Open Carry at the RNC: Exactly as Expected. No Problems

By Dean WeingartenOpen Carry Cleveland RNC Rifle Sans Mag

Dean Weingarten
Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- Open carry in Cleveland Ohio at the Republican National Convention has been hyped by those that want to disarm the population.  A scam petition was created to open carry inside the convention floor.  It was run by a “progressive” to create problems for Second Amendment supporters.  It did not last for long or fool many. The Quicken Loans location is a private concern.

Then the head of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association published a hysterical rant about how the Constitution need not apply.  He wanted the citizenry disarmed. From cnn.com:

“We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something — I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point,” Stephen Loomis, president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, told CNN. “They can fight about it after the RNC or they can lift it after the RNC, but I want him to absolutely outlaw open-carry in Cuyahoga County until this RNC is over.” 

Governor Kasich showed much more class and understanding of limited government, the separation of powers and Constitutionally protected rights.  He said no, he did not have the power to do so.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D) Ohio, thought the Governor could do something!  At least when he was talking to the Police Union. From cleveland.com:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sen. Sherrod Brown has joined the call for Gov. John Kasich to suspend Ohio’s open carry law during the Republican National Convention this week.

“I would hope that the governor would listen to the police union and suspend conceal and open carry in Ohio, in Cleveland, during this convention,” Brown said in an appearance in Cincinnati, as reported by BuzzFeed.

Open Carriers showed up, just as they promised.  They did not bother anyone, they caused no trouble.  They simply exercised their Constitutional rights. From qz.com:

 Standing with their legs wide apart, their holstered guns on their hips or thighs, a handful of Donald Trump supporters decided to assert their Second Amendment rights at the America First rally in Cleveland’s riverside Settlers Landing Park on July 18, the first day of the Republican National Convention–just like they promised they would before the event.

Open Carry Cleveland RNC Pistol

From npr.org:

Clayton Allen, 21, walked right up to the 8-foot fence surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

He drove from Kentucky and he stood out from the crowd because he had a handgun strapped to his hip.

“I open-carry all the time,” Allen said. “The Republican convention would not be the exception.”

Open carriers at the RNC worked out exactly as Second Amendment supporters predicted.  No problems.  No one shot.  Not one open carrier arrested. Governor Mary Fallin from Oklahoma reitterated  what Governor Kasich had stated earlier.  From cnn.com:

The Governors probably had to say that they took the Police Union President’s concerns seriously.  I suppose it it the political thing to do.  But there really were no concerns that deserved serious consideration.  Open carry has been legal in Ohio since it was a state.  It has never been a problem.  It has been done in 90% of the states without a problem.  Open carriers are far more law abiding than the general population.  They are just people who are serious about standing up for their rights.

Near the end of the Convention, the Police Chief, who did not make a big deal about open carry,  was questioned. From fox8.com:

As for the issue of Ohio’s open-carry law, the chief said that it really hadn’t been an issue at all. “Nobody’s been arrested or has challenged the things we asked them to do,” he said.

That was what was expected by people who understand the reality of open carry in the United States.  That was what happened.  And that is the way that it should be.  The Constitution means things.  Rights are not to be done away with by executive orders.  Ordered liberty supports and protects civilization, it does not threaten it.

The are many things for police to be worried about in today’s society.  Open carry is not a serious concern.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Gregory Romeu

Possibly because the people in his State are still sitting on their complacent butts and fail to read the State Constitution and utilize the mechanism for removing corrupt officials from office? Willful Neglect of Statutory Duty might be a good place to start?

paul

The obvious question is: why does Stephen Loomis still have a job? He is obliged to obey the Constitution. In fact, he is required to swear an oath to do so. Since he has shown himself to be a perjurer, which means a felon, he clearly is not fit to hold any police job.

richard

Hay Greg , Ithink the discussion is getting out of control.We are all aiming for the same thing.We may be on differant roads but,we are all headed in the same direction . By the way, I will not vote for HILLARY.

Rick

I have carried a handgun since I was 18. It was legal then.
I wore a badge for several years.So in my 44 years of carrying a gun I have never had to break leather on anyone.
So they were good years indeed.I also open carry and concealed carry.
Never once try to take my gun.
To the nattering nabobs that whining open carry causes fear.
I say you are full of crap. I have been Thanked for open carrying my gun. There has been times I have stopped a robbery and prevented attacks.

TEX

@Gregory,you are spot on right about training irregardless of open or concealed carry. I have carried legally 21 years and never had to draw my weapon. Those are the best days for sure !

