Posted on 01/10/2013 9:46:29 AM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Two men seen walking down a Portland street armed with assault rifles told police they were exercising their Second Amendment rights and hoping to educate the public on gun rights.
Several calls were made to 911 on Wednesday afternoon, with alarmed residents reporting two men with guns strapped to their backs walking through the area of Southeast Seventh Avenue and Spokane Street in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood.
When police arrived on the scene, they found two 22-year-old men carrying rifles openly on their backs. The two were also holding valid concealed handgun licenses in Oregon, according to Fox affiliate KPTV.
The men reportedly told officers that they were seeking to educate onlookers about their Second Amendment rights.
"Exercising my rights with a rifle to try to decrease the demonizing of peacefully exercising your rights in public," one of the men, who declined to release his full name, told the station.
Portland authorities later identified the men as Warren Drouin and Steven Boyce. Officers said carrying firearms openly is legal in Oregon and carrying a concealed gun is legal with a valid license, according to the station. But doing one or both may generate 911 calls and possibly tie up resources that are needed for a real emergency.
One of the men told the station that he hoped people would approach him and talk to him, instead of calling police.
"What they really should do is observe the person to determine if the person is aggressive," he said of seeing someone with a gun in public. "We're not doing anything threatening to anyone."
The Portland Police Bureau, however, asks anyone who sees someone armed with guns to immediately call 911.
I agree.. A right that isn’t allowed to be exercised is not a right at all. When people see guns openly carried in public, especially in a very liberal area, they freak out. I don’t even think many of the people realize it is perfectly legal to open carry in certain states.
When something is forced to remain hidden, such as guns and gun rights, it becomes much easier to defame it and spread disinformation or prevent proper education. Over many years in many parts of this country guns have become scary and evil things to many people due to lack of proper education and familiarity with firearms. Exposing people to guns consistently can in itself create an environment where guns are more acceptable. Most of these people freak out because they don’t own guns, never see guns, are uneducated about guns, and have become brainwashed by the media and politicians. Educating and familiarizing people with guns and gun rights would go a long long way to reverse the stigma that has been attached.
This is just my opinion and yes, this is my first post! :)
What makes the responder a panicky numbnuts? By the time the mass shooter lifts his weapon and starts firing, it’s really too late. Isn’t that the whole point of arming the good guys? I can’t tell anything about your intentions just from looking at you.
I don’t care about inflaming anyone, I care about my rights as a gun owner and I think this sort of behavior is detrimental to that.
There’s a popular saying here on FR...actions have consequences
Great first post!
Well said.
I don’t want to purposely inflame anyone either, but we are dealing with illogical people that are inflamed by the exercise of every right we have. We are being conditioned to be afraid to openly exercise our rights, not only 2nd ammendment.
What they did was within their rights. It’s legal, it’s not provocative. It has become so thanks to our media hyperventilating when they see a gun and expecting their mind numbed viewers to do the same.
Tell me why 500 violent deaths in Chicago are not a national outrage? Tell me why we as a nation euthanized 1/3 of a million unwanted “bits” of tissue in 2012. An no one is inflamed?
You are concerned that two people doing something completely legal and moral are going to make you look bad? Make your situation worse?
It doesn’t compute.
The first four...what is that behavior which you consider as acting insanely, that would generate a call to the police?
You said a few decades ago...1980’s, someone acting insane would warrant a call to the police while nowadays, it wouldn’t. I’m just trying to figure out what that behavior is.
“Idiots for not knowing the proper time and place to exercise their Constitutional rights.”
As determined by whom? You? Obama? Biden? Feinstein? Would you care to amend and extend your remarks after a careful reading of the relevant reference material provided by Paine, Henry, Thoreau, Locke, et. al.?
Great first post, Render. Welcome to Free Republic.
Apparently someone was provoked, or we wouldn’t be talking about it.
Lots of people are inflamed about all those things you mentioned.
I don’t care how it makes me look, I care if it results in my gun rights being reduced.
reboot your computer
By me of course, I’m the one that said it.
Make your move.
There are a surprising number of Freepers who get all watery in the knees over open carry.
Your comment pretty much proved a point that I've been making for quite some time. Specificially, when push comes to shove, you're going to be on your own since your neighbor's going to be too busy with his job, paying his mortgage and making payments on his Sea Ray and new Ford 1500 and his kid's college education to want to get involved in the "Revolution".
Because just like you, they're all going to be staying home saying there's got to be "the proper time and place" and today I'm just too busy.......LOL!
???
Well, I'd like to join many thousands of my fellow rifle-carrying idiots for a stroll past City Hall at high noon.
So what would you suggest I do? Should I go live in the woods and store up provisions? Should I walk around dowtown Norfolk with my weapon on? Should I stand out in my front yard and start yelling about how they’re going to come take my guns away? Should I start up a militia in Chesapeake VA?
What exactly is it that you think people should do? I already go through about 500rds a month at the range, I can hit pretty much what I need to hit and so can my wife.
If their were thousands, I be behind it 100%. I’ve sent a letter to Richmond saying I’m all for CC without a permit...Bob didn’t even reply!
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