Missed protesting the Nashville MAIG rally!!!!

[Guest confidence]

Come on, really???!!! Nobody told me about this?? I would have totally open carried toting a sign!! Can't believe I missed this! They were in Nashville at 10:30am this morning....

 

They will be in Little Rock, tomorrow. Arkansas doesn't have open carry but maybe I could drive over there and open carry an unloaded AR-15 or something, lol...

 

Anyway, very bummed that I missed this.... :( Did anybody go??

[Guest confidence]

http://act.demandaction.org/signup/NoMoreNamesRSVPlittlerock

[East_TN_Patriot]

I would have totally open carried toting a sign!! Can't believe I missed this! 

 

I, for one, am quite glad you missed it.  If you are serious about this approach, please do all gun owners a favor and not try and "help" the cause.

[Guest confidence]

I, for one, am quite glad you missed it.  If you are serious about this approach, please do all gun owners a favor and not try and "help" the cause.

 

East,

 

I am very open minded and am a new firearm owner so I'm still shapable and I'm interested in your perspective and promise to listen... Why would this be a bad idea when done peaceably by just standing there with a sign open carrying? I'm all ears and promise to be teachable if you'll take the time to explain why. I don't normally open carry, btw. Only on rare occasions. I think it should be a right, but I choose not to most of the time.

 

-confidence

[Guest bluecanary25]

<-  OC, too. Also interested in being "educated".  :popcorn:

[QuietDan]

I have not seen any media reports on this event. Does that mean the media couldn't find the three people who showed up?

[Guest confidence]

I have not seen any media reports on this event. Does that mean the media couldn't find the three people who showed up?

 

Pretty much! The whole tour is a complete flop!: Low attendance with the majority of attendees often being peaceful protestors; Accidentally named a Boston bomber and other criminals on a list of gun violence "victims"; Bus broke down; Bloomberg found to have been using city resources to host the website... What a joke. Just turn around and go home. Before your bus breaks down again!

[QuietDan]

I have not seen any media reports on this event. Does that mean the media couldn't find the three people who showed up?

 

Well, well, here's a piece from the Tennessean. I stand corrected. The Tennessean reports 75 people at the rally. . . .

 

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130627/NEWS01/306270056/Gun-control-advocates-bring-tour-Nashville

[zapfbroad]

Bahh half the 75 were probably lib tourists & thought there was going to be a free concert

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

[Guest confidence]

The liberal attendees have seriously been outnumbered more than once by pro-2A peaceful protestors OCing, though.

[East_TN_Patriot]

Here is the scenario you pose: A group of anti-gun protesters traveling the country to push for gun-control legislation likely using the argument that gun owners are gun-obessed, irresponsible, and potentially dangerous.  You propose, in response, that a bunch of gun owners should show up with open-carrying to make a political point.  Who are you trying to persuade with your action?  

Clearly, the anti-gun group are not going to be convinced.  Rather, they would use the display as evidence that gun-owners are crazy and can't even let people peaceably assemble without showing up armed to intimidate them (kind of like the Black Panthers at the polling place).  It would follow that the only reason someone would choose to use a gun to intimidate someone is if they would actually use the firearm, thus reinforcing their point further.  The media, generally ignorant about lawful gun ownership, would be more than happy to "report" this armed protest and the talking heads would spin it up as proof that gun owners are out-of-control.

Gun owners don't need to be convinced that gun ownership and carry is safe, so your actions would not do anything with that group either.

So really the group that all gun owners should actually be concerned with are the biggest group in American politics, the "mushy middle" that is minimally informed on issues, has little interest in becoming informed, and easily falls prey to media hype and spin.  I think it is very safe to presume that most Americans are not especially informed about gun ownership and are not comfortable with people openly carrying firearms (right or wrong, that is reality).  To back up my point, during my police career, I had multiple people challenge the lawfulness and wisdom of police officers carry firearms off-duty, so I am confident that they would have an issue with private citizens doing it.  So to prove how prudent and safe gun owners are, you are suggesting that a bunch of armed people show up at a protest of unarmed individuals.  The story the media story that will result (the one mentioned above) will easier for them to comprehend and digest than your argument since they are already socialized to believe that guns are dangerous and armed citizens are also dangerous and we can't have people walking around openly toting guns like it's the Old West.  

