Tag Archives: state government

Unfolding debate: Do rifle-toting activists help or hurt 2A effort?

Leave a reply

In the wake of Friday’s announcement that the Washington State Senate will no longer allow open carry of firearms in its gallery, a debate has erupted in the firearms community as to whether long gun open carry demonstrations advance or hurt the Second Amendment cause.

As one might guess, there are sharp opinions on both sides. However, this is not a discussion limited solely to the Evergreen State. This past week, a similar furor has erupted in Texas, as open carry activists reportedly confronted some state lawmakers in Austin. After that incident, the Texas House approved the installation of “panic buttons” in legislative offices.

One popular blogger, Bob Owens at Bearing Arms.com, verbally unloaded on one Texas group and their leader this week, calling them “knuckleheads.” Readers responding to the Seattle Times report yesterday are also engaging in some name-calling, intimating that a group of about 15-18 people who gathered on the Capitol steps in Olympia Thursday, before walking inside and entering the House gallery to pose with their rifles, may not be terribly bright.

There are some ironies here. The armed group entered the House gallery, but it was the Senate that yesterday banned openly carried firearms in its chamber. Concealed handguns will evidently still be allowed, but visible firearms are now being treated like other props of protest, such as signs or banners. There has long been a ban on protesting inside the legislative chambers.

FK – Don’t miss the comments on this one. Here’s my initial response to the article:

The question will soon be not whether or not they are ‘allowed’ to do it but if we have enough to do it.

Time to prepare for what will be required. Don’t understand? Go to freekentuckydotcom and click on ‘what will be required.’

It’s way past time to stop apologizing to our blood domestic enemies and to start treating them as the trash they are.

State Senate bans openly carried guns in public gallery

Here my posted comment to this:

“When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” – Thomas Jefferson

That’s what this is about. That’s all this is about. Our elected public SERVANTS are supposed to fear us. They’re supposed to go to work every day wondering if something they might do might cause crowds of armed men to descend upon them and render the justice they so rightly deserve. It’s a miracle and actually a failing that we haven’t already, on every state legislature and especially on the district of commie criminals.

It’s way past time to be ready for what will be required.