednesday -- and supporters of gun control grieved -- over news that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has quietly lifted the ban against people carrying firearms openly in state parks.
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, sent an e-mail blast to fellow gun-rights supporters with news that as of Tuesday people could carry openly. Gun owners with concealed weapons permits had the right to carry in Virginia State... (GunPolicy.org)
With 82 People Shot Each Day, Time To Inject Sanity Into US Gun Debate
19 January 2011
Los Angeles Times, Column
The gun was in a backpack, we're told. The backpack was dropped or set down in a Gardena High School classroom Tuesday morning, and the gun fired accidentally, critically injuring a 15-year-old female student who was struck in the head. A male student, also 15, was shot in the neck.
You send your kids to school, and before the lunch bell rings, they're in the hospital.
So the questions begin.
Why is it so easy to smuggle a gun onto campus? How many more guns are on... (GunPolicy.org)
Openly Carrying Guns, $5million Fine for Doctors Go Too Far in Florida
18 January 2011
News-Press (Florida), Editorial
After the Tucson shootings, one can imagine how potentially provocative it would be for a concealed weapon permit holder to be striding down the street openly carrying a firearm.
Picture the reaction of families when someone enters a restaurant or crosses a university campus with weapon at the ready.
All that and more would be legal under Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Sen. Greg Evers' Senate Bill 234 that would allow concealed-weapons-licensed gun owners to openly... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Shooting Fuels Debate About Open-Carry Gun Law in California
17 January 2011
Fox News (USA)
The mass shooting in Tucson last weekend is fueling the gun control debate in neighboring California, with an advocacy organization renewing a push to prohibit firearms in restaurants and state lawmakers taking up a bill that would end the state's open-carry law.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence launched a drive last week challenging restaurants and cafes to exert their private property rights and ban guns in their establishments.
The push formalized a... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Shooting Energizes Push for More Hidden Handguns in Florida
15 January 2011
Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE -- In the aftermath of Tucson's shooting rampage, lawmakers in Florida are ready to make their stand on guns clearer: They want more people to have the right to carry them in the open and fewer government restrictions.
All told, lawmakers have filed three separate bills that seek to restrict local governments from regulating firearms, stop doctors from even asking patients about them and that allow for licensed gun owners the right to wear firearms outside... (GunPolicy.org)
New Hampshire Lawmakers Prioritise Guns in Statehouse Over Economy
10 January 2011
Concord Monitor (New Hampshire), Editorial
For some New Hampshire lawmakers, happiness is a gun warmed by carrying it close to the body. With the state facing a whopping deficit, and despite promises of a laser-like focus on cutting spending, the House's Republican majority chose as its first action to repeal the ban on packing heat in the State House.
New Hampshire is an "open carry" state, which means that an adult can walk the streets with a six-gun on his hip or a shotgun under his arm. But perhaps so as... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona, a State Deeply in Love With Firearms, Promotes Hidden Handguns
10 January 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
BEAUTIFUL, vast, rugged and unforgiving, Arizona's postcard landscape is matched by the frontier mentality of many of its populace: not so much lawless, but deeply conservative, and wedded to the idea that happiness truly is a warm gun.
Its border with Mexico is porous, regularly and easily traversed. Phoenix, its largest city, has become a waypoint for drug and human trafficking.
The state has also been hit hard by the recession, which has helped make it a centre for... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign Wants Teens to Carry Hidden Handguns on Arkansas Campuses
4 January 2011
Southwest Times Record (Arkansas)
The chairman of Arkansas Carry, a firearms rights group, has asked the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to "bring university and college policies in line with current state law allowing students to carry (firearms) on campus."
Steve D. Jones, chairman of the organization, cited in a letter made public Monday what he termed a "confusing discrepancy" between state law and the policies of state higher education institutions regarding firearms.
Jones said while the... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin City Must Pay Woman Arrested for Carrying Handgun in Church
4 January 2011
United Press International
MILWAUKEE - A woman arrested after wearing her gun to church will get $7,500 to settle her lawsuit against the city of Brookfield, Wis., and the officers who arrested her.
Krysta Sutterfield sued the city and the officers after she was arrested in July for attending services at the Unitarian Universalist Church while wearing her holstered handgun, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.
After the services someone called police and they responded, stopped... (GunPolicy.org)
Have Guns, Will Get Elected In Texas, as 'Politicians Bow at Gun Altar'
30 November 2010
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas), Column
A disagreement.
A fight.
A death.
In Arlington last month, a crowd gathered to watch as a conflict between two women evolved into a fight. One of the women, according to the police report, urged her boyfriend to shoot the other.
The friend pulled his gun and fired several shots, killing a 19-year-old woman and wounding a male bystander.
When this newspaper reported the story, it noted, "This is the third time this month in Tarrant County that a public argument... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Gun Lobby Campaigns to Allow Teens to Carry Loaded Handguns
26 November 2010
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
There's a call to arms in Texas.
Or at least a call to let Texans carry their guns -- whether concealed or out in the open -- at colleges and pretty much anywhere else they'd like in this state.
