The District of Columbia’s police chief said Tuesday officers would arrest marchers who plan to openly carry rifles into the city in violation of District law.
“Passing into the District of Columbia with loaded firearms is a violation of the law and we’ll have to treat it as such,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier said on NewsChannel.
“We will march with rifles loaded & slung across our backs to put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated & cower in submission to tyranny,” Kokesh wrote on the Facebook page for the event. “We are marching to mark the high water mark of government & to turn the tide. This will be a non-violent event, unless the government chooses to make it violent.”
(Via Politico)
I'm sorry, but this seems pretty stupid. Do they think that this will convince the non-politician who is maybe on the fence regarding gun control, or who maybe is slightly in favor of further gun control measures but who might be open to a cogent argument to the contrary? And then to announce this to one and all, and to then NOT expect there to be people who end up getting hurt when the police crack down?
ReplyDeleteThis is not what the gun community needs right now. We need the right kind of action, and this is the stripe of civil disobedience that simply serves as fodder for the politicians who will easily paint these people as gun nuts. I wonder how many will be wearing camo? Why have bullets? What the heck is the point of this? It is as directionless as teen angst. It offers no message. It simply provides a canvas on which the gun controllers can paint their next masterpiece.
The right to bear arms is an enumerated right. This doesn't stop in DC. Can they pass a law saying that you don't have the right to freedom of speech if you are in DC? Anyone who wants to defend a right, needs to be willing to grow a pair and fight for it. What this will do is open up the courts for any who are arrested to bring their case up to higher courts and possibly the supreme court to reaffirm our right to bear arms. If they do not end up winning, that will signal to the rest of us that the constitution is truly dead in the water and it is time to either leave the country or do what is needed to reaffirm our rights.
DeleteSitting back quietly and hoping things will change did not work out well for the Germans. Maybe this is what we need.
It's actually brilliant. Get the MSM all lathered up about evil anarchists marching on DC, and then allow them to arrest all of them peacefully. It will turn the tables.
DeleteI can't say that you're wrong, but what I can say definitively is that what we've been doing is not working. At least Kokesh is trying something different. Good on him for that.
DeleteI sympathize with the concern that there is a greater push for "gun control" than at any time I can remember during my life, and with the desire to try to do something about other than lament it. However, negative publicity is not better than no publicity. This march might result in arrests, loss of legal gun ownership for those who are arrested, and potentially, bloodshed. Further, I do not believe that people who watch this, and who are not already in tune with the pro-second amendment movement, will somehow be convinced to switch sides when a bunch of people with guns come cruising down the boulevard. This is no more convincing than holding up a picket sign, only instead of a sign, they are marching with LOADED firearms in a place where they have now been warned that this will be elicit action from law enforcement.
DeleteBy the way, I carry a concealed weapon everywhere that I can legally, so I am not an anti-gun internet troll. I carry concealed, even though open carry is legal in my state. You know why? Because it is wiser. It does not generate attention, or calls to the police about a man with a gun, especially in a climate where people are conditioned to think that the man without a uniform who is brandishing a firearm is going to shoot the place up. Trust me, anti-gun hysteria will not be combated effectively by gun owners flaunting their firearms, anymore than a fear of snakes is best approached by throwing live snakes at your neighbors. We have a right to bear arms, but not every instance of bearing arms in open is useful to the cause of legal, responsible gun ownership.
I agree 100% with David. There is no point in scaring half the population for nothing. We stand for the freedom to have guns or not have guns. We support the right to establish voluntary private “progressive lifestyle” communities that could contractually ban guns, gun nuts and rednecks. Similarly, we support the right to establish voluntary private “Christian lifestyle” communities that could ban drugs, druggies and thugs. We’re not exactly “pro-gun” or “pro-pot” per se. Giving the impression that we are is destructive.
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't partake in such a thing, because even though I agree with it on a philosophical level, I seem to be highly allergic to jail and fines. However, if I could make one recommendation to those who do choose to partake, make sure you choose a relatively cheap gun, because you probably won't get it back.
ReplyDeleteIt is really stupid. Which means it's exactly the kind of thing that will get national media attention. I hope they don't get shot.
ReplyDeleteWags, exactly. My biggest fear is a police officer, on edge, or a member of the march, on edge, and all it takes is a car driving by and an engine backfiring....it can happen. And the public's sympathy will NOT be with the armed men illegally marching with loaded guns against the laws as they currently stand.
Delete"This will be a non-violent event, unless the government chooses to make it violent."
ReplyDeleteHow naive can one be?
Our gov't has sanctioned killing babies for crying loud. What, does he think they will think twice in using overwhelming force? Ask the residents of Nagasaki & Hiroshima if you think otherwise.
This is awesome
ReplyDeleteKokesh's protest may well fall apart long before it hits the Potomac River, but what he will never fathom is the huge potential for this to blow up...in his face. This may give progressives the momentum they need for a background check bill after all...
ReplyDeletehttp://behranalytics.blogspot.com/2013/05/cut-and-paste-versus-lock-and-load.html
I see many comments saying this is a stupid idea Mr Kokesh is attempting....Funny how none have offered a better solution or another suggestion at all...I mean if this isn't a smart idea and it isn't the right time then what is a smart idea and when if not now is a good time?
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