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.
What's the point? They never show up until after it is too late. When's the last time you heard of 911 being called for an intruder or suspicious person outside and the cops actually catching them?
“The Portland Police Bureau, however, asks anyone who sees someone armed with guns to immediately call 911.”
So call someone with a gun if you see someone with a gun?
I don’t think the timing is right to do something like this. The average non-gun owner doesn’t understand this.
I believe in gun rights, but these two are idiots.
This is an interesting tactic. Sadly, Florida does not allow open carry or I would take part by carrying an M4 on my shoulder while grocery shopping.
Pro-gun Americans need to start discussing this as a valid tactic. I see absolutely NOTHING wrong with normalization of open display of firearms in public again. It was commonplace just 100 years ago, and in countries like Israel, it’s almost required.
I would happily carry an AK or an M4 on my shoulder in public and a concealed handgun on my person if the law in Florida allowed it. (The military people I know have always said that your handgun should only be used to get safely to your rifle.) After a while, the police would stop assigning resources to callers reporting “a man with a gun” since those who are openly displaying the firearm in a public square while taking part in a perfectly legal activity (i.e. grocery shopping) are definitely NOT interested in committing a crime. They’ve already got the eyes of the public on them.
“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.”
Perhaps those that did call the police, didn’t want to take the risk that they would do something aggressive, or to them, walking around like that was aggressive behavior..
Open carry is a great educational tool.
And then they talk about tying up resources when people do what they were requested to do by the authorities.
But isn't that against the law?
I agree. These are the kinds of gun owners that I wish would just stay at home and fondle their weapons and keep quiet.
Keep in mind this is Oregon. This was most likely a stunt pulled by the Left to further inflame the Liberals.
Actually I'm thinking...if thousands of us did that...They would maybe get the message.
Guns don't kill people...People kill people.
Spoons don't make people fat...People make themselves fat.
SUV's don't kill people, people driving them do.
Etc, etc.....
The guns were obviously not illegal, or there would have been arrests. The article first calls them assault rifles, then later only rifles.
Ed Schultz yesterday claimed that automatic vs. semi-automatic is defined by the gun maker, and that features like the stock, grips, clips are what define it as automatic.
There are a surprising number of Freepers who get all watery in the knees over open carry.
Here’s a thread about the case where the kid was arrested for walking down the street with a rifle (He eventually won the case) but you’ll see plenty of weak kneed Freepers commenting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2886981/posts
Michigan court rules in favor of teen who open carried rifle
http://monachuslex.com/?p=1308
Why are they idiots? A right that cannot be exercised is not a right at all.
What if they are going into a crowded mall armed with chain saws and rattlesnakes?
“Oh, 911? yeah, never mind!, He ain't got no guns though his snakes are eating a few tykes and he's carving a few poor guys into pork chops—but he ain't got no guns so go after them duck hunters who may get drunk and shoot off a cypress limb.
...’inflame the liberals’...just goes to show why this sort of behavior should not be promoted by anyone...it inflames people.
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