Posted on 06/30/2009 5:11:54 AM PDT by marktwain
TRAVERSE CITY — Around 50 people, many of them men openly carrying loaded handguns, gathered in a local park over the weekend for a cookout billed as educational outreach on gun owners’ rights.
Participants in the “Open Carry Picnic” ate hot dogs and chips while wearing holstered hand guns at Sunset Park off the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. As children played on the merry-go-round and tourists cruised the lakefront, the gathering was quiet but showed some signs of tension. One group of men sat around a flag hung upside-down and at half mast.
The day after Barack Obama was elected president in November, a local gun store, Hampel’s, flew an American flag upside down. Employee Rod Nyland, told a reporter for the Traverse City Record-Eagle “… we feel our country is in distress because the n—– got in.”
Nyland later apologized and was fired for his comment, but anger and fear by white conservatives have contributed to a sharp uptick in sales of weapons and ammo and applications for concealed carry permits.
According to the Michigan State Police, more than 243,000 applications for concealed weapons permits were received by county clerks across Michigan during the first five months of the year.
Brian Jeffs, president of Michigan Open Carry Inc., a non-profit organization designed to educate the public and law enforcement on the lawfulness of openly carrying firearms, said that anyone with a concealed weapon carry permit may also openly carry their weapon, though not in a bank, church, court, theater, sports arena, day-care center, hospital or places that sell liquor.
Public fear of guns is irrational, he said.
“People who don’t like guns are like sheep,” he said, “and people who carry guns are like sheep dogs.”
Skip Coryell, author of “Blood in the Streets: Concealed Carry and the OK Corral: Overcoming the Lies” attended the Traverse City event as an organizer for the Second Amendment March on the nation’s capital. In a presentation to the picnickers Coryell described the planned 2010 event as a “Million Man with Gun March.” He handed out fliers describing the march as aiming “to galvanize the courage and resolve of American gun owners.”
Coryell, a longtime gun owner, said he was “kind of disappointed” when no one seemed to notice that he had begun openly carrying his pistol while grocery shopping.
“I don’t want people to be afraid of me,” he said. “I want to show off my gun.”
“I think the message they are sending is wrong for a lot of people who don’t have a mind of their own,“ said Leo Gabier, a Korean War veteran and Traverse City resident who came out to protest the event carrying a sign “Ban Automatic Weapons.”
“Those weapons can give us a sense of power and that’s bad.”
Gabier said that a local talk radio station, the Norm Jones Show on 103.5 FM. had promoted the gun event. “These people are hateful and they want to divide the county,” Gabier said. “They shouldn’t be picnicking in a public park with loaded weapons.”
Don’t forget that TC is home territory for Michael Moore. He holds a film festival there every year now and is basically buying the affections of the town with the money the festival brings in.
Gabier said. “They shouldn’t be picnicking in a public park with loaded weapons.”
Okay, an opinion. But WHY?
Were they violating a law?
Did they harm anyone?
Did they violate anyones rights?
In my opinion, that guy should consider leaving his gun at home. He appears to be wearing it to "get noticed".
I am over-joyed when "no one seems to notice" that I am open carrying. I think it is great that my fellow citizens are becoming comfortable with, or at least tolerant of, people exercising their right to carry the tools of delf-defense with them.
Ya’ know, 50 people carrying guns and no one got shot. I’m just amazed!! </sarcasm>
I like how the article tries to portray all of us who love liberty as a bunch of hayseed white rednecks by quoting one guy who used the N word. That part of the article had nothing to do with the open carry picnic...
Assuming the quote is accurate, of course!
Good for them!
Well, AMC Leo Gabier, I guess then the message they are sending is perfect for people that do have a mind of their own.
Thanks for the compliment.
Neanderthal ?
“Those weapons can give us a sense of power and that’s bad.”
Because the last thing a woman wants, when facing down an armed rapist, is a sense of power.
‘Cause that’s bad.
I’m with you on the open carry in the grocery store. That’s a little much. Concealed would make much better sense. One of the jabs in this “story” that grabbed my eye was “Anger and fear by white conservatives have contributed to a sharp uptick in sales of weapons and ammo”. Again, another libtard who doesn’t understand our country. Prior to the election, the ecomony tanked. Historically when the economy drops, crime goes up. At the same time, Mexico was looking like it would melt down, again another reason for homeowners to be concerned. Then the dimrat party got control of the White House and Congress. The gun grabbers all gravitate to the dimrat party. They really don’t want the citizens to be armed. Then the news of HR 45 started to spread. If you haven’t read this, do so and be prepared for a scare. Eric Holder, the attorney general is supportive of this trainwreck. So with all this going on at the same time, most folks figured that they had better arm and ammo up before the fed govt made these items much more difficult to acquire. Easy explanation. A lot of us don’t look at firearms as toys, but as self defense tools. I hope to God that I never have to shoot someone, but if a bad guy or illegal is breaking into my house, I will be prepared. Calling 911 is great and all, but while the bad guy is at your door, the cops are still in route. And for us who live in sanctuary cities for illegals, we have to be prepared. The feds and other govts have allowed this situation to come about and we are left in the mess, then the gun grabbers want to disarm US? rotsa ruck.
Smith and Wesson.
“The first name in feminine protection.”
I don’t claim credit for that, but it’s so true.
...10,000+ rounds on hand, and still obatining it wherever it can be found.
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