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What these people do is insane and should be punished. While the right to assemble is one thing stopping traffic on the roads is holding people against their will. It never fails the most obnoxious people are the ones flapping their jaws, carrying signs and threatening people instead of working for a living and being a somewhat productive member of society. Losers...all of them.

So all you guys talking about freedom to assemble wherever you want and blocking traffic... If I decided to get a couple of friends and block your driveway early one morning you would just shrug your shoulders and say "Oh well, it's their right to be out there blocking the public road, I guess I'll just miss work, my kids can stay home from school, and my wife will just get another flight tomorrow." I guarantee you'd go back in your house, tell your wife (or hubby ;0)) to get the kids and call 911 while you secured a long gun.

Those events went to their overlords and begged permission to exercise their right to assemble. It's only a problem when people want to exercise their rights freely, without government approval and permits. Land of the free, and I've got the licenses, permits, tax stamps and receipts to prove it. [emoji16]

Wow... What a thread. Folks disagree with a protest group and the dominant attitude is to shoot a them with beanbag rounds, turn fire hoses on them,"run them down" with your car, and hit them with a flashlight should they touch your car while you plow through the crowd. And you wonder why they are pissed off and feel like society is targeting them unfairly with violence. And you also wonder why people portray gun owners as a bunch of overly aggressive douchebags.

No, they would say "it's my fault for not leaving earlier".......

Another reason to cut out government handouts. Without them, these folks would need to go to work like we do, and wouldn't have time for this garbage.

Every one of them should be charged with disorderly conduct at a minimum. They should also be charged with this: And yet another I would charge them with: And finally, Riot:

As a outside person looking I have no idea what the doctor was going to. For all i know, he got paged for an emergency and was en route. You know they have lives outside of work, but when they get paged it could be a Matter of life of death. When they hold up medical personnel there is no idea what kind of harm they are going to cause. Maybe it is a surgeon rushing for an emergency C-section or other life saving surgery. You are right certain things can happen while going, however they can't always plan to leave early in the case of being paged. Again I have no idea if that doctor was going to an emergency or not. I don't believe blocking intersections is a peaceful demonstration. https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/free-speech-protests-demonstrations Three principles to remember 1. CONDUCT, NOT CONTENT It's not what you say—it's the way that you say it. Your right to express your opinion is protected no matter what beliefs you hold. What matters is how you use that right. If you organize a protest that causes serious disruption, the government may be able to intervene. But with a few notable exceptions, nobody can restrict your rights simply because they don't like what you say. 2. FREE SPEECH IS FOR EVERYONE Young or old; anarchist or evangelical; pacifist or hawk; Mormon or Muslim; these rights apply to you. It doesn't matter whether you're a U.S. citizen, whether you're of voting age, or whether you speak English. Free-speech rights are for everybody. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 3. WHEN, WHERE AND HOW Consider when, where and how you use your free-speech rights. If you organize a rally that causes violence or unnecessary disruption, your event may be disbanded. Every municipality has regulations and it's your responsibility to understand them. You must observe reasonable regulations on time, place, and manner when you exercise your rights to demonstrate and protest. http://aclu-or.org/content/your-right-protest Generally, you have the right to distribute literature, hold signs, collect petition signatures, and engage in other similar activities while on public sidewalks or in front of government buildings as long as you are not disrupting other people, forcing passerby to accept leaflets or causing traffic problems. (I feel a little better now)

We don't need a law to know the difference between something unintentional and intentional. I also don't get your stance of blaming the doctor for not leaving earlier. Yes, he could have a flat tire, etc, but those are anomalies, not premeditated obstruction. I usually am pretty well in agreement with you on a lot of things, but I just can't figure out why you would blame the person just going about their day. When (not if) one of these people get killed for being stupid, I won't lose a wink of sleep.

Isn't a permit required for a parade on public streets? Isn't jaywalking illegal?

I've done enough protesting in the middle of the street to last a lifetime, it was behind the wheel of a dump truck waiting on a paver though. lol

Did you really just claim that society is unfairly "targeting" a group of people that are standing in the middle of the street impeding traffic, actively drawing attention to and making themselves targets for criticism and/or violence? Thanks, I needed a laugh.