Gregory Romeu

Why richard zwirblis I do in fact live in probably the bluest portion of this great state of Texas where the low Intel voters are constantly a pain in the ass to deal with because the majority of them are either of Mexican descent or from New York and they just suck up to that socialist / lifestyle attitude without hesitation or a first to find a better way of life. As for you up in Long Island as I mentioned before my relatives already came through and set the record straight for you then once handed over to you,… Read more »

Gregory Romeu

Clark Kent, I hope you don’t give yourself as much credit as you give other people.

I would have to allocate that for the best part you keep your Superman underwear tucked inside your clothes so as not to alert or alarm our fellow-citizens of any danger they may be in by your Superman pajamas possibly coming out of its enclosure.

Gregory Romeu

Outside of a group of Ohio open carry type activists all together at one place at one time frame, they must have come and gone. For the most part each and every day throughout the RNC there was maybe 3 to 5 people open carrying. I worked 18-hour days starting at 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. and open carry was extremely dismal as we’re all the raucus and spooky protesters.

But do not spread any rumors that an open carry armed citizenry downtown at the RNC was the reason that there was no trouble.

Gregory Romeu

You and others of the opinion that open carry is a grave danger obviously do not have any training and experience in carrying open carry in various situations so under those circumstances yes I would most definitely want you to carry concealed and keep it there. Much like Clark Kent here hiding his Superman underwear underneath his clothes so as not to alert Lex Luthor or any of the other goblins that might be a peril to him! The bottom line if you are willing to strap on a gun whether it’s concealed or open carry you best be trained… Read more »

richard zwirblis

Hay Gregory , it sound like you DONT live inn this fine state where the dems. and low intel. voters live .Tell them a lie long enough, and they WILL believe anything .I [for one]do not believe there line of B.S. I am glad your relatives were involved in the birth of this country , but, WHAT IS YOUR POINT? Do you live in a place where YOU CAN CARRY. If that is the case, All the power to ya. We are still Fighting the powers to be. and trying to change the gov .that we have in ALBANY Your… Read more »

James Andrews

I concur!

James Andrrews

I concur; much safer!

TEX

It’s very easy to see why some of you should definitely carry concealed and not open. If you’re worried about being attacked and having your handgun snatched away from you, carry concealed by all means.

Jim Macklin

Open carry does make the armed citizen a target for a mugging and theft of their $500-$3,000 custom carry showpiece. You can’t legally draw on the punks who can come within arms distance legally. You can only draw after they actually do being their attack/robbery.
Open carry in a group, two to a dozen openly armed men and women is probably safe. It is a good idea to use holsters that are snatch resistant, such as police use.
If you’re alone, concealed carry and an appearance and stance of confidence is safer, why advertise and attract attention.

Clark Kent

All open carry does is announce the wearer is a ‘free gun zone’. You don’t have eyes in the back of your head so spare me the ‘situational awareness’ crapola. There is ZERO benefit to open carry vs. concealed carry. Just because you CAN do something does not mean you SHOULD.

Gregory Romeu

richard zwirblis – my relatives came to Long Island in 1660 kicked ass move west kick more ass move further west kick more ass moving to New York City and Manhattan area New Jersey all over that terrain kicked ass join George Washington’s troops kick more ass join the American Indian Wars kick more ass joined up with Danial and Seth Boone, kick more ass help build Boonesville ran off with Davy Crockett kicked yet more ass move a little further west and then settled down in the Kentucky low Dutch territory. Over 80 of my relatives fought in the… Read more »

Aardvark

I have to wonder if the head of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association advocates for violating other citizen rights, like justified probable cause, reading Miranda rights, obtaining a search warrant, etc.

Barry Hirsh

Truckbuddy, your observation is substantiated by fact. A mover and shaker of the protest movement posited that the probable reason for the low turnout of protesters was the fact that patriotic Americans were lawfully carrying arms out in the open.

H.K. Latham

I prefer to carry concealed, but fully support those who want to open carry, but why do some insist on carry rifles? No one is going to do this normally. It doesn’t help our cause.

TEX

Since Open Carry went into law in Texas on 1-1-’16,I have carried open everyday without any negative incident or experience. When this idiot above,LLinLA,says about open carry,..”and unduly exhibiting testosterone” that is a moronic statement from a very uneducated person. I legally carried concealed in Texas for over 20 years before the open carry law went into effect and many,many Texans welcome it,me included.

Barry

Truckbuddy – Your assessment has credibility, considering that one of the BLM movers and shakers publicly bemoaned the fact that an armed presence of citizens exercising their right to carry likely stifled protestor turnout.