This is the point I make over and over again, and not just with gun owners.  Protests that are not specifically tailored to the group you need to convince are not helpful and are likely to alienate the people we need to win over.  If you want to do an open carry rally, fine, but there is a right time and place for that and it can't be like the one that just happened in Pennsylvania where they openly violated the law to make their point and then verbally assaulted the police who showed up to investigate the crimes.  

[Guest confidence]

There definitely is a lot of open carry activism that is done which involves ridiculous picking of fights with the police. Agreed. YouTube has a steady diet of this nonsense.

 

Interesting that when I envisioned peaceful protest, I was actually envisioning the opposite of what you've put forth. I was thinking that the mushy middle would see me protesting, see that the gun didn't go off on it's own, get used to seeing average citizens carrying, read a sign which said something intelligent (as opposed to emotional) and realize that there are good people out there who carry a gun and that it is normal.

 

I can certainly see your point about the Black Panther's, etc. I'm still grappling though with the fact that if you don't exercise your right or feel intimidated out of exercising your right then you may soon lose that right. Whereas no one has a right to partake in voter intimidation.

 

I would really like for the mushy middle to see signs saying things like, "Real men are willing to defend their family", "Good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns. I'm a good guy." or "How to stay off the list of names: Be prepared to defend yourself".

 

I guess another big thing for me is that I am actually hopeful that the country could change it's allergic reaction to seeing a gun on someone's hip. In my neck of the woods, they certainly don't have a problem with it. People OC at Walmart all the time. A friend just told me that they attended a wedding where the groom's brother OCed on stage as a part of the groom's party. I choose not to OC most of the time in hopes that I would have a tactical advantage, but I do OC every now and then like when I am biking. I think we can hope that we would change the culture in this regard. What do you think?

 

P.S. I'm not trying to turn this into an OC debate, but I suppose that may be the core of the matter now that I think about it.

[East_TN_Patriot]

There definitely is a lot of open carry activism that is done which involves ridiculous picking of fights with the police. Agreed. YouTube has a steady diet of this nonsense.

 

Interesting that when I envisioned peaceful protest, I was actually envisioning the opposite of what you've put forth. I was thinking that the mushy middle would see me protesting, see that the gun didn't go off on it's own, get used to seeing average citizens carrying, read a sign which said something intelligent (as opposed to emotional) and realize that there are good people out there who carry a gun and that it is normal.

 

I can certainly see your point about the Black Panther's, etc. I'm still grappling though with the fact that if you don't exercise your right or feel intimidated out of exercising your right then you may soon lose that right. Whereas no one has a right to partake in voter intimidation.

 

I would really like for the mushy middle to see signs saying things like, "Real men are willing to defend their family", "Good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns. I'm a good guy." or "How to stay off the list of names: Be prepared to defend yourself".

 

I guess another big thing for me is that I am actually hopeful that the country could change it's allergic reaction to seeing a gun on someone's hip. In my neck of the woods, they certainly don't have a problem with it. People OC at Walmart all the time. A friend just told me that they attended a wedding where the groom's brother OCed on stage as a part of the groom's party. I choose not to OC most of the time in hopes that I would have a tactical advantage, but I do OC every now and then like when I am biking. I think we can hope that we would change the culture in this regard. What do you think?

 

P.S. I'm not trying to turn this into an OC debate, but I suppose that may be the core of the matter now that I think about it.

I understand your point and I presumed that was what you had in mind.  The flaw in that logic is that people assume the general population leans toward being open-minded about firearms possession, when I am confident in saying it is the opposite.   There are plenty of gun owners out there who don't agree with open-carry under any circumstances beyond being actively engaged in a sporting activity that requires it.  Keep in mind, we are talking about a population that generally believes that AR15s are "machine guns" that hold "bullets" in 30-round "clips" and have no value beyond the battlefield.  They believe that a person flies through the air when shot, that guns need to be registered, private gun transactions are illegal or shady, that there really is a "gun show loophole", and that guns are as easy to buy as a pack of chewing gum.  

I could potentially go along with an open-carry rally that is specifically organized in a lawful manner, in an appropriate venue, and with a clear message that doesn't include belligerent talk about revolution.  I will not support the idea of showing up to a political event and bringing the firearm along just to make a point.  The point you are making is not a good one.

[Monkeyman2500]

I think you have good intentions but East is right that it would be shown in a bad way. I know it seems like many people are open minded and even knowledgeable about firearms, but I feel that there are many more that are not.

[Guest confidence]

Still thinking this over...

 

And what about protesting this event without OCing? Are you against that?