I work in the road. I see what all passes for automobile drivers today. Trust me....the highway ain't the time or place to air your grievances.

At 18 my son's first personal handgun that I gave him was a .38 special revolver. That has been quite a few years ago now and he still has it and still loves it. He has several of semi-auto handguns now and likes those as well. The revolver also worked well for training his bride and it's her favorite now as well.

The last time a group of young black men lined up across the road in front of me, I was a teenager. Several of us were going to a motorcycle race somewhere up in Kentucky in my friend's mother's black Cadillac. We made a wrong turn, and drove down a seedy looking street, when they stepped out in front of us. He looked at me nervously, and asked "What do I do?" I told him if he wanted to get home tonight, he'd better mash the throttle. It worked well then. What would you have done?

A man walked into a cowboy bar and ordered a beer just as President Clinton came on the TV. After a few sips he looked up at the screen and mumbled, "Now there is the biggest horse's ass I've ever seen." Immediately a customer at the end of the bar got up, walked over, decked him and left. A few minutes later, the man was finishing his beer when Hillary Clinton appeared on the TV. "She's a horse's ass too," he said. A customer from the other end of the bar got up, walked over and knocked him off his stool. "Dadgum!" the man said, climbing back up to the bar. "This must be Clinton country." "Nope," the bartender replied, "Horse country!"

Hmmm. I knew I adding train horns to my truck was a good idea! Someone should have texted me.

My attitude towards them has nothing to do with what they're protesting for. If the Church of God Women's Auxillary was out there blocking traffic I'd say throw them in jail too. If they resisted, give 'em the hose!

My prayer list just keeps growing. Our country is headed into even harder times ahead I'm afraid.

Anything else from the Bull Connor playbook you'd break out on them?

Another one, from a former ATC controller, about a short exchange between an SR71 and younger controller: In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 600 (60,000ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked: “How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?” The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded: “We don’t plan to go up to it, we plan to come down to it…” After a long pause, the now chastened controller replied: "Cleared for FL 600" ...

Bacon Grease

The tea party ans most of the second amendment crowd don't protest. They get up and go to a JOB every day.

No, but what I will say is that I highly doubt there would be this kind of negative uproar had this been a Tea Party protest or pro-Second Amendment rally.

What does HE like? Really, what will he appreciate the most? Is he an experienced shooter? Then go with something in a useful caliber. Will he appreciate an heirloom? You might look at a really nice Colt Trooper III or S&W M66. But your first gun is something you will always remember. Mine was a No. 5 Lee Enfield .303 I bought in a Canadian hardware store for $40 when I was 16. I sold it when I moved back to the US as importing it wasn't worth it. But I soon bought another when I turned legal age in the US.

I think a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in .357/9mm would make a dandy first pistol. I also like the suggestion of a older S&W K-frame.

You know they would.

I gotta imagine any son of Greg's (a member with over 9k posts here on TGO) has probably shot a gun before. Maybe even twice, lol! Obviously, he won't be carrying for at least 3 years, so carry guns are out. He's turning 18, not 8, so I really doubt a .22 is all he can handle. This sounds like an heirloom to me. Heirlooms are rarely plastic. I'm thinking a nice, American made 1911 or a 357 or 44 mag. K or L frame or equivalent. No Taurus, Citadel, Bersa, etc. Maybe a nice Springfield Range Officer, Colt Gold Cup, (I'm not personally a Colt fan, but the name still has some prestige to many) Smith model 19, 27, or 29, maybe a Ruger GP100, or if you have thousands a sweet Python or Anaconda. Let us know what you choose!

Nothing wrong with Glocks, except the lack of a soul.... for a 1st, make it something nice. Honestly, a quality Ruger or S&W .357 would be a gun for a young man to own his entire life and never outgrow its usefulness. 4" stainless or blued. Simple manual of arms, lots of ammo options/availability , good for field, plinking or HD use.

If it is his first, how about a classic like a Smith Model 27. Something he can shoot, keep as an heirloom, and always be proud to call his.

Since you mentioned my comment specifically , I take that is a dig at myself so allow me to retort. I am well aware that it isn't 1968 but you are mistaken about this not being a riot. No buildings were burning and no one was killed but by definition this could be considered a riot. They already had the public disruption and the folks hitting the vehicles and miss woolypitts assaulting the person filming sealed the deal on the violent part. So if you want to go that direction with this, yes it could be considered a riot.