Big Daddy

It’s called situational awareness and if you are armed open or not it’s the first step for anybody to protect themselves.

richard zwirblis

As a life member ,of the NRA, I worry that if the S – – T hit the fan , WE the law abiding citizens , who will try to protect our families , WILL END UP BEING THE FIRST TARGETS OF LAW INFORCEMENT AND WHAT EVER ELSE IS OUT THERE. Living in a state like N.Y.,they already know where some of our hardwear is. More so on L.I. where we are too close to progressive and lib. N.Y.C.At least here on L.I. we can still get a permit to carry( only to a range and back) but how much… Read more »

Vanns40

JoeUSooner: Not backed up by any stats. HOWEVER, I do have personal knowledge of an exact situation you presented. An armed citizen was at his favorite bank, at the teller and open carrying when an armed robber, complete with mask, came in, saw open carrier and stumbled over himself turning around so fast to run out of the bank. Open carrier never saw this but President of the bank witnessed everything, rushed up to open carrier saying “oh thank you so much you saved us”!! Open carrier, who I know, took a moment to realize what had happened and now… Read more »

JoeUSooner

Vanns… your point is well taken, in that there is strength in numbers. And advertising the presence of a gun may, in some instances, serve as a deterrent. However… there will be instances where advertising a gun simply puts a large target on the gun owner’s torso. I’m nit ready to take even that small, but very real, risk. The problem arises when a bad guy walks into a bank and sees only ONE armed individual (particularly if the open carrier is facing away from the bad guy – such as when dealing with a teller) at that moment… That… Read more »

Jim Macklin

In just a few days the DNC will open a convention in the City of Brotherly Love, the Home of Freedom anda city that bans carry for the masses. The DNC will be showcasing mothers’ of thugs killed during the commission of violent crimes, I expect there will be trouble at and by the DNC in Philadelphia. Words have meanings, often even in just one word a whole story can be told. A slight re-write could say: A state of freedom results when the people ‘s right to keep and bear their private arms is not infringed. I like the… Read more »

JoeUSooner

Exactly! Criminals – although not renowned for their Mensa IQs or Oxford educations – are indeed smart enough to seek locations for committing crimes in which they will NOT be resisted (and will NOT have shots fired back at them!).

A fact with which liberals are completely unfamiliar….

Vanns40

LLinLa All the points you brought up are totally without any statistical backup. As for instilling “fear” in the public, perhaps it’s high time the “public” got used to seeing people who had the means to defend themselves. Regarding tactical advantage, if you were a bad guy and walked into a bank and saw ten people open carrying would you think “heck yeah I’m gonna go ahead and rob this bank” or would you turn around and find an easier target? Time for you to rethink all your possible objections.

Gregory Romeu

I attended the RNC doing undercover work through https://OathKeepers.org for friends, associates and other concerms such as watching the backs of the thousands of LEO’s that are being targeted and came across many people that either carried openly or concealed. The only problems that I came across where the uninformed liberal types that were protesting, ranting and spewing hatred on a myriad of situations and circumstances, spouting off on matters that they obviously knew absolutely nothing about nor had any control over with a person exercising their right to keep and bear arms. They, (anti-gunners) always became frustrated and upset,… Read more »

Truckbuddy

Not a fan of open carry myself, but perhaps it was one of the reasons nothing happened at the RNC.

Daprof

Funky laws in Pennsylvania regarding open carry:

From: https://www.pafoa.org/law/carrying-firearms/open-carry/
=====================
18 Pa.C.S. § 6108: Carrying firearms on public streets or public property in Philadelphia
No person shall carry a firearm, rifle or shotgun at any time upon the public streets or upon any public property in a city of the first class unless:
(1) such person is licensed to carry a firearm; or
(2) such person is exempt from licensing under section 6106(b) of this title (relating to firearms not to be carried without a license).
===============================

LLinLa

While I’m not in favor of the “practice” of open carry (as a tactical advantage of concealed self-defense, creating a possible “fear factor” and unduly exhibiting testosterone!) my hat does come off to all of the open carriers in Cleveland who DID prove a Constitutional point to the anti-gun pinheads: The “adults in the room” are not the problem. On a similar note, kudos go out to the “Bikers for Trump” contingent for also making their show for freedom.

Tazz7859)

The left is as stupid past absurdity, i call them Liber-tards, they have been taught a false history, have been taught not to use commonsense, wait to be told what to think and do, Real Americans know real history, understand the constitution, and have been making our own common sense decisions, alll our lives. At.least the liberals were smart enough not start their dump crap with armed citizens protecting everything. Way to go guys ,God bless you all.