Posted on 08/16/2015 1:37:26 PM PDT by Da Bilge Troll
Ferguson, Missouri – The Missouri chapter of the Oath Keepers are planning to hold an open carry march through downtown Ferguson, Mo., which will reportedly involve arming 50 black protestors with AR-15 rifles.
The decision to hold the event transpired after St. Louis County officials, in violation of Missouri’s open carry law, insisted that members of the group could not open carry long barrel rifles within the city. In a video uploaded to YouTube, police chief Jon Belmar is seen warning a number of Oath Keepers that open carrying long barrel rifles would be a violation of the law.
“My only problem is with the long guns and inciting these guys out here,” Belmar said, referring to the Ferguson protesters.
When one of the men questioned Belmar regarding Missouri’s open carry law, he responded by saying, “I have attorneys. I didn’t go to law school. I get what you guys stand for and probably agree with most of it. All I’m trying to do is manage this thing.”
While trying to simply manage things is semi-understandable, it’s Belmar’s duty to assure that those he employs respect Missouri’s open carry law and the Constitutional rights’ of American citizens.
Head of the St. Louis County, Mo. Oath Keepers group, Sam Andrews called Belmar out for his blatant disregard of the law.
“He (Belmar) was thumbing his nose at the legislature of the State of Missouri. It was like he couldn’t give a crap about the Bill of Rights or state law.”
Andrews told Red Dirt News that the march would be held in the next “couple of weeks,” as a means of demonstrating the veracity of Missouri’s open carry law to law enforcement.
Andrews explained that he and members of his group spent almost an entire night speaking with black protestors about the events in Ferguson and the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.
“Every person we talked to said if they carried they’d be shot by police. That’s the reason we’re going to hold this event and it will be a legal demonstration,” Andrews said. “I’m sick and tired of law enforcement who doesn’t think they have to abide by the law. They’re narcissistic and that guy (Belmar) discredited my men.”
Oath Keepers are made up mainly of current and former military and law enforcement officers who have sworn to place their oath to the Constitution ahead of any law or command given that violates the rights of the citizens.
Last year, Andrews told the New York Times that the group’s membership includes “a really broad group of citizens, and I’m sure their motivations are all different. In many of them, there’s probably a sense of patriotism. But I think in most of them, there’s probably something that they probably don’t even recognize: that we have a moral obligation to protect the weakest among us.”
Andrews said that the 50 African-Americans, armed with long barrel rifles, will be accompanied by Oath Keepers members during the march through downtown Ferguson.
While the mainstream media has worked feverishly to paint the Oath Keepers as a some quasi-racist fringe right wing militia group, with the explicit implication that blacks should fear them, they have shown themselves to be true defenders of the rights of all Americans.
Andrews went on the record in an interview with Josh Cook of Truth in Media:
“We have people from all different races on our security team. We’re not racist and we wouldn’t tolerate anyone in our organization who is a racist. If we found out that someone was a racist we would kick them out of our organization. So that should dispel myth number one…
“The second myth is that the police are doing the right thing. The truth of the matter is Chief Jon Belmar of St. Louis County Police has been breaking our state law, threatening to disarm people, and violating people’s rights. They’ve been breaking Missouri’s revised statute 44.101. I would encourage everyone to look up for themselves. It prevents the police or any government official from disarming anyone during a state of emergency. Yet Belmar continues to threaten to do that and continues to try to intimidate anyone who is armed…
“The third myth is that we are out in Ferguson to hurt people. And that’s the opposite of the truth. We are there to protect people. We’ve been guarding African-American people, Asian people, white people, people in mixed marriages, Korean people, Chinese people. It’s just ridiculous that the media continues to try and put forth this lie that we are racist and white supremacists. That’s not true at all…
“We’re a cross-section of America. We’re made up of people of all races, all political persuasions.”
Cook asked Andrews what he would say to the protesters in Ferguson.
“The first thing I would say is ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The second thing I would say is that the Oath Keepers are there to protect your rights. We care about you, regardless of all the lies that the media and some other instigators have tried to propagate. Black lives matter, we care about you, we love you and we are there to protect you,” said Andrew.
“We love the people of Ferguson and they deserve to be protected and the St. Louis County police is not doing the job.”