If he has experience shooting, I'd say something blued that will simply wear not wear out. 1911 or maybe a nice blued S&W. All depends on budget. No experience, probably a .22

All of the suggestion's of taking him to the range are great but at his age I'd be more inclined to recommend a Ruger Single Six convertible .22LR/.22WMRor a Ruger .22/45 .22LR. Either of those will get a lot of use and he'll enjoy them a lot.

Yes go to a rental range. Knowing your budget would help as well as is this for plinking, competition, defense, etc.? For me it's important that the first gun is also as reliable as possible. Nothing good frustrates new shooters more than poor reliability. It takes the fun out of shooting to the point of quitting for some...

Precisely! In fact, that would make a great defense, assuming some of the agitators failed to move in time.

I am not saying I would run over the morons. I am saying I would drive right through, just like the white hatchback at the end of the video, and if they get bumped because they wouldn't move then they are in the wrong, not me. If they decide that they want to try and specifically block me by surrounding my car, etc. then it becomes a threat, just as you said.

'Just standing there' in the middle of the road is a whole, lot different than, 'just standing there,' on the sidewalk. These idiot protesters should have been arrested.

I consider a group of people blocking a road for no apparent reason to be a threat to my safety and well being. I also consider a vehicle, when I'm driving one, to be my best form of self protection, and will act accordingly.

Really? I don't recall anyone getting up in arms about the numerous other events that tie up traffic in town by blocking roads and sidewalks. Tell you what, let's break out the firehose sand plow through crowds while hitting people with flashlights at this year's Christmas parade. Sounds like that's what we should be doing when Santa blocks traffic, right? How about the Vol Walk? Screw those jerks for impeding the flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic!

I don't think the issue is protesting, it's the fact that they are restricting free movement of people. They have no right to intentionally restrict my movement on public streets/sidewalks, and as others have shown, is illegal in TN. Look at at the attitude/dress/actions/language of how MLK Jr lead protests and how these people do and you'll see why so many people, like myself, have issues with these protests.

To be clear, we disagree with HOW they go about protesting. They can protest until the cows come home, but do so in a way that doesn't otherwise impede a law abiding citizens right to free movement. It will be unfortunate, but predictable when someone gets killed by standing in the middle of a road. They will then blame the police for not protecting them. If they think this tactic is helping their cause, they are sorely mistaken.

Those are accidents, it happens on accident, part of life. I would assume someone would be working to clear the intersection in the event of an accident, not so in this case. If that delivery truck you mentioned was blocking the intersection on purpose or the accident blocking the intersection was intentional, then yes, off to the pokey. I bet if I went down to the intersection of Illinois Ave. and ORTPK and stood in the middle of it with a MY LIFE MATTERS sign, I'd either get a ride in a police car or an ambulance. But what do I know I'm just a dumb white guy sweating my balls off cutting trees trying to make ends meet.

The Oxcart A-12 was the predecessor to the SR-71 Blackbird.

I'm not familiar with TN law on this. What law did they break by blocking an intersection? What if a delivery truck had broken down, or someone had a medical emergency and crashed into a light pole knocking it across the road? Should those people be hauled away to jail also? I don't get your point. It's okay for republicans to turn fire hoses on protesters? Way to support freedom of speech and assembly, GOP.

This thread (linked below) is kind of going the other way. Apparently the cops should do as they did here and let folks do what they like. I mean that Doctors surgery probably wasn’t all that critical and those people will get over having their car hit, if there is any damage I’m sure they have insurance. And no one was hurt or arrested (that we know of); isn’t that all that matters? I’m just kidding I know folks will be split on what the cops do no matter what happens. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. But they are use to that. When I was a cop that would have ended and traffic would have been moving through that intersection as soon as I arrived or people would have been in jail. I guess makes me one of the bad guys.

Miss an hour of work, send a bill to the city for your lost wages. Since the city and police allowed it by not stopping it, they should pick up the responsibility.

I grabbed a photo of the old sled that's rusting away in Huntsville. They really need to do some upkeep on most of their outside displays.

I would agree. Go forth and purchase my friend.

Idiots actually think laws stop murderers...