Less than two months before the Texas Legislature reconvenes in January, gun advocates are already asking state lawmakers for proposals geared to give gun owners more freedom.
"In Texas, there's no viable reason why Texans are denied their rights the way they are," said John... (GunPolicy.org)
Right to Carry Guns in Michigan a Hot Topic After Recent Headlines
2 November 2010
Macomb Daily (Michigan)
Earlier this year, deputies stopped Amir Hudson's vehicle and found a handgun under his front seat. They also found a loaded, semiautomatic AK-47 in his trunk.
Hudson was charged with two weapons offenses, but his attorney argued in court filings that they should be dismissed because they violate his constitutional rights. Prosecutors disagreed.
The case is another recent example of issues involving guns and gun rights being in the public eye.
In the summer, gun... (GunPolicy.org)
'More Silly than Dangerous' Sums Up Florida's Open Carry Gun Movement
20 October 2010
Orlando Sentinel (Florida), Opinion
So you are walking down Park Avenue, window shopping for all the stuff you once could afford, and suddenly coming down the sidewalk you see three gunslingers.
It's like the Wild West except they're drinking lattes, and instead of six-shooters, they have Glocks clipped to their matching Gucci belts.
Would this bother you?
Well, it could happen because the "open carry" movement has come to Florida.
Open carry means just that. Any law-abiding citizen is allowed to... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah Gun Lobby Campaigns to Allow Hidden Handguns Without a Permit
8 October 2010
Deseret News (Utah)
SALT LAKE CITY — Gun rights advocates in Utah are pushing a new law that would let residents carry loaded, concealed firearms in public without a permit.
In its newsletter this week, the Utah Shooting Sports Council listed the so-called "Constitutional carry" law as one of its top priorities for the 2011 Legislature, which convenes in January. The council says permits are "little more than bureaucratic permission slips" to exercise Second Amendment rights.
Rep.... (GunPolicy.org)
California Lawmakers Reject Open-carry Gun Ban, Long Gun Registration
1 September 2010
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, California — California lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public.
The Senate narrowly approved the measure Tuesday, the last day of the regular legislative session, on a 21-16 vote. But it failed in the Assembly.
The bill would have made it a misdemeanor to openly carry a handgun in a public place. Current California law permits carrying a rifle or a handgun in a holster if it is not... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Town Finds No Right to Ban Hidden Handguns at Arts Festival
17 August 2010
Royal Oak Review (Michigan)
ROYAL OAK — City officials removed a firearm ban from the Arts, Beats and Eats festival after City Attorney Dave Gillam said the provision was not allowed under Michigan law.
Gun advocates from the group Michigan Open Carry, Inc. have packed several consecutive City Commission meetings, asking for the provision banning firearms in the city's contract with the festival be eliminated. That specific provision was a carry-over from the festival's agreement with Pontiac,... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-Gun 'Extremist' Groups Bypass NRA, Push for More Guns on US Streets
3 August 2010
ABC News (USA)
The statistics tell the story: There are about 50 million gun owners in America. Close to half of all American households possess guns -- more than 200 million guns all told, and we buy 4.5 million more guns every year.
Whether you like it or not, for better or worse, it's a fact: America is an armed nation. And to gun owners -- the vast majority of whom are law-abiding citizens -- that's the way it was meant to be.
Now, more than ever, many gun owners are proudly,... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Police Not Trained to Deal With Growing Number of Gun Toters
13 July 2010
NewsChannel 3 TV News (Michigan)
MICHIGAN – They're packing heat, and proud of it.
Michigan law allows registered gun owners to carry their weapons openly, just about anywhere they want, but some gun rights activists say they've unfairly become targets for police.
State police will even admit that not all officers are properly trained to deal with the open carry law.
Chaney Overholts has been an advocate of open carry for years. He owns nearly 100 guns and even makes his own bullets.
Now, the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Decision on Gun Law Received With Mixed Reactions
6 July 2010
Voice of America
New local gun laws follow a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Americans' Constitutional right to gun ownership applies nationwide.
Legal challenges and debate continue a week after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that Americans have a right to own a gun for self defense anywhere they live. The Court said the Constitutional right to gun ownership applies nationwide, in response to a challenge of a gun ban in the Midwestern U.S. state of Illinois.
But the court also said... (GunPolicy.org)
Ban on Openly Carrying Guns in California Passes Senate - But Only Just
22 June 2010
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
SACRAMENTO — A bill that would ban the public display of unloaded guns narrowly passed the Senate Public Safety Committee Tuesday.
The 4-3 vote sent the legislation carried by Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, to the Appropriations Committee and likely on to the Senate floor where the final outcome is in doubt, particularly in this election-year atmosphere.
The measure has passed the Assembly earlier this month.
California law currently allows unloaded... (GunPolicy.org)
Open Carry Gun 'Fad' Could Prompt Tougher Firearm Laws in Michigan
16 June 2010
Times Herald (Michigan), Editorial
Is it legal for two men wearing nothing more than thong swimsuits to parade through a city park crowded with families attending a festival?