44.101. The state, any political subdivision, or any person shall not prohibit or restrict the lawful possession, transfer, sale, transportation, storage, display, or use of firearms or ammunition during an emergency
The police is the last line of defense from a complete Federal takeover of everything.
Who are they bullying that you say are innocent?
Michael Brown?
Sharpton wants the FEDGOV to usurp all local/county/state police authority. Has everything to do with the 2nd, since the FEDGOV hates the 2nd and local/county/state PD’s respect it. See Colorado for a few references where local PD’s publicly stated they wouldn’t even try to enforce the new gun restrictions on mag capacities there.
I totally get where you’re coming from with the Jack-Boots being out of control in some cases, this isn’t one of them.
“Former military, police officers, etc. that took an oath to live by the Constitution of the United States,,,ok and then I get lost on: are they helping the ‘gang bangers’ or are they helping police to arrest them?”
I didn’t refer to anything about arrests. I just haven’t seen any need for the protestors to be protected.
They are protesting that Michael Brown was murdered by the cops. Why the Oath Keepers here?
OTOH, gangsters are causing trouble with guns.
They made the statement that the blacks said they feared carrying guns because they would be shot by the cops.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3325421/posts?page=3#3
bookmarking....
many thanks for the info!
This is extremely unwise. They are talking about giving rifles to people who regularly chant kill the police, stop traffic at every opportunity and have poor impulse control, evidenced over and over.
There were five shootings in 30 hours there in an area quarter mile square.
Now the Oathkeepers to prove they aren’t racist are going to lead a march through the streets, again blocking streets, illegally, while supporting the cause of a violent robbery suspect who tried to kill a police officer?
How will the screen those who they give weapons to? How will they account for them during and after the march? What will they do when those weapons get stolen. use the police they are trying to intimidate to help them find the weapons they handed out?
When NAACP handed out cameras to the citizens of St. Louis to film the police, those cameras wound up on pawn shops.
Those rifles will be stolen, count on it.
All it would take would be one accidental discharge and the rounds would be flying. The majority of people who would be killed would be black. The Oathkeepers would then be labeled as racists who used black citizens as proxies for their anti-government stance. The alternative media would scream it was the police that shot first and then we have a good old fashioned insurrection on our hands.
The Oathkeepers don’t understand they are not and will not be in charge of this march. Have they given any thought to handing guns out to people who have a penchant from blocking and intimidating motorists? People are going to start running them over, shooting first or the police will. Citizens cannot create armed roadblocks and expect the police to stand by.
This action will set the gun rights movement back, not enhance it.
Is someone from the obola Admin behind this idea?
Incredibly stupid to hand guns to those you know have criminal intent. Not to mention illegal if they are felons.
Yeah we can call it Fast and Ferguson.
St. Louis City and County are seeing record homicides and attempted murders. No sense in adding to the fire.
You both sound terribly, awfully concerned.
Why are you wanting to put them on notice?
Sharpton agrees with your post actually since he wants a full National Police Force.
Son - the People are literally the last line of defense for the Freedom Loving Americans I recognize. When the shepherd starts taking on characteristics of a wolf, the sheep don't become more secure - if sheep could organize and fight, they could trample the bloody remains of the wolf into the dirt.
“When the shepherd starts taking on characteristics of a wolf, the sheep don’t become more secure - if sheep could organize and fight, they could trample the bloody remains of the wolf into the dirt.”
We’re overdue then....
Your reply is chock full of erroneous assumptions. Unfortunately I don't have time to discuss them all. But thanks for your response.
“I understand the point but wouldn’t it be better to arm the business owners and at risk residents than the enemy?”
Why do you think it won’t be business owners doing the marching?
:How many of the 50 rifles will get get back?
22?
7?
3?”
Want to bet? I bet they get all of them back.
I don’t think the Oath Keepers are doing this to prove that they aren’t racist.
My reading is that they are doing it to promote Constitutional and legal gun rights.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks like that sheriff issued an illegal order/directive prohibiting lawful open carry. Thats what, again to me, it looks like the Oath Keepers are reacting to.
An infringement of rights is still an infringement of rights. And iirc we all believe that denial of rights should only be the result of due process of law, with the presumption of innocence playing a preeminent role.
Depending on the controls the Oath Keepers put in place this may indeed be unwise. But it’s hard to deny that it’s being done in keeping with their closely held principles on gun rights and the rule of law.
They probably don’t have time for this bogus protest. They have to work.
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