Well, if this happens I hope it's televised. I intend to watch.
Fern
He said:
No, it actually wouldn't start there. But given his allegiance to the Violence Policy Center it would certainly serve his purposes for it to start there.
An armed group of people marching on DC would be like Caesar crossing the Rubicon with his army. Congress would go into a panic.
Tell me why we have the right to keep and bear arms?
It would, as it relates to the sale of military weapons to American civilians, which is what he's talking about. I understand you don't agree with the Violence Policy Center, but I fail to see how this kind of semantic argument moves the ball in your direction at all.
Fine. It's about the same price as .45 long colt which is what I would consider to be a popular carbine round due to cowboy action shooting.
http://ammoman.com/45-colt
My point is, it's not as expensive or rare as people think.
Well, if this happens I hope it's televised. I intend to watch.
Fern
I doubt it. When was the last time a pro-2nd amendment protest was televised in a positive fashion?
And Caesar was rightfully murdered for turning Rome into an Imperial dictatorship.
Nice. Could have sworn you were a leftie except for Moms and Dad.
So a half dozen fat guys will show up, and then instantly run home after wetting themselves.
I see a lot of people saying how this is illegal and would end badly for those involved. I don't see that at all. I see this as a 1st Amendment issue more than anything. This is a group of people who wish to express themselves peacefully while carrying a firearm. The firearms themselves is the form of speech in this instance, not the voices of those marching. While openly carrying a loaded firearm may be illegal where they wish to protest, freedom of speech is not. This is clearly a political protest protected by the Constitution.
I believe that if this does take place and the police step in and arrest those involved, this would end up in courts as a 1st Amendment issue rather than a 2nd Amendment issue. I believe it would also set a precedent that expands 1st Amendment protections.
Do not let your opinions of the 2nd Amendment restrict the freedom of others to exercise their 1st Amendment rights, it will only end negatively for ALL Americans.
Edit: May I also add that at one point there was lawful segregation on buses in a little town in Alabama. That is, until a lady named Rosa Parks broke that law in a form of protest. Is there any form of legal racial segregation in the US today? Sometimes unjust laws need to be broken in order for freedom to prevail.
It IS illegal. That's not opinion, that's fact. Open carry in DC is illegal. Unregistered guns in DC are illegal and the hi-cap mags that some would undoubtedly have are illegal. Now saying the laws are unjust is an opinion. It also happens to be an opinion that I agree with.
Imagine how your Rosa Parks example would have turned out had she been packing a heater. I guarantee she would be thought of as a crazy nutter instead of the civil rights hero that she is today.
They would be better off getting 10,000 people to march on DC with empty holsters as a sign of protest. Getting 10,000 people to march on the nations capitol with loaded guns does not strike me as a peaceful protest.
They WILL be arrested for committing crimes. With heated tempers and AR-15's on both sides, someone is bound to get hurt.
Edit: I also want to add a note about Kent State. That was a horrible incident, but imagine what would have happened had the protesters started to fire back. That would have turned into an even bigger blood bath than it already was. And honestly, as bad of a situation as it was, it helped gain a lot of traction for the anti-war movement as the peaceful (unarmed) protesters were gunned down by overzealous National Guard.
Not all political protests are created equal. Assassination of a public figure could be argued as "political protest," and that's not allowed. Violence can be a "form of speech." Or if your problem is with it just being one person, is a mob lynching better?
Hell, even a non-violent blockade of DC streets to protest taxation without representation leads to arrests and is immediately broken up. That's a good cause without violence, but still gets broken up almost immediately.
Not all political protests are created equal. Assassination of a public figure could be argued as "political protest," and that's not allowed. Violence can be a "form of speech." Or if your problem is with it just being one person, is a mob lynching better?
Hell, even a non-violent blockade of DC streets to protest taxation without representation leads to arrests and is immediately broken up. That's a good cause without violence, but still gets broken up almost immediately.
This.
Just like you can't yell fire in a crowded theater, there are limits to free speech. You can't commit a felony and try to hide behind the first amendment.