Sure, it's probably legal. Not smart, but legal.
And is it legal for two men to walk through the same festival with handguns strapped to their hips?
Sure, it's probably legal. Not smart, but legal.
What are we to make of Rob Harris, 36, of Eastpointe, and Scott Webb, 31, of Roseville, who chose to parade through Marysville Days... (GunPolicy.org)
Milwaukee Gun Owner Openly Carrying Legal Gun, Robbed at Gunpoint
9 June 2010
TMJ4-TV News (Wisconsin)
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man found out the hard way that carrying a gun for protection doesn't always keep you safe. In fact, it may have made him a target.
The 34-year-old man legally owned a handgun and carried it out in the open in his holster for protection.
Neighbors say they knew he was always armed.
"It was kind of scary to just see him walking around all the time with that gun kind of just out in the open," said Shambria Mayham Autman. She lives near Teutonia... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Lawmakers Aim to Relax Gun Control, Even as State Fuels Drug War
7 June 2010
State Column (USA)
Guns may be making their way into the hands of cartel members and violence may be increasing on the Texas-Mexico border, but that is not stopping Texas lawmakers from keeping guns accessible.
A major gun bill is making its way through the Texas statehouse, which, in the midst of growing concern over the border, raises the question of "why now?"
Texas lawmakers continue to consider a bill that would expand the right of gun owners to open carry.
While Texas residents... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Lobby 'Own Worst Enemy' Promoting Firearms in Public
4 June 2010
San Francisco Chronicle, Editorial
Supporters of the "open carry movement" are proving to be their own worst enemies. In their high-profile display of weaponry, they have led many Californians to question the sanity of a law that allows people to openly carry unloaded handguns in public places.
They certainly caught the attention of the California Assembly, which voted 46-30 this week for legislation by Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, to repeal the open carry law that has been on the books for four... (GunPolicy.org)
California Should Prevent Gun Owners from Openly Carrying Handguns
3 June 2010
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
The Assembly approves a bill that bans the open carrying of unloaded firearms; the state Senate should do the same, and the governor should sign it.
The open carry movement, an aggressive campaign asserting the right of all Americans to carry unconcealed firearms in public, operates under a simple premise spelled out in a banner headline on the opencarry.org website: "A right unexercised is a right lost." But in California, the opposite may well turn out to be true —... (GunPolicy.org)
California Assembly Votes to Ban Open Carry of Firearms in Public
1 June 2010
Los Angeles Times, Blog
The California Assembly voted Tuesday to ban openly carrying handguns in public. Lawmakers approved the bill as some gun rights activists celebrate their constitutional right to bear firearms by walking the streets with pistols strapped to their hips, like gunslingers from the Wild West. Should the bill become law, that practice would become a crime.
Supporters of the bill, including author Lori Saldana (D-San Diego), argued that the practice intimidates the unarmed... (GunPolicy.org)
California to Join DC, 3 US States to Ban Carrying Gun Openly in Public
1 June 2010
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, California - Citing safety concerns, the California Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that would make it illegal to openly carry a gun in public, even if it is unloaded.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor to carry an exposed handgun on any public street or in a public place. The bill passed on a 41-25 party-line vote and now moves to the Senate.
Under current California law, gun owners can carry a rifle or handgun in a holster in public if it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Business Owners Struggle with Allowing Guns On Their Premises
30 May 2010
Arizona Daily Star (USA)
Gloria DiCenco was chatting amiably with a few Italian speakers at Beyond Bread on North Campbell Avenue on April 20 when armed men began coming in.
First there were two, then more. Finally, maybe 20 people carrying holstered guns and, in some cases, ammunition, arrived and ordered food, DiCenco said. A hush fell over the restaurant, she said, and her group's happy mood turned tense.
It happened that her Italian conversation club crossed paths with a group of local... (GunPolicy.org)
San Francisco Debates Law to Ban Carrying Loaded Handguns in Public
26 May 2010
KTVU-TV News / Bay City News (San Francisco)
SAN FRANCISCO - A panel discussion in San Francisco Wednesday evening about a state bill that would ban open carry of firearms in California focused on balancing safety and public order versus individual rights and the Constitution.
Much of the conversation - which featured a police chief, law professor and gun advocate - centered around interpretation of the Second Amendment and the practical implications of carrying unloaded weapons. The Commonwealth Club event was... (GunPolicy.org)
Legislators Push Gun Lobby Agenda, Weaken Firearm Laws in Oklahoma
23 May 2010
Tulsa World (Oklahoma), Opinion
If a Martian landed in Oklahoma and read local newspapers with the aim of learning our ways, he'd surely conclude that nothing matters more to us than our guns. Except maybe the reproductive fates of women we don't even know.
Certainly many lawmakers think we place great importance on firearms matters. Why else would they have handily passed so many measures aiming to expand our gun rights?