[tnhawk]

I hope the maig group is spending a large amount for their campaign.  It doesn't seem to be producing the news coverage and crowds they desire.

[DaveTN]

Still thinking this over...
 
And what about protesting this event without OCing? Are you against that?

 

No one is against anything that would work. But open display of groups of people carrying firearms is not seen as education; it’s seen as and portrayed by the media as a threat.

 

It didn’t work as planned for the Black Panthers at the California state capitol in 1967. It gave a big shot in the arm to gun control.

 

Thankfully nut case Adam Kokesh backed down and a bunch of pro-gun people won’t be arrested in DC.

 

I doubt there are many Americans that haven’t developed their opinions on guns. I also doubt open carry rallies will do anything to change anyone’s mind.

 

The stage would be set for one nut case to do something stupid and cause serious repercussions for the rest of us.

 

 

 

[Spiffy]

No one is against anything that would work. But open display of groups of people carrying firearms is not seen as education; it’s seen as and portrayed by the media as a threat.

 

It didn’t work as planned for the Black Panthers at the California state capitol in 1967. It gave a big shot in the arm to gun control.

 

Thankfully nut case Adam Kokesh backed down and a bunch of pro-gun people won’t be arrested in DC.

 

I doubt there are many Americans that haven’t developed their opinions on guns. I also doubt open carry rallies will do anything to change anyone’s mind.

 

The stage would be set for one nut case to do something stupid and cause serious repercussions for the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

 

Im pretty sure Don't Tread On Me is not an invitation to sit down and talk it out over milk and cookies. They want to take away our RIGHTs and you all just wanna set back and let them do as they please. And people wonder how we got in this shape. Whats that old saying about the only think needed for Evil to triumph is for Good to do nothing. Just replace the OCing with signs and beat them at their own game.

[Spiffy]

Pretty much! The whole tour is a complete flop!: Low attendance with the majority of attendees often being peaceful protestors; Accidentally named a Boston bomber and other criminals on a list of gun violence "victims"; Bus broke down; Bloomberg found to have been using city resources to host the website... What a joke. Just turn around and go home. Before your bus breaks down again!

 

That is because they lump the people the police shoot with the people that the crazies shoot. That is how they get that big huge number. I know a way to instantly lower the number of names on their NO MORE NAMES campaign.......take the guns away from LEOs. Watch that number fall faster than Facebook stock price.

[Seabeejason]

Open carry at a rally is okay as long as it is done in a very responsible manner.  You have to make damn sure you do not break any laws and avoid any type of confrontation.  When I helped organize the rally in Nashville last January I made darn sure all law enforcement agencies were notified of the rally and that people would be exercising their right to carry a firearm on capital grounds.  I also notified the proper state officials and made sure they were aware of the rally.  In the weeks running up to the rally I consistently let the attendees know that law enforcement would be present and that protestors would also likely be there.  I also told them to keep their AR's at home.  

 

The whole thing went extremely well and state law enforcement was extremely impressed with rally.  There were people open carrying handguns and probably over 50% of the crowd was armed.  Like I said, I see no problem with open carrying at a rally as long as the rally is well organized, peaceful, and follows the law in lock step.  

 

You just need to be very careful in choosing the time and place for such events.  I will never go to a rally that is just thrown together and/or plans to be in direct defiance of the law.  That does not help our cause one bit.

[Guest bluecanary25]

I like what you are saying Spiffy!! 

[East_TN_Patriot]

Still thinking this over...

 

And what about protesting this event without OCing? Are you against that?

Not at all.  Have at it.  

[K191145]

When I saw the news coverage of the rally I had to laugh, it looked like they could only put together about 40 people and had them all bunched together to make it look like a crowd. I wouldn't bother protesting them here in Tennessee because they are ineffective, no one really cares like the million mom march a couple of years back. Same thing, they had about 50 people it looked like, even the media couldn't spin it enough to make it seem that they were actually making some difference.

Now if they had a PETA protest I might go to that one, sometimes they have cute women in skimpy outfits, sometimes topless.  :)

[East_TN_Patriot]

 

Now if they had a PETA protest I might go to that one, sometimes they have cute women in skimpy outfits, sometimes topless.  :)

You could show up and OC one of those Hardee's bacon barbecue Thickburgers.  

Edited July 4, 2013 by East_TN_Patriot

[K191145]

You could show up and OC one of those Hardee's bacon barbecue Thickburgers.  

 

I was thinking about a bucket of KFC.