The conventional wisdom is that we Oklahomans are a gun-loving bunch, and no... (GunPolicy.org)
Encouraging Hidden Handguns at Airports Will Make Georgia Safer
21 May 2010
Savannah Morning News (Georgia), Opinion
Georgia's Common Sense Lawful Carry Act protects lawfully carrying citizens from unknowingly becoming criminals by clarifying where they can and cannot carry their weapons.
They know all too well that a license to carry is not a license to commit a crime. Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens does not protect the public from random acts of violence. The Lawful Carry Act works to preserve these rights not restrict them.
Recent federal gun restriction proposals... (GunPolicy.org)
Die-hard Milwaukee Hidden Handgun Campaigner Charged with Homicide
17 May 2010
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
A prominent gun rights advocate charged in a May 9 homicide seemed impatient with others in the so-called open carry movement when he announced his intentions on a message board two years ago.
"I've noticed that there seems to be no one in Milwaukee willing to get OC (open carry) started, but I was never one to wait for others," wrote Jesus C. Gonzalez, using the screen name Parabellum, from the Latin phrase that means, "If you seek peace, prepare for war."
Last week,... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Owners Parade Unloaded Guns in Public 'Diplomacy' Push
16 May 2010
Orange County Register (California), Column
One thing's for sure. No one was going to rob the Whole Foods Market in Tustin on Sunday afternoon.
Between the fresh greens and the Asian foods, Phil Greubel had a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol holstered to his belt.
Vincent Burke decided what to have for lunch while packing a .40-caliber Glock. Over near the Greek salad, Gabriel Machan carried a 9 mm pistol on his hip.
Then there was Brandon Stevens and his girlfriend, Chelley Smith, waiting amiably in line,... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-gun Groups Challenge Right of American Towns to Ban Guns in Parks
14 May 2010
Patriot-News (Pennsylvania)
The state law that lets just about anybody openly carry a loaded gun anywhere is butting up against municipal laws that outlaw guns from local parks where children play.
Upper Allen Township is reversing its ban on guns in parks after a resident wrote officials that the ordinance is illegal. Manager Lou Fazekas said officials were aware earlier that the ban is at odds with the state's Uniform Firearms Act, but decided against taking action until a resident raised a... (GunPolicy.org)
Open Carry of Handguns Only Supported by Minority of Americans
30 April 2010
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
Like a fly on a birthday cake, the subject of open carry — legally wearing a gun in public — keeps landing in the news and nobody can swat it down. Those who would like to be rid of it range from some of the most ardent gun-controllers to some of the fiercest believers in the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Many of the latter live in the 43 states where it already is legal to openly wear a handgun (although rules vary about whether it can be loaded, etc.). That... (GunPolicy.org)
California's Attempt to Ban Gun Carrying May Be Overruled by Supremes
21 April 2010
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
SACRAMENTO - California lawmakers are pushing ahead with legislation to ban carrying unloaded firearms in public, even as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a complex case that could eventually override the rights of states to regulate guns.
The Democrat-controlled Assembly Public Safety Committee passed the measure 4-2 on Tuesday, over the objections of onlookers who are part of an "open carry" movement frustrated by what they see as government infringement of their... (GunPolicy.org)
A Few Dozen 'Open Carry' Gun Owners March on Washington - Almost
19 April 2010
Boston Globe
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - From the looks of it, Thursday's rally on the Virginia banks of the Potomac was all about guns. Loaded pistols strapped to the black cargo pants of beefy men. Full holsters on women's hips. Unloaded, but still intimidating, AR-15 semi-automatic weapons swinging across the backs of camouflage-suited men, ammo diagonally across their chests. But no - it was about so much more.
"This rally is not about guns. It is so much bigger than that," Eric... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Carry Lobbyists Try to Expand Scope of 2nd Amendment
18 April 2010
San Francisco Chronicle
Brad Huffman and Jeff Dunhill were grabbing coffee, as so many do in downtown Walnut Creek. They were at a Starbucks.
In most ways, they didn't stand out, dressed in their slacks and neat shirts, short hair trimly cropped. Heads would have never turned but for one thing - the bulky black pistols strapped to their belts.
Huffman and Dunhill, de facto spokesmen for the Bay Area's burgeoning "open carry" movement, sipped their cups and acted as if packing heat -... (GunPolicy.org)
Colorado Gun Control Advocates Protest 'Guns OK in Starbucks' Policy
18 April 2010
Denver Post (Colorado)
Starbucks, best known for its coffee, is gaining kudos from gun rights activists for allowing guns in its shops and drawing the ire of gun control advocates.
Today about 20 protesters gathered outside the Starbucks at 6th and Grant Street urging the company to ban guns inside the coffee shops.
"I used to hold a lot of meetings at Starbucks, but the idea that I might be at risk worries me, I will choose a gun-free place," said Mary Kershner a registered nurse who... (GunPolicy.org)
California Lawmaker Takes Aim at Gun Owners Carrying Weapons in Public
18 April 2010
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, California - Do gun-toters pose a danger when they carry their weapons in public, even if they're unloaded?
Some California lawmakers think they do and want to rein in a growing trend among Second Amendment advocates who grab their handgun when they reach for the car keys and head to the supermarket.
"What I'm concerned about is people who have no training can carry a gun for no other purpose than to make a public statement," said the bill's author... (GunPolicy.org)
A Few Gun Owners Strut Their Weapons, US Ignores Gun Show Loophole
17 April 2010
New York Times, Editorial
Two rallies by gun rights celebrants and anti-government polemicists are planned Monday on both sides of Washington's Potomac River. They will invoke the Second Amendment and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A more apt, and tragic, anniversary to keep in mind is the Columbine school massacre of 1999. Eleven years later, and Congress has failed to close the gun show loophole that made the carnage possible.
Two Columbine students had a friend obtain four... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Laws in U.S. are Increasing Gun Violence, Where Does it End?
15 April 2010
US News & World Report, Opinion
There are only three states, Florida, Texas, and Illinois, and the District of Columbia that outright prohibit the open carrying of handguns. Only three! Now, contrary to public perception, I have never been against people owning guns for protection, hunting, or sport. But there are days when I read the newspaper or am watching the news and it seems as if our country is back in the Wild West. Brazenly carrying firearms into restaurants and bars and schools and churches... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobbyist Tests Nevada Police, Openly Carries Loaded Gun in Street
7 April 2010
Las Vegas Sun (Nevada)
Just about everybody on the Metro Police force has heard of Tim Farrell, and he sometimes gets mistaken for a law enforcement officer.
Farrell is simply a 29-year-old wireless Internet engineer — and a gun rights crusader. He is one of what appears to be a growing number of people taking up the "open-carry" cause, advocating a constitutional right to openly carry firearms.
"The open-carry movement has gained momentum over the last four or five years because people... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks Under Fire Again for Welcoming US Customers Carrying Guns
24 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
SAN FRANCISCO - Outside the Starbucks annual meeting Wednesday in Seattle, Wash., Ralph Fascitelli was one of the antigun-violence advocates handing fliers to the company's shareholders. Some fliers showed a puppy, bare feet, and a gun.
Of the three, says Mr. Fascitelli, president of Washington Ceasefire, only firearms are allowed in Starbucks coffee shops.
The coffee chain remains caught in the crossfire of a dispute over so-called "open carry" laws, which give gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign to Carry Handguns Poses Marketing Dilemma for US Starbucks
22 March 2010
New York Times Magazine
Starbucks has lately found itself in the middle of a debate between advocates of "open carry" gun rights and of gun control; the former have held armed meet-ups at several of its locations, and the latter have demanded that the coffee chain prevent this from happening. Seeking to duck these fresh salvos in the long debate over how firearms fit into American life, the company has issued a statement that such matters ought to be worked out "in the legislatures and courts,... (GunPolicy.org)
The Open Carry Debate: Should Customers Wear Guns at US Starbucks?
22 March 2010
Time (USA)
A typical frustration at Starbucks is when the guy next to you is hogging the electrical outlets. But what if he openly wore a gun, like someone lost from a Clint Eastwood set? What would you do: take a seat next to him or get that cappuccino to go?
The patrons of at least five Starbucks locations in California's Bay Area have faced this dilemma in recent weeks. Gun owners have walked into various Starbucks -- including in liberal enclaves like San Francisco, San Jose... (GunPolicy.org)
43 US States Now Allow Gun Owners to Carry Firearms Openly in Public
21 March 2010
Vancouver Sun
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia - About 60 gun rights activists gather in a pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters.
They are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure.
With gun control legislation stalled at the federal level in Congress, a... (GunPolicy.org)
California Cop Supports Man Wearing Pistol, Draws Line at Being Drunk
15 March 2010
San Francisco Chronicle
Sure, open-carry advocates, you can flash guns in public all you want. Just don't be drunk when you do it.
A 29-year-old man who is well-known to the local cops for his imbibing found that out the hard way in San Bruno.
Christian George Gonzalez was allegedly plastered when he ambled up to two uniformed San Bruno police officers just after midnight Feb. 12 at a 7-Eleven parking lot, said Steve Wagstaffe, San Mateo County's chief deputy district attorney.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
Tennessee Man Openly Carried 'AK-47 Pistol' as Protest, Lost His Permit
13 March 2010
WSMV-TV News (Nashville)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - You may not know Leonard Embody's name, but you might know his recent troubles with the law and guns.
"I'm a private person," Embody said. "I didn't want to be in the spotlight. I didn't want my name in the news reports."
Embody's name and story have been appeared in news reports and online blogs for months. He was thrust into the media spotlight last December when he carried an AK-47-type pistol into Radnor Lake State Park.
"It wasn't modified... (GunPolicy.org)
California Lawmaker Aims to Muzzle Campaign to Wear Guns in Public
10 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
SAN FRANCISCO - A California lawmaker has stepped into a growing gun rights debate by introducing legislation that would essentially outlaw what's called the "open carry" of unloaded weapons on public property.
The measure, which was first introduced last month but is not expected to have its first hearing until April, is meant to address the growing "open carry" movement, in which some gun owners have taken to meeting in coffee shops, parks, and restaurants while... (GunPolicy.org)
Student Openly Wears Pistol at Utah University, Insists He Has the Right
9 March 2010
Fox News (USA)
OREM, Utah - A Utah Valley University student says he is within his rights openly displaying a gun while carrying a concealed gun permit, even while on campus. And that is what student Nick Moyes did Friday morning when he was stopped by the campus police and was told to put the gun away.
As president of UVU's Republican Club, Moyes was hanging posters for an event when he was detained.
"We are allowed to open carry on a college campus," said Moyes. "We are allowed... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-gun Lobby Stirs It Up At Starbucks, Obama Fails to Deliver Gun Control
8 March 2010
Sunday Times (UK)
WASHINGTON - It is not exactly Gunfight at the OK Corral -- more like Lattes at High Noon -- but the Starbucks coffee chain has become an unlikely battleground for US gun owners campaigning to carry their weapons openly in public.
Last Thursday morning, Jim Snyder walked into a Starbucks cafe in Virginia and ordered a tall hot chocolate without cream. On his left hip was his mobile phone. On his right hip was a semi-automatic Browning pistol.
"I don't see why I... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners Flaunting Weapons in Public 'Expose Rifts' in US Gun Lobby
8 March 2010
New York Times
For years, being able to carry a concealed handgun has been a sacred right for many gun enthusiasts. In defending it, Charlton Heston, the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association, used to say that the flock is safer when the wolves cannot tell the difference between the lions and the lambs.
But a grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right to carry unconcealed weapons in the 38... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Love Affair With Firearms Won't Be Quelled By Mere Statistics
6 March 2010
Irish Times
AMERICA -- Cities and states that restrict gun ownership are seeing that prerogative threatened by the Supreme Court
"We Americans, we cling proudly to our guns and religion," Sarah Palin, the failed vice-presidential candidate and darling of the Tea Party movement, said at a recent rally for Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas.
The historian Richard Hofstadter coined the phrase "gun culture" to describe America's love affair with firearms. An estimated 25... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks: Allowing American Customers to Wear Guns Is Just Business
2 March 2010
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Coffee chain Starbucks said Wednesday it's sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it's legal and is asking not to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate.
The company's statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places.
Now, gun control advocates are protesting the... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
28 February 2010
Associated Press
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas.
Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms.
Even in some "open carry" states, businesses are allowed to... (GunPolicy.org)
Some US Coffee Chains Ban Gun-toting Customers, Starbucks Trembles
19 February 2010
New York Times, Editorial
It looked like a casting call for a Sam Pekinpah shoot-'em-up: 100 or so gun enthusiasts showed up at the Buckhorn Grill in Walnut Creek, Calif., this month with revolvers strapped on their hips. "We're not politically involved," the restaurant manager declared as he agreed to serve the supporters of Open Carry, a group that goes around flaunting gun owners' right — under a benighted California law — to pack weapons in public.
Four days later, the chief of the... (GunPolicy.org)
California Restaurant Chain Rejects Gun Lobby Pressure, Bans Guns
13 February 2010
Associated Press
WALNUT CREEK, California - A California restaurant chain is banning the display of guns after about 100 men carrying unloaded weapons gathered at its Walnut Creek location east of San Francisco.
Buckhorn Grill had agreed to host the meeting of Open Carry advocates earlier this month. The group wants to change California law to make it easier to carry loaded guns in public.
John Pickerel, owner of the seven-restaurant chain, said in a statement Friday he regrets the... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks Supports Gun Lobby, Allows Firearms In American Coffee Shops
5 February 2010
Contra Costa Times (California)
Starbucks has brushed aside a request from a gun control advocacy group to ban the display of guns in its retail locations, saying it will abide by laws that allow patrons to openly carry unloaded weapons.
The national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence made the request in the wake of a series of meetings in local restaurants over the past few months by Bay Area Open Carry, a group that hopes to make it legal to carry loaded guns in California. Peets Coffee & Tea... (GunPolicy.org)
California Man Wore Handgun Into Store, 'Didn't Think it Out,' Apologised
28 January 2010
San Jose Mercury News (California)
A man apparently inspired by a news report on Open Carry gun activists strolled into an East Palo Alto supermarket with a handgun on his hip Wednesday and began shopping for groceries, police said.
The store manager at Mi Pueblo Food Center in the Ravenswood 101 shopping complex alerted police after patrons became frightened, said East Palo Alto police Sgt. Roderick Norris.
About four officers responded and found the man with an unloaded, holstered handgun on his hip... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobbyists Encourage, Display 'Open Carry' Handguns in California
20 January 2010
San Jose Mercury News (California)
David LaTour rolled out of bed on a recent Saturday morning and prepared for a leisurely lunch: Wallet, check. Car keys, check. Springfield XD 9 mm pistol and ammunition, check.
Springfield XD 9 mm pistol and ammunition?
The Hayward resident is a member of an organization slowly gaining membership in the Bay Area. Open Carry aims to make it possible for Americans in every state to legally carry loaded guns in public. The loosely organized Bay Area chapter is igniting... (GunPolicy.org)
Open Carry Group Flex Right to Bear Arms over Coffee
5 January 2010
Contra Costa Times (California)
LIVERMORE,Californaia — They brought their guns to downtown Livermore — to have a cup of coffee and demonstrate their right to literally bear arms.
A group of more than a dozen people met at a downtown cafe Saturday afternoon, some of them had unloaded semi-automatic pistols holstered to their belts with their ammunition clips readily available. The demonstration was put on by members of the "open carry" movement.
The event at the Panama Red Coffee Co. was similar... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois Governor Candidates on Hidden Handguns, Assault Weapon Ban
12 December 2009
Chicago Tribune
The Associated Press recently asked candidates for Illinois governor questions about gun-control legislation.
Here are highlights of their answers:
QUESTION: "Would you sign or veto legislation banning the sale and possession of semiautomatic assault-style weapons in Illinois?"
REPUBLICANS
-- Adam Andrzejewski: "Would veto a ban on semiautomatic 'assault weapons' in most circumstances. It comes down (to) law abiding citizens having the right to defend their life,... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin Gun Lobby Picnic Features Hot Drinks, Openly Carried Guns
8 October 2009
Pioneer Press (Minnesota)
The planners of a party in Hudson, Wisconsin, are looking forward to a well-mannered picnic filled with political speeches, hot beverages — and guns.
Response has been mixed to the Hudson Open Carry Taxed Enough Already (or TEA) Party scheduled for Oct. 17 in Lakefront Park. While organizers tout it as a picnic to celebrate their rights to demonstrate and carry arms, some in town worry about the image and perceived dangers of so many weapons in the city's downtown... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-toting Soccer Mom's Death Reignites America's Gun Rights Debate
8 October 2009
Patriot-News (Pennsylvania)
A gun has apparently killed a woman who had come to symbolize a person's right to openly carry a gun.
It's difficult to resist this obvious and heartbreaking angle in the death of Meleanie Hain.
One year ago in Lebanon County, Hain came to be known as the "gun-toting soccer mom" whose carry permit was revoked by a sheriff then restored by court order, reigniting a national debate about gun rights.
Now, in her death, as it was when she was alive, the gun debate... (GunPolicy.org)
Pistol-packin' Soccer Mom, Husband Both Shot Dead in Pennsylvania
8 October 2009
Lebanon Daily News (Pennsylvania)
A Lebanon woman who gained national notoriety last year as a champion of Second Amendment rights after she brought her loaded handgun to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game was shot and killed Wednesday night in an apparent murder-suicide.
Meleanie Hain, 31, and her husband, Scott Hain, 33, were pronounced dead by Lebanon County coroner Dr. Jeffrey Yocum shortly after 8:30 p.m. after a two-hour standoff with police outside their home at Second Avenue and East Grant... (GunPolicy.org)
Minister Who Held Gun Rally at US Church Resigns to Tout Gun Carrying
7 October 2009
Courier-Journal (Kentucky)
Ken Pagano, who drew world attention to his small Valley Station church by hosting a rally celebrating God and guns in June, has resigned from his ministry to promote gun rights and church security.
He's working part-time at a local gun range and has helped form a group called the International Security Coalition of Clergy, along with a New York rabbi and others who are promoting the use of armed and trained security at houses of worship.
Pagano said that although New... (GunPolicy.org)
Shot Fired, Man Charged with Reckless Gun Use at US Gun Rights Picnic
25 September 2009
Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan)
SOUTH HAVEN, Michigan — A Kalamazoo man attending a gun-rights picnic at South Haven's South Beach has been charged with reckless use of a firearm after his weapon discharged, police said Thursday.
Jonathan Wayne Sager, 28, was unloading his semiautomatic handgun and preparing it for transport after the Sept. 13 picnic when it discharged at 5:44 p.m., said Chief Rod A. Somerlott of the South Haven Police Department.
A warrant authorized Wednesday by the Van Buren... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Lobby Group Carries Loaded Handguns in Starbucks
16 September 2009
KPBS Public Radio (San Diego), Transcript
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. You're listening to These Days on KPBS.
The way you feel about the Open Carry movement kind of depends on how you feel about the guy next to you wearing a .44 Magnum or a Glock semi-automatic pistol on his belt.
Some people feel comforted by the fact that law abiding people can legally carry unloaded weapons freely in San Diego. Others are not so crazy about the idea, especially considering that the gun wearers are... (GunPolicy.org)
US Courts Uphold Denial of Hidden Handguns, Allow Felon to Own Guns
10 September 2009
CBS News (USA) / Taking Liberties, Blog
An appeals court in Washington, D.C. has upheld the city's extremely restrictive law requiring residents to obtain licenses to carry handguns outside of their homes.
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year in the high-profile D.C. v. Heller Second Amendment case did not invalidate the District of Columbia's licensing requirements, and even appears to have endorsed them, the appeals court ruled.
"While the statute indisputably imposes a regulatory restriction on... (GunPolicy.org)
Lawyer Predicts Gun Owners' Next Win in DC: Carrying Hidden Handguns
1 September 2009
Washington Post, Opinion
WASHINGTON, DC — The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, declared that Washington's 32-year ban on all functional firearms violated the Second Amendment. Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, however, applied only to possession of guns in the home. The court did not address, and was not asked to address, firearms carried outside the home. That's the issue posed in a new lawsuit against the District by Tom Palmer (disclosure: my colleague at the Cato... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns at US Rallies Conjure Up 'Vigilantism, Specter of Domestic Terror'
25 August 2009
Florida Today, Editorial
Gun business is booming in Brevard County, where almost 2,700 residents applied for new weapons permits in the first six months of 2009.
More than 3,800 new permits have been issued in the past year. And 4,326 Brevard residents applied for new concealed-gun permits from July 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009.
The local rush to bear arms — detailed in a FLORIDA TODAY story Friday — reflects a larger trend around the state and nationwide.
It's said the spike in gun... (GunPolicy.org)
American Men Flaunt Guns Outside Obama Rallies in 'Macho Nonsense'
20 August 2009
New York Times, Editorial
It is hard to know what is more shocking: the sight of a dozen Americans showing up to flaunt guns outside the venue for President Obama's speech in Phoenix on Monday, or the fact that the swaggering display was completely legal. We are all familiar with the right to bear arms and the noisome extremes indulged by its zealots. But is there no sense of simple respect due the nation's elected leader when he ventures forth among the citizenry?
One man strutted through the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Protesters Carry Guns Against Health-Care Reform at Obama Events
19 August 2009
Time (USA)
WASHINGTON — The fact that protesters at President Obama's political events have begun showing up bearing arms may be disquieting, but it's perfectly legal — and the Secret Service, charged with protecting the President, insists that it is not unduly alarmed by the development. That's because while the Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right to carry guns, federal law also gives the Secret Service the right to keep gun-toting folks away from the President.... (GunPolicy.org)
Interview with Gun-toting Protester at Obama Rally was Staged by Lobby
18 August 2009
CNN
PHOENIX, Arizona — He was to demonstrating his right to bear arms — and he wanted you to know it.
Video of the unidentified man toting an assault rifle outside President Obama's speech to veterans Monday was aired all over the country, causing a buzz about weapons popping up — legally — around recent presidential events.
The protester, who refused to give his name, was interviewed by a man carrying a microphone and said, "I am almost always armed."
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Carrying Assault Weapon Attends Obama Protest 'Because He Could'
18 August 2009
Associated Press
PHOENIX — About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday — the latest incidents in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.
Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm-loving Kentucky Pastor Urges Flock to Wear Handguns to Church
27 June 2009
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — For one day, at least, it was OK to pack heat in church.
More than 200 people answered gun-toting Pastor Ken Pagano's call to celebrate the Second Amendment at New Bethel Church in Louisville on Saturday. There was just one rule for the several dozen who brought their guns along: No bullets.
"We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns," Pagano said during the 90-minute... (GunPolicy.org)
Kentucky 'God and Guns' Pastor Urges Hidden Handguns in Church
26 June 2009
New York Times
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on "God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry." And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to "celebrate our rights as Americans!" as a promotional flier for the "open carry celebration" puts it.
"God and guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Ignore Gun Memo, 'Take Down' Armed Men, Says Milwaukee Police Chief
24 April 2009
WISN News (Wisconsin) / AP
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's police chief said he'll go on telling his officers to take down anyone with a firearm despite Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's finding that people can carry guns openly if they do it peacefully.
Chief Ed Flynn said officers can't assume people are carrying guns legally in a city that has seen nearly 200 homicides in the past two years.
He said that means officers seeing anybody carrying a gun will put them on the ground, take the gun away... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Lawmakers Consider Encouraging Hidden Handguns on Campus
5 March 2009
Boston Herald / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — Jason Bowman would feel safer walking to his night classes at Tarrant County College if he had his concealed handgun. But he leaves it behind because state law doesn't let him carry it on campus.
The 23-year-old Benbrook man is among those hoping that will change soon, as state lawmakers consider the issue.
"I applaud campus police, but there is absolutely no way they can be all places at all times," said Bowman, a paramedic and firefighter.... (GunPolicy.org)
Last US Holdout States Mull Laws to Allow Open Gun Carrying in Public
11 February 2009
USA Today
Four Southern states — Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas — are considering legislation that would allow people to carry handguns openly in a holster.
These generally Second Amendment-friendly states are among the last six holdouts against open carrying of guns.
Openly carrying handguns is legal in most states, even those that ban concealed firearms. New York and Florida also bar openly carrying handguns.
The four other states that ban so-called open... (GunPolicy.org